Testbanken

A testbanken, or examination bank, is a curated repository of assessment items used by educational institutions to design and administer examinations. Items typically include multiple-choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions, often paired with model solutions. Each item is described by metadata such as subject area, learning outcomes, difficulty level, and author, and may be linked to an assessment plan or curriculum standard.

The main purpose of a testbanken is to enable efficient and fair assessment design. Instructors can assemble exams by selecting items that cover the intended learning outcomes, control for difficulty and length, and reduce item repetition over time. Students may also gain practice with practice sets or sample questions, depending on institutional policy and item security. Digital testbanks commonly support search, tagging, filtering, and versioning to track updates and reuse.

Quality assurance and governance are important aspects. Items are typically reviewed for accuracy, clarity, bias, and alignment with learning objectives. Banks often provide analytics on item performance, informing revisions and improving discrimination and validity. Access is usually controlled, with roles for administrators, instructors, and sometimes students, and security measures to prevent unauthorized exposure of questions.

Variations exist across institutions. Some testbanks are course-specific, others are centrally managed within a department or university. Interoperability with learning management systems and assessment platforms is common, using standard formats and APIs to facilitate import, export, and automated scoring where appropriate. Copyright and licensing considerations are also managed to balance reuse with intellectual property rights.