An internationally respected education system is a crucial prerequisite for India Inc to compete on the world stage. Indeed, perceptions of integrity in educational assessments are vital for India’s education system, national economy, and international image. For without credibility, education qualifications are of little value, and the respect accorded by other countries to the certification issued by a nation’s education system can plunge sharply.
Over 2,000 years ago, China introduced public examinations to select the brightest and best for the civil services. Since then, tests have become normative for university admissions and to recruit employees. High-stakes exams for university admissions or professional qualifications have significant consequences for those who write them and organisations that conduct them. But in the new digital and globalised age, conducting high-stakes exams has become an altogether different proposition.
Test providers must design and deliver valid, reliable, fair, and above all credible exams. Validity means the inferences made from test scores are meaningful, reflecting true absorption of knowledge and skills. For example, doing well in a university admissions test should mean the candidate is likely to do well at university. Reliability refers to consistency and reproducibility, and a fair exam is one which is equitable for all test takers regardless of their background or social status. Exam scores awarded should inspire confidence in those who use them as a basis for action or judgement.
Contemporary test-sponsors have several tools at their disposal to develop and conduct valid, reliable, and fair examinations, the crucial ones being modern-day measurement sciences and computer-based testing (CBT). When developing computer-based tests, for example, Pearson VUE’s Ph D-level psychometricians collaborate with test sponsors’ subject matter experts to design and build tests aligned with best institutional and industry practices.
Psychometricians are measurement experts who analyse candidates’ examination performance data. Question difficulty is measured by the proportion of test takers who are able to provide the correct answer. Question discrimination gauges how well the question distinguishes between more and less able test takers. Psychometricians also perform a process called test equating which enables test results to be comparable across time and different versions of an examination. This is an important process for ensuring reliability and fairness. For example in a medical exam, a candidate should not be able to excel simply because the version of the exam she took was easier than other versions. Psychometricians also work with test sponsors to establish a pass standard reflecting the minimum competence necessary to meet the exam’s purpose.
Many universities and organisations which sponsor high-stakes exams around the world have shifted from pencil-and-paper testing to CBT. Since exam papers don’t have to be physically shipped to and from testing locations, CBT eases the administrative burden of test sponsors, making it much easier for them to conduct global exams. And examinees who cannot afford the time or money to write a test at a specified centre on a particular day, have the opportunity to visit a local CBT centre at their convenience, as exams can be conducted on-demand throughout the year within pre-determined blocks of time.
Self-evidently, exam security is vital to fairness. In a CBT environment, exams can be programmed so that candidates not writing an exam don’t get the same questions later. Measurement science — the work of highly skilled psychometricians — is key to making sure that each and every test taker receives a fair exam, truly equivalent from content and statistical perspectives.
The use of computers in everyday life is now commonplace worldwide. All jobs in the emerging global economy require computer literacy, and CBT provides the option of tests which are familiar to people who work and study. The level of computer literacy required for most tests is very basic but practice opportunities and tutorials can also be provided.
A December 2012 report by McKinsey & Co indicates that India hosts the third-largest number of internet users worldwide. The report also acknowledges that weak infrastructure restricts India’s internet penetration. Improvements in its internet ecosystem will enable better capitalisation through economic contributions from the internet.
India’s education and professional qualification assessment systems must prepare to continuously meet the human capital demands of the new globalised knowledge-based economy. CBT has become the benchmark delivery system for high-stakes exams. The flexibility and ease of access provided by CBT will translate into greater ability to compete in the globalised economy.
High-stakes exams should be valid, reliable and fair. Understanding this is critical if India is to continue the upward trajectory of its international reputation in today’s ever-shrinking and digital technologies-driven world.
(Belinda Brunner is the Manchester (UK)-based test development strategist of Pearson VUE)