Computerized classification test

A computerized classification test (CCT) refers to, as its name would suggest, a Performance Appraisal System that is administered by computer for the purpose of classifying examinees. The most common CCT is a mastery test where the test classifies examinees as "Pass" or "Fail," but the term also includes tests that classify examinees into more than two categories. While the term may generally be considered to refer to all computer-administered tests for classification, it is usually used to refer to tests that are interactively administered or of variable-length, similar to computerized adaptive testing (CAT). Like CAT, variable-length CCTs can accomplish the goal of the test (accurate classification) with a fraction of the number of items used in a conventional fixed-form test.

A CCT requires several components:

  1. An item bank calibrated with a psychometric model selected by the test designer
  2. A starting point
  3. An item selection algorithm
  4. A termination criterion and scoring procedure

The starting point is not a topic of contention; research on CCT primarily investigates the application of different methods for the other three components. Note: The termination criterion and scoring procedure are separate in CAT, but the same in CCT because the test is terminated when a classification is made. Therefore, there are five components that must be specified to design a CAT.

An introduction to CCT is found in Thompson (2007)[1] and a book by Parshall, Spray, Kalohn and Davey (2006).[2] A bibliography of published CCT research is found below.

  1. ^ Thompson, N. A. (2007). A Practitioner's Guide for Variable-length Computerized Classification Testing. Practical Assessment Research & Evaluation, 12(1). [1]
  2. ^ Parshall, C. G., Spray, J. A., Kalohn, J. C., & Davey, T. (2006). Practical considerations in computer-based testing. New York: Springer.