ATP Item Development & Banking 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which item format requires examinees to construct their own response rather than select from provided options?
- Multiple-choice item
- Constructed-response item (Correct answer)
- Matching item
- True/False item
Correct answer: Constructed-response item
Constructed-response items require examinees to produce their own answer, unlike selected-response formats where they choose from given options.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of a content specification table (also called a test blueprint) in item development?
- To track item bank inventory levels
- To define the proportion of items covering each content area and cognitive level (Correct answer)
- To set the passing score for the exam
- To outline scoring rubrics for constructed-response items
Correct answer: To define the proportion of items covering each content area and cognitive level
A content specification table or test blueprint defines what percentage of the test should assess each content domain and cognitive skill level, ensuring balanced coverage.
Question 3: During item writing, which of the following is considered a best practice for writing answer choices in multiple-choice items?
- Make the correct answer consistently longer than the distractors
- Use 'all of the above' as a frequent correct answer
- Ensure all distractors are plausible to examinees who lack mastery (Correct answer)
- Include at least one nonsensical distractor to reduce guessing
Correct answer: Ensure all distractors are plausible to examinees who lack mastery
Plausible distractors are essential because they differentiate between those who know the content and those who do not, ensuring the item discriminates appropriately.
Question 4: What does the term 'item stem' refer to in a multiple-choice item?
- The keyed correct answer
- The set of all answer choices
- The question or problem statement presented to the examinee (Correct answer)
- The statistical metadata associated with the item
Correct answer: The question or problem statement presented to the examinee
The item stem is the question or incomplete statement that presents the problem to the examinee and sets up the answer choices.
Question 5: Which process involves embedding unscored items within an operational test to collect response data without affecting examinee scores?
- Anchor item linking
- Operational item rotation
- Pretesting or field testing (Correct answer)
- Item exposure control
Correct answer: Pretesting or field testing
Pretesting (field testing) embeds unscored items among operational items to gather examinee response data for psychometric analysis before items are used operationally.
Question 6: In item banking, which piece of metadata is most critical for enabling content-balanced test assembly?
- Item author name
- Date item was written
- Content classification or domain tag (Correct answer)
- Word count of the item
Correct answer: Content classification or domain tag
Content classification tags link each item to the content domain and objective it measures, which is essential for assembling tests that match the blueprint specifications.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the role of a subject matter expert (SME) in the item development process?
- SMEs are responsible for loading items into the item bank software
- SMEs write and review items to ensure content accuracy and relevance (Correct answer)
- SMEs conduct the final psychometric calibration of items
- SMEs set the passing score using the Angoff method exclusively
Correct answer: SMEs write and review items to ensure content accuracy and relevance
Subject matter experts write and review items to verify that they are factually accurate, relevant to the target domain, and aligned to the content specifications.
ATP Item Development & Banking 1
Which item format requires examinees to construct their own response rather than select from provided options?