Guides

Guides to better tests and fairer hiring

Practical, plain-language guides for teachers, trainers, hiring managers and students preparing for exams.

How to create an online testCreate an online test step by step: set the goal, write the questions, choose a time limit and pass mark, stop cheating and review the results.How to write good multiple-choice questionsPractical rules for clear, fair multiple-choice questions: strong stems, plausible distractors, no giveaway clues, and checking quality with statistics.Pre-employment skills tests: a guide for small businessesHow small businesses can use pre-employment skills tests to hire better: what to test, test length, pass marks, fairness, and how to combine tests with interviews.How to prevent cheating in online examsPractical ways to reduce cheating in online exams and hiring tests: question banks, shuffling, server-side timers, integrity signals, open-book design and more.How to set a pass mark for a testHow to choose a fair pass mark for exams, training checks and hiring tests: starting points, the Angoff method in plain language, and adjusting with real results.Test reliability explainedKR-20 (Kuder-Richardson Formula 20) in plain words: the formula, how to interpret 0.7, 0.8 and 0.9, and five ways to raise a low score.How to run a live quiz in classA teacher’s guide to running a live quiz game in class: choosing questions, timing, setting up the screen, keeping it fair and using the results afterwards.How to create an online coursePlan, build and launch a short online course: splitting the topic into lessons, adding video and documents, writing quizzes, setting a pass mark and certificates.How to make a video quizHow to build a quiz around videos, images and audio: choosing clips, writing questions about what people watched, using info slides and avoiding common mistakes.How to read test results like an exam boardLearn to read item analysis like an exam board: question difficulty, discrimination, distractor analysis and what to change when a question misbehaves.How to make a practice test from your notesTurn your class notes into a practice test you can take, mark and retake in 6 steps, then use your wrong answers as your revision list.Retrieval practice: why testing yourself worksWhat retrieval practice (the testing effect) is, why answering questions beats re-reading, and simple ways to build it into your revision every day.How to study for a multiple-choice examMultiple-choice exam tips and strategies: five ways to revise for recall and close options, and five things to do on the day, from timing to guessing.How to prepare for a timed examPractical ways to prepare for a timed exam: plan your minutes per question, practise under real time limits and avoid running out of time on the day.How to revise with a study group quizMake group revision productive: share the topics, write questions for each other and run a live quiz or shared online test with your study group. Test score calculatorTurn a raw score into a percentage, grade and pass or fail. Test reliability calculatorEstimate how consistent your test is (KR-21). Exam time calculatorFind a fair time limit for any test.

Who these guides are for

Teachers who want exams that are fair and quick to mark. Trainers who need to check that a course actually worked. Small business owners and hiring managers who want to compare applicants on real skills instead of CVs alone. Students who want to revise with practice tests instead of re-reading. Each guide is short, practical and free of jargon, with examples you can copy.

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