Teaching Prepared by Caroline W. Ndirangu

Table of Specifications
The principle behind any kind of testing is that the test items (question) should 
not be written until the objective and content areas to be measured are identi-
fied. The emphasis to be placed on each is decided using blue print or table of 
specifications.
The basic purpose of a table of specifications is to ensure that all intended out-
comes are measured and the test includes the appropriate number of items for 
each measured outcome. A table of specification is a two-way table with one axis 
being a topic/content outline and the other axis being a behaviour/skill desired 
according to Bloom’s Taxonomy. The cognitive skills required to be tasked, should 
be stated in terms of action verbs. 

---

African Virtual University
   
The procedure for designing and using a table of specification is to
•  Decide on the type and number of questions the question paper should 
have.
•  Decide on which aspects or parts of the syllabus the test will cover.
•  Decide on what skills will be tested and the percentage weighing accor-
ding to the level of the course on which the test is being developed.
•  Decide on what percentage weighting will be allocated to the various 
aspects of the syllabus.
•  Balance the number of questions and skills to be tested and the distribu-
tion of questions from all parts of the syllabus (sampling).
Read the article entitled evaluation phase’s specifically on item analysis.
Reading 16    
Evaluation Phases 
 
 
 
HTML Document