TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS Sample Table of Specifications

The following are examples of table of specifications.

A table of specification is a plan prepared by a classroom teacher as (a) One-way table of specifications for Elementary Mathematics II,
a basis for test construction, especially a periodic test. It is important that this indicating areas of instructions and number class sessions.
be carefully prepared because it contributes to the development of the quality Number of
test which, per se, is a good instrument for diagnostic and remedial teaching. Number of Test
Content Class
Through it, the degree of content, as well as skill mastery, can be determined Items Placement
Sessions
and a balanced test representing varied skills can be achieved. The table of 1. Subtraction concepts 4
specifications can also provide an assurance that the test will measure 2. Subtraction as the inverse
4
representative samples of the instructional objectives and the contents of addition
included in the instruction. 3. Subtraction without
8
regrouping
Preparing the Table of Specification 4. Subtraction with
5
regrouping
1. Make the content outline of the subject matter which has been taught 5. Subtraction involving
8
after a definite period of time. zeros
2. Determine the objectives, specific knowledge or skills to be tested. 6. Mental computation
4
through estimation
3. Decide the number of test items to be constructed.
7. Problem solving 7
4. Find the number of class sessions (or hours) spent for each subject
Total 40 50 1 – 50
matter, unit, chapter, etc., taught and the total number of class (b) One-way table of specifications in Elementary Agriculture
sessions.
5. Find the total number of items for each subject matter. Number of Number of Test
Content
Recitation Items Placement
NR
TT   TD 1. Definition of terms 7
TR 2. Fertilization
Where : 2.1 Natural fertilizers 3
2.2 Commercial 4
TT  Total number of items for each topic fertilizers
N R  Number of sessions for the topic 2.3 Compost pits 3
3. Kinds of crops
TR  Total number of sessions 3.1 Leafy vegetables 5
TD  Total number of items desired 3.2 Vine crops 5
4. Garden characteristics
6. Distribute the number of test items. 4.1 Topography 4
4.2 Fencing 3
4.3 Water supply 6
Total 40 45 1 – 45
(c) Two-way table of specifications in Elementary Agriculture (e) Two-way table of specifications for first year Physics, leading to a
Disposal diploma course in Electrical Engineering
Educational of Care and Related SELECTION
Total Test SUPPLY TYPE ITEMS
Objectives Garden Fertilization Activities
Placement Number TYPE ITEMS
Products TOPIC
of Hours H
No. of Sessions 15 10 15 40 K C A Total K C A Total
a
A. Cognitive:
1. Heat 7 7 10(1)
Knowledge 11
2. Light 8 8 10(1)
Comprehension 8
Application 10 3. Sound 6 6 10(1)
Analysis and 4. Magnetism 7 7 10(1)
Synthesis 9 5. Electricity 12 12 20(2)
Total 15 15 10 40 15 15 10 20 60(6)
40 hours
B. Affective, 100
Change in  K – knowledge, C – comprehension, Ap – application, HA – higher than
attitudes, application
Appreciation of  Selection items may include true – false, multiple – choice, and matching
valuing 12 items.
Total 19 12 19 50 1 – 50
 Supply items may either be low – order supply (identification, direct –
(d) Two-way table of specifications in high school Physics, indicating
question, and fill – in – the – blank items), or high – order supply
content, number of class sessions, and objectives to be tested
(problem – solving and essay items).
Instructional Objectives
Content CS T  Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of high – order supply
K C Ap An Sy Ev
1. Conversion of units 3 6 questions/items per topic.
2. Speed and velocity 3 6  Heat – 7+10=17 points or marks; Light – 8+10=18 points; Sound –
3. Acceleration 2 4 6+10=16 points; Magnetism – 7+10=17 points; Electricity – 12+20=32
4. Free falling bodies 1 2 points. TOTAL = 100 points or marks
5. Projectile motion 1 2
6. Force 1 2
7. Vector 2 4
8. Work, energy, and
3 6
power
9. Conservation of energy 2 4
10. Conservation of
2 4
momentum
Total 20 4 6 8 8 7 7 40
(CS – class sessions or hours, K – knowledge, C – comprehension, Ap –
application, An – analysis, Sy – synthesis, Ev – Evaluation, T - total)
Need for a Table Specifications 2. Allocate marks for each topic as a percentage.

