Examination development

Examinations are the yardstick by which the achievement of learning goals and competence acquisition are measured. Like all forms of measurement, they must satisfy a series of criteria to make their results meaningful: the measurement result must not be affected by the measurement process  (objectivity); the measurement result must be reproducible and precise (reliability); and above all, the measurement result must represent a correct operationalisation of the object measured (validity). There must also be a guarantee that examinations are fairly run and that cheating can be prevented. A good examination is always expediently embedded in the teaching and learning context. It tests competences which have been previously presented and worked on together. The form and extent of the examination, the type of examination task and how it will be measured should be made clear and communicated to students in advance.