testbank

Test bank, or testbank, is a repository of exam items used by educators to assemble assessments. Items may include multiple-choice questions, true/false statements, short-answer prompts, problem sets, or cases. Test banks are used to support assessment design, ensure topic coverage, enable randomization, and save time in exam creation. They can be created by instructors, academic departments, publishers, or third-party providers, and are often distributed in digital form within learning management systems or dedicated item-banking software.

Items are typically tagged with metadata such as topic, learning objective, difficulty level, expected answer format, and cognitive level. This metadata facilitates item selection, alignment with curricula, and item analysis after tests. Modern test banks often support adaptive testing and automated grading for objective items.

Creation and governance involve writing clear questions, providing correct answers, distractors, and explanations, and subjecting items to review for accuracy, bias, and alignment with standards. Intellectual property rights and licensing are important, especially for publisher-provided banks.

Advantages include consistency, scalability, and efficiency; enabling form construction, revision, and parallel testing. Potential drawbacks include item leakage, overreliance on standardized prompts, diminishing item diversity, and ethical concerns around cheating and test security. Regular quality control and periodic updates are important.

Availability ranges from commercial publisher banks and open educational resources to institution-specific repositories integrated with LMS platforms. Users should respect licensing terms and ensure alignment with course goals.