Testing here is regarded as a teaching method and is to be distinguished from formal examining such as Yearly Examinations. Testing is usually concerned with one specific phase or aspect of a subject.

While it is recognised that brief testing may take place at any point in the development of a lesson, it may also form a distinct lesson or a major part of one.

The Aims of Testing

• To determine the pupils' level of attainment and/or comprehension.
• To diagnose sources of weakness.
• To assess the effectiveness of teaching method.

One or more of the above aims may be operative at the one time. The trainee teacher / instructor should be encouraged to recognise and state clearly the purpose or purposes of his or her testing.

The Construction of Tests

• Test questions/or activities should be graded to discover what each child knows and to provide opportunity for each child to experience success.
• In group teaching , it is desirable to devise separate tests for each group.
• Variety of approach should be considered (e.g. in Social Studies - labelling maps, completion test and multiple - choice questions can be used).
• Length of tests should be restricted (according to the age of the students), to 5 to 10 minutes when part of a lesson, or not exceeding 30 minutes actual testing when given as a separate lesson to younger students.
• Testing should oblige individual effort in answering. In most cases this would imply giving written answers rather than oral ones.
• In subjects other than English, a minimum of difficulty in vocabulary and expression should be involved.

The Administration of Tests

Testing is part of the teaching process and should occur regularly. Consideration should be given to the time of day, and to the class environment.Undue tension should be avoided. When test questions are introduced the students should clearly understand the directions given. Classroom corrections should be carefully supervised.

In appropriate cases testing should lead to diagnosis of errors and follow up work. Succeeding lessons should grow out of it. This means that accurate records should be kept.

A typical testing lesson might involve the following steps:

Step 1. Explanation of requirements

Step 2. Testing

Step 3. Correction .

Step 4. Follow up: Analysis of errors, drill, practice. This step may take place in the same or subsequent lesson.