Learn to Lead Achievement Tests
The CAP Leadership Project developed 300 potential test questions (100 for each chapter in Module One of the "Learn to Lead" textbook).
Writing effective tests for CAP is a challenge. On any given testing night, one CAP cadet may be 13 years old while another may be 17 - both taking the same test. Youth factors, such as age or cognitive development, impact the success rates of these cadets and, ultimately, CAP.
CAP mainly employs written, predictive, tests that are criterion based. CAP Leadership Project participants not familiar with writing good test questions should search the web and/or ask a teacher.
Before submitting potential test questions, make sure that each question:
- is multiple-choice. No True/False or matching questions are allowed.
- reaches the comprehension level of the cognitive domain in Bloom's Taxonomy.
- has one correct answer and three plausible distracters.
- is taken mainly from the objectives found within each chapter. If necessary, you can also develop questions from the chapter goals or the review quizzes.
- clearly shows the correct answer along with the corresponding objective number.
- takes into account the various ages and other youth factors. Questions should be a mix of easy, medium and hard. However, questions with an ease index of over 90% and a differentiation index too extreme will not be published.
If you are not familiar with any of the terms used above, please visit the
Do This First tab.
Let's test your ability to comprehend a good test question. Is the sample test question below an effective test question?
Sample Test Question
Who is Civil Air Patrol's national leader?
a. The CAP National Commander, Maj Gen Amy Courter, CAP
b. The CAP Executive Director, Mr. Don Rowland
c. The CAP-USAF Commander, Col William Ward, USAF
d. All of the above.
Correct Answer
If you think that the sample test question is effective, then you need to do a little more research. The sample test question is not effective for a number of reasons. Here are but a few:
- Asking "who is" only reaches the knowledge level of the cognitive domain in Bloom's Taxonomy. CAP strives to reach the comprehension level.
- Asking for a specific name would date the test and the questions would need to be updated every time there is a leadership change.
- The question is vague. Can "national leader" be interpreted in different ways?
- The answer, "all of the above," does not meet test design standards.
Important Notes
All test questions submitted were reviewed and approved by the Project Lead prior to submitting to CAP's Cadet Programs. In case of more than one submission of the same question, the Project Lead made the decision on which person gets the credit. Only the best 100 questions for each chapter of the "Learn to Lead" textbook were selected. The Project Lead validated the tests with focus groups and/or test analysis software.