Analysis of the validity of the test Planea EMS 2017, mathematical area

Abstract

The standardized tests are developed for making objective comparisons between students in different contexts and they are applied on a large scale. The validity, reliability, application-ease, and qualification are necessary characteristics for a test to be objective. Validity is the condition that is fully satisfied when a test measures that for which it was designed; to achieve this, each item must have a unique and unmistakable answer, besides, it must be written in a clear, precise language and in accordance with the level and capacity of the student which takes the exam. Hence the relevance of the present work; since, the analysis that it is carried out, suggests that being the Plan Nacional para la Evaluación de los Aprendizajes (Planea) an instrument which evaluates a whole country, it should not have errors in the construction of the test nor in its reagents. On the basis of a set of guidelines, a matrix is proposed to qualify the validity of any multiple-choice test and it is applied to the Planea school examination in 2017 on the mathematics area only, finding that 10% of the items of such test have errors.