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Computerized Adaptive Testing System of Functional Assessment of Stroke

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Adaptive testing for psychological assessment: how many items are enough to run an adaptive testing algorithm?

Michaela M Wagner-Menghin1, Geoff N Masters

  • 1Medical University of Vienna, Department for Medical Education, Spitalgasse 23, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. michaela.wagner-menghin@meduniwien.ac.at

Journal of Applied Measurement
|July 3, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Adaptive testing in psychology requires sufficient item banks for precise measurement. This study shows that even smaller item banks can yield accurate results, improving psychological assessment efficiency.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychometrics
  • Psychological Assessment
  • Educational Measurement

Background:

  • Adaptive testing principles are established but not widely used in psychological assessment.
  • A key barrier to adoption is uncertainty regarding optimal item bank size and test length for adaptive algorithms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between item bank size, test length, and measurement precision in adaptive psychological testing.
  • To determine the minimum item bank requirements for achieving desired levels of measurement accuracy.

Main Methods:

  • Simulated adaptive tests were conducted using varying item bank sizes (5, 10, 20 items per ability level).
  • Item banks covered 0.5 logits with a total of 75, 150, and 300 items, respectively.
  • Maximum test length was set at 30 items per person, and standard error of measurement (SEM) was calculated.

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Computerized Adaptive Testing System of Functional Assessment of Stroke
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Published on: January 7, 2019

Main Results:

  • An item bank of 10 items per ability level (150 total) achieved an SEM of .47 (.39) with an average of 20 (29) items for 85-93% (64-82%) of the sample.
  • Increasing the item bank to 20 items per level (300 total) did not significantly improve performance.
  • A small item bank (5 items/level, 75 total) could match conventional test SEM with fewer items or yield a better SEM with the same number of items.

Conclusions:

  • Optimal item bank size for adaptive psychological testing is crucial for measurement precision.
  • Moderate item bank sizes (e.g., 10 items/level) are effective, with diminishing returns for larger banks.
  • Adaptive testing with appropriately sized item banks offers potential for more efficient and precise psychological assessments.