TestGardener: A Program for Optimal Scoring and Graphical Analysis

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how to use TestGardener to analyze testing data with various item types and explain some main displays. TestGardener is a software designed to aid the development, evaluation, and use of multiple choice examinations, psychological scales, questionnaires, and similar types of data. This software implements the optimal scoring of binary and multi-option items, and uses spline smoothing to obtain item characteristics curves (ICCs) that better fit the real data. Using TestGardner does not require any programming skill or formal statistical knowledge, which will make optimal scoring and item response theory more approachable for test analysts, test developers, researchers, and general public.