As a teacher, you will often have to set test papers at the end of a unit The number of marks you allocate will be based on (a) the time
of instruction or a course. The results from these tests should provide you required to teach each topic, (b) the relevance of topic to learning other
with enough information about how effective your teaching has been. The topics and/or subjects, and (c) how important each topic is to students’ later
test results should also provide your students with information about how activities.
well they have achieved the objectives of the course. As a first step, allocation of marks for each topic as a percentage can
be calculated based on the time allocated for each topic with reference to the
To be able to provide yourself and your students with this total time available for the entire subject. These allocations, however, need to
information, your tests must be both valid and reliable. Remember that be modified based on the consideration of the relevance of individual topic to
content validity is one of the important factors to be considered when you the learning of other topics/subjects and its importance to activities at a later
construct a test. To achieve content validity in your tests, you must write date.
items which cover or sample:
a. the content of your course, and MODIFIED
b. the different abilities of your students. TOPIC TIME MARKS ALLOCATION
ALLOCATIONS
Heat 14 hours (14/80) × 100=17.5% 17%
You will find, however, that it is very difficult to over all the Light 16 hours (16/80) × 100=20.0% 18%
instructional objectives and all the content of your course in the limited time Sound 12 hours (12/80) × 100=15.0% 16%
you have available for testing. What you can do, therefore, is to assign Magnetism 14 hours (14/80) × 100=17.5% 17%
relative weightage or importance, to a sample of particular topics or Electricity 24 hours (24/80) × 100=30.0% 32%
objectives. Remember that this sample must be representative. TOTAL 80 hours 100.0% 100%

To help you determine whether your sample is representative or not, 3. Determine the levels of ability necessary for each topic.
a table of specification (ToS) is used. A table of specification shows how 4. Allocate percentage marks for different abilities in each topic.
much weightage is given to different topics and for each student’s ability to ABILITIES
be tested. TOPIC
Higher
TOTAL
Knowledge Comprehension Application than
Constructing a Table of Specifications Application
Heat 6% 6% 2% 3% 17%
The following steps will help you construct a table of specification. Light 8% 6% 2% 2% 18%
The example used here is for first year Physics leading to diploma course in Sound 4% 6% 2% 4% 16%
Electrical Engineering. Magnetism 6% 4% 4% 3% 17%
Electricity 6% 8% 10% 8% 32%
1. List the topics to be tested and the amount of time spent in teaching Total 30% 30 20% 20% 100%
each topic. In this example, highest weightage has been given to application (A)
TOPIC Heat Light Sound Magnetism Electricity TOTAL and higher than application (HA) abilities in the topic of electricity. This is
TIME 14 hrs. 16 hrs. 12 hrs. 14 hrs. 24 hrs. 80 hrs. because in its subsequent years, Electrical Engineering requires students to
apply the principles of electricity.
 5. Determine the type of test to be given. 7. Determine the marks for each topic, each level, and type of
item/question.
Usually, selection type of test items is written for testing students’
knowledge, comprehension, and application. Higher – order abilities are A new table of specification can now be prepared which shows the
usually tested by supply type questions, such as essay and problem – solving breakdown of actual marks allocated for each topic, level, and type of
questions. Small sub – sections of supply type questions may also be used to items/questions.
test the related lower abilities, i. e., knowledge, comprehension and
application. SELECTION TYPE
SUPPLY TYPE ITEMS
TOPIC ITEMS
6. Determine the proportion of marks for selection and supply type K C A Total K C A HA Total
items/questions. Heat 3 3 1 7 3 3 1 3 10(1)
Light 4 3 1 8 4 3 1 2 10(1)
You might decide that to build sufficient reliability into your test, Sound 2 3 1 6 2 3 1 4 10(1)
you will have a ratio of objective terms (selection) and subjective questions Magnetism 3 2 2 7 3 2 2 3 10(1)
(supply) of 40:60. The next step is to decide how many marks are to be Electricity 3 4 5 12 3 4 5 8 20(2)
Total 40 60
allocated to selection type and supply type questions for each ability level.
Assume that the total marks for the test is 100. Referring to the table
8. Determine the number of items/questions to be included.
in Step 4, you will realize that 20 marks will be allocated to higher than
application (HA) abilities to be tested by supply type questions and 80 marks
will be allocated to knowledge (K), comprehension (C), and application (A)
abilities to be tested both through selection and supply questions. Remember
also that the test should have a proportion of selection: supply as 40:60.

K, C, A HA Total
Selection type items 40 0 40
Supply type items 40 20 60
Total 80 20 100

Out of the total of 100 marks, 60 marks are to be allocated to supply

type questions. Out of these 60 marks, 20 marks are for higher – order
abilities, and the remaining 40 marks are for abilities up to application level,
to be tested by supply type questions. Similarly, out of the 80 marks allocated
to abilities up to application level, 40 marks are allocated to the supply type
questions; the remaining 40 marks are to be allocated to selection type items
for testing abilities up to application level.