Examination Blueprinting

Examination Blueprinting

A high-quality examination blueprint is a recipe for the assembly of a defensible exam. Multiple-choice exams to OSCEs, live or remote sessions, Spire will design and conduct processes to create blueprints to fit your circumstances and needs.

Item and Task Development

Item and Task Development

The development of test questions and tasks is the single-most time and resource-intensive activity that testing organizations will conduct. Spire staff has deep experience in the fundamentals of a successful item development program including training, project management, and review. We can also create customized style guides, templates, and even build you a program using Automatic Item Generation!

Exam

Assembly

Exam Assembly

The assembly of a defensible exam requires many constraints to be satisfied beyond the blueprint. For a licensing exam, constraints for cognitive level, gender, passages, images, specific competencies, average difficulty, discrimination, and common items are typical. Spire uses optimization technology for assembly so you can administer an exam with the precise characteristics you require and one that’s fair to your test takers.

Statistical Item and Test Analysis

Statistical Item Analysis

Item analysis is the critical step where your organization gains insight into how your candidates are understanding your items. Classical or Item Response Theory, Spire will provide not only the key statistics but also a concrete interpretation of the numbers so you can have clarity about how your items are functioning and what specific changes could make them better.

Standard

Setting

Standard Setting / Equating 

The function of a certification or licensing exam is to make sound decisions about the capabilities of test takers. These decisions have profound effects as they determine whether the public is protected when they engage the services of a professional and also if the candidate is able to earn a living in the occupation they’ve trained for. Standard setting sets the threshold for determining the readiness of candidates for professional practice and is one of the key services offered by Spire. From modified Angoff to Nedelsky, Borderline groups to Bookmark, we can facilitate a session that best fits your program. 

Scoring and Reporting

Scoring and Reporting

In testing, accuracy and interpretability go hand in hand. Though accurate numbers reveal the capabilities of candidates, well-designed reports allow those numbers to make sense to people. Spire takes care of both. Response data are always double-scored and matched to ensure 100% accuracy; carefully crafted reports reveal the desired interpretations and discourage inappropriate ones.