Building a Test Manually

If you want to select each item to include in a test, you can create a test manually on the test builder page. When building a test manually, you can choose to add existing items from your item libraries, and you can also create new items by filling out templates directly in the test builder.

Note: You can also follow the instructions in this section to add items to a test created in the test generator.

1.To start building a new test manually, click Create New Test on the Dashboard or Tests tab. The test builder appears. The first test page will already be added, giving you the option to create a new item from a template or add an existing item from a library.

2.Add or create each item you want to include in the test:

• To add an existing item from your available libraries, click Add from Library. Apply the appropriate filters and then click Add Items to Test in the toolbar for the item or items you want to add to the test. Your libraries may include items provided by HSAP, items you created and items shared with you.
  • If any exclusive item libraries are available to you, an Add from Library button appears for each one. Items in exclusive libraries cannot be added to tests that include items from any other libraries. See Adding Items from Exclusive Libraries for more information.
• To create a new item, click Create from Template and select an available item template.

3.When you add an item to a test, the test builder displays the item’s template.

• You can edit the content for added items by following the same process that you would use to create items in the item builder.
• After editing an item, click Save Item in the item toolbar. Items and tests are saved separately.

4.To add more items to the test, click Add New Item in the Layout panel on the left. Click Add Items to Test in the toolbar when you have finished making your selections. A new thumbnail will appear in this panel for each item you add.

• When you add an item set to the test, an Add Item to Passage button appears below the item set thumbnail, allowing you to create new items that belong to that set.
• You can add multiple items at one time by marking the checkboxes beside the Add button.
• You can rearrange the items in your test by clicking Up or Down under the item's thumbnail.
• You can click Delete in an item thumbnail to remove that item from the test. This action will not delete the item from its library, only from the test you are creating.
  • To delete multiple items, you can select the checkbox at the top of each thumbnail and then click Delete Items at the bottom of the Layout panel.

5.At any point when you’re building a test, you can enter test details (such as the test’s name, grade, and available tools) from the Test Properties panel accessed from the toolbar at the top of the screen.

6.You can delete a draft test at any time in the Test Editor if the test does not yet contain any items.

• Saved draft tests can be permanently deleted at any time from within the Tests tab.

  • Select the checkboxes of the tests you want to delete and then click Delete in the toolbar. This does not delete the items that have previously been added to the test.

7.Optional: To see how the test will appear to students, click Preview Test in the toolbar. You can only preview an item after it has been saved. You can enter sample responses to machine-scored items and click Item Score to make sure the items are being scored correctly.

8.Optional: To view a summary of test information, click the Summary tab in the left panel.

9.Depending on how you want to administer the test, do either of the following:

• To publish the test for online administration, click Publish Test in the toolbar. Once you publish a test, you will be able to administer it to students in the Test Administration Site.
• To build a test booklet for paper administration, navigate to the Tests tab and select Build Booklet from the dotted menu to the left of that test.