Overview
A computerized classification test (CCT) refers to, as its name would suggest, a test that is administered by computer for the purpose of classifying examinees. The most common CCT is a mastery test where the test classifies examinees as "Pass" or "Fail," but the term also includes tests that classify examinees into more than two categories. While the term may generally be considered to refer to all computer-administered tests for classification, it is usually used to refer to tests that are interactively administered or of variable-length, similar to computerized adaptive testing (CAT).
A CCT requires several components:
1. An item bank calibrated with a psychometric model selected by the test designer
2. A starting point
3. A termination criterion and scoring procedure
4. An item selection algorithm
The starting point is not a topic of contention; research on CCT primarily investigates the application of different methods for the other three components.
Note: The termination criterion and scoring procedure are separate in CAT, but the same in CCT. Therefore, there are five components that must be specified to design a CAT.
How a CCT Works
A CCT is very similar to a CAT. Items are administered one at a time to an examinee. After the examinee responds to the item, the computer scores it and determines if the examinee is able to be classified yet. If they are, the test is terminated and the examinee is classified. If not, another item is administered. This process repeats until the examinee is classified or another ending point is satisfied (all items in the bank have been administered, or a maximum test length is reached).
Psychometric Model
Two approaches are available for the psychometric model of a CCT: classical test theory and item response theory.