How do you design and conduct pre- and post-tests for your training?

1 Define your objectives

Before you create your pre- and post-tests, you need to define your learning objectives for the training. What do you want your participants to know, do, or feel after the training? How will you measure their achievement of these objectives? Your objectives should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. They should also align with the content, activities, and evaluation methods of your training.

2 Choose your test format

Depending on your objectives, audience, and resources, you can choose different formats for your pre- and post-tests. Some common formats are multiple-choice, true-false, short answer, essay, case study, simulation, or performance. You can also use a combination of formats to test different levels of learning, such as recall, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, or evaluation. You should consider the validity, reliability, and feasibility of each format for your training context.

3 Develop your test items

When creating test items, you should adhere to certain principles of good test design. This includes writing clear and concise instructions and questions, avoiding ambiguous or misleading wording, grammar, or punctuation, using consistent terminology and language level, covering the main topics and objectives of your training, varying the difficulty and complexity of your items, balancing the number and length of your items, providing feedback or explanations for correct and incorrect answers, and reviewing and revising items for accuracy and relevance.

4 Administer your tests

To ensure the best results for your training, it is important to administer your pre- and post-tests at the right times and in suitable conditions. This includes scheduling the pre-test before the training starts, preferably a few days or weeks in advance, and scheduling the post-test after the training ends, within a few days or weeks of completion. Additionally, you should ensure that your tests are accessible, secure, and confidential for your participants, provide enough time and resources for them to complete the tests, monitor and support them during the tests, and collect and store your test data safely and ethically.

5 Analyze and interpret your results

Analyzing and interpreting your test results is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of your training and the learning outcomes of your participants. You can compare pre-test and post-test scores and performance to identify knowledge and skills gaps, gains, and retention. Additionally, you can use descriptive and inferential statistics to summarize and test your results. It is also important to report and communicate your results clearly and objectively, so that you can use them to improve your training design and delivery.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?