Interview Preparation

Practice answers to common assessment developer interview questions.

Categories
Assessment Design Blueprinting Item Writing Quality Assurance Regulation Constructs SMEs Version Control Career Transition Assessment Methods Mark Schemes Accessibility Project Management Behavioural How do you decide the total marks for an assessment paper? Explain the difference between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment. What would you do if you discovered after a paper is published that one criterion was not assessed? What evidence would you provide to demonstrate that an assessment is valid? How would you investigate if marking consistency drops between two exam series? How do you ensure an assessment is fair for a learner with dyslexia? How do you avoid writing leading questions? How do you handle a situation where a learner gives a correct answer that is not in the mark scheme? How do you ensure consistency when different assessors observe the same practical task? A centre reports that their learners consistently score lower than the national average. How do you respond? What data would you collect after an assessment series to inform improvements? What transferable skills from your current role would you bring to assessment development? Describe a time you managed a complex project with multiple stakeholders. How did you keep it on track? Tell me about a time you identified an error that others had missed. What did you do? Describe a situation where you had to learn something complex quickly. An SME provides feedback that contradicts the specification requirements. How do you respond? What would you do if you suspected an assessment was disadvantaging a particular group of learners? When would you choose a portfolio over a timed examination? How do you know when standardisation has been successful? What is the difference between a technical review and an SME review? How do you ensure Paper A and Paper B in the same series are comparable?

Answer Practice Top 10 Questions Mock Interview
Assessment Design Top 10

How do you ensure an assessment is valid?

What the interviewer is testing: Tests understanding of validity as a fundamental concept.

Key terms: validity, construct, assessment criteria, blueprint

Strong Answer

Validity is established through multiple lines of evidence. First, I define the construct clearly - what exactly are we measuring? Then I ensure every assessment item maps to specific learning outcomes