Beta testing is an essential part of preparing for the launch of a new performance test.
No matter the item type, a beta test allows test developers to select the final set of scored items on a form and guides the determination of the cut score. With performance items, it serves an additional, important function: guiding test developers in setting the time limit for the test.
A white paper by Wallace Judd, PhD, titled “Performance Item Beta Testing Process,” provides guidance on selecting candidates for a beta test and determining the time limit for the operational test. It is the ninth in the Performance Test Development Series.
The papers in this series are intended to be a resource for test developers, illustrating best practices in the performance-testing industry. They provide advice on performance testing topics from initial concept to test delivery.
These topics are presented in language that does not assume study in psychometrics.
The mathematics of any topics are expressed in abbreviated terms instead of the Greek alphabet, and all computations are illustrated in Excel examples.
The papers are published by Authentic Testing, leaders in the field of performance testing, in the hope that they will expand access to performance testing to a wider audience of practitioners, inspiring them to explore the possibilities inherent in performance testing.