PAGE CONTENTS
section one

What is Item Banking?

Lead consultant at Test Partnership, Ben Schwencke, explains item banking.

0:48 Quickly understand item banking.

Item banking in psychometrics refers to the process of creating and maintaining a large pool of test items that can be used for multiple test forms. Item banking allows for the efficient and cost-effective development and administration of tests, as well as the ability to update or retire items as needed. It also allows for the creation of multiple forms of a test that can be used to reduce the impact of test-taking strategies on test scores.

It also allows for the creation of randomised test forms, or even the more advanced computer adaptive tests (CAT).

Item banking is an important aspect of test development and validation as it allows for the efficient and cost-effective development and administration of tests. It also allows for the creation of multiple forms of a test that can be used to reduce the impact of test-taking strategies on test scores. It also allows for the ability to update or retire items as needed, helping to keep the content fresh. As a general rule, fixed-form assessments (those without item banks) should not be used to make high-stakes decisions if they are administered remotely. Fixed-form tests are naturally more vulnerable to cheating, sharing, and distributing, reducing the integrity of the assessments when administered remotely.

Therefore, item banked assessments should be used exclusively when making high stakes decisions, particularly employee selection decisions.