Job Analysis to Test Blueprints
A free spreadsheet to demonstrate how job analysis results can be transformed into recommended test blueprints.
The development of credentialing exams (certification, licensure, etc.) requires strong psychometric practices and validity documentation, as outlined by standards such as NCCA and ANSI. One of the first big questions is “How do we decide what the test should cover?” There are 3 steps to answering that question.
- Strategic discussion by the test sponsor to define the purpose of the exam.
- Job analysis, also known as job task analysis or role delineation.
- Conversion of the job analysis data into test blueprints.
This spreadsheet provides a simple example of Step 3, which you can adapt to your needs. Simply fill out the form to download.
For more information on the process, check out this webinar or the book chapter below.
Determining the Content of Credentialing Examinations
Mark Raymond and Sandra Neustel
In the Handbook of Test Development by Downing & Haladyna (2006)
Need help implementing this process? Our expert psychometricians and certification consultants are dedicated to this work. Get in touch to learn more.
What’s the purpose of this?
A job analysis will produce a list of tasks, sorted into domains, and rated by job incumbents on aspects such as frequency and importance. We need a way to convert this into a test blueprint, namely what percent of the test should cover each domain. Domains that have more tasks deserve more weight. Domains that have higher-rated tasks also deserve more weight. This spreadsheet provides a simple way to accomplish this process.
Complex Test Blueprints
More advanced methodologies will also map tasks to knowledge statements, evaluate subdomains, and introduce other levels of complexity. This is extremely important in many cases, but for many exams the process here will suffice.
