Seven ideas for effective trainee testing

Evaluations are an excellent way of gathering important feedback following training. That is particularly so if you structure  your surveys well, make them anonymous for honest answers, and follow some simple guidelines. But trainee testing can go even further. It all starts with a handful of simple steps.

  1. Identify the main objective of the test. Seeing what trainees have learned—such as if they can handle a skill—may seem like an obvious objective of any test. But identifying weak spots in the content, learning setting, or with the delivery mechanism (e.g. instructor) may be more important in some cases. That’s one example; you may have other objectives. If you’re working with a team, identifying a test’s objective can help ensure everyone—and every aspect of training—is aiming at the same goal.
  2. Tell your students. Once you identify the objective of trainee testing among your team, share it with your learners, too. The test’s heading should define, among other details, your trainee testingexpectations.
  3. Design the assessment according to the objective. Create your test to align it clearly with your primary goal. Tweak or eliminate questions that do not support the goal.
  4. Employ different types of questions. Don’t make all questions true/false or yes/no. Likewise, don’t make them all open responses. Just like we have different learning styles, we also have different test-taking strengths and weaknesses.
  5. Look for patterns. For example, is most everyone hung up on the same test questions? It could be an issue with the content, or just the way a question is posed.
  6. Use clear language. Test results are often skewed because of confusing language either on the questions, answers, or both. Give students a fair chance to show what they learned. Keep it simple.
  7. Offer a carrot. Give learners a reward when they have passed an assessment. Set up and issue a certificate of completion they can receive via email. Issue credits, award points, or other rewards that confirm their success.

GoSignMeUp and Learning Stream registration management software includes a testing add-on. If you are interested in learning more about how trainee assessment can complement the registration experience, please contact us at your convenience.