Standardized tests are assessments that are always administered in the same way so as to be able to compare scores across all test-takers. Students respond to the same questions, receive the same directions, and have the same time limits, and the tests are scored according to explicit, standard criteria. Standardized tests are usually created by a team of test experts from a commercial testing company in consultation with classroom teachers and university faculty.
Standardized tests are designed to be taken by many students within a state, province, or nation (and sometimes across nations). Standardized tests are perceived as being "fairer" than non-standardized tests and more conducive to comparison of outcomes across all test takers. That said, several widely used standardized tests have also come under heavy criticism for potentially not actually evaluating the skills they say they test for.
Types of standardized tests include:
- Achievement tests, which are designed to assess what students have learned in a specific content area or at a specific grade level.
- Diagnostic tests, which are used to profile skills and abilities, strengths and weaknesses.
- Aptitude tests, which, like achievement tests, measure what students have learned; however rather than focusing on specific subject matter learned in school, the test items focus on verbal, quantitative, problem solving abilities that are learned in school or in the general culture. According to test developers, both the ACT and SAT assess general educational development and reasoning, analysis and problem solving, as well as predicting success in college.
Scoring Standardized Tests
Standardized test scores are evaluated in two ways: relative to a specific scale or criterion ("criterion-referenced") or relative to the rest of the test-takers ("norm-referenced"). Some recent standardized tests incorporate both criterion-referenced and norm-referenced elements in to the same test.
Scantron scoring
Many standardized tests are capable of testing students on only multiple-choice questions because they are scored by machine.
Standardized Tests and Education
Standardized tests are often used to select students for specific programs. For example, the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and ACT (American College Test) are norm-referenced tests used to help admissions officers decide whether to admit students to their college or university. Norm-referenced standardized tests are also one of the factors in deciding if students are eligible for special-education or gifted-and-talented programs. Criterion-referenced tests are often used to determine what students are eligible for promotion to the next grade or graduation from high school.
Standardized Tests and Intelligence
Some standardized tests are designed specifically to assess human intelligence. For example, the commonly used Stanford-Binet IQ test, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) are all standardized tests designed to test intelligence. However, these tests differ in how they define intelligence and what they claim to measure. The Stanford-Binet test aims to measure g-factor, or "general intelligence." David Wechsler, the creator of the Wechsler intelligence scales, thought intelligence measurements needed to address more than just one factor and also that they needed to take into account "non-intellective factors" such as fear of failure or lack of confidence.
It is important to understand what a given standardized test is designed to measure (as well as what it actually measures, which may or may not be the same). For example, many people mistakenly believe that the SAT is a test designed to measure intelligence. However, while SAT scores and g-factor are related, the SAT is in fact designed to measure literacy, writing, and problem-solving skills needed to succeed in college and is not necessarily a reflection of intelligence.