Like most of you, I’m a big fan of the “Tried and Tested Podcast” from PSI services. In an episode from October, PSI president Janet Garcia said:
“The only thing we’re trying to test is knowledge and competence. We’re not trying to test their digital literacy skills. We’re not trying to test their patience.”
I like that last sentence a lot. When trying to account for why certain language tests are gaining popularity, it’s important to remember how desirable it is to provide a smooth and seamless testing experience. It’s been about four years since the jump to at-home testing and while everyone is getting better at it, many testing firms still struggle to do this. Indeed, test-taker patience is often tested.
I still hear stories about proctors forgetting to turn off their microphones, forcing test-takers to listen to their conversations.
I still hear about room scans being requested at the most inopportune times (and without the test being paused).
People still fail pre-test checks because one major proctoring service still doesn’t account for how modern Apple computers utilize RAM.
Note-taking is often clunky and awkward.
The list goes on. I’ve talked about all this before, so I won’t repeat myself. But, yeah, I love that line about not testing the test-taker’s patience. It’s so incredibly relevant. If you want people to take your test, make the test experience as pleasant as you can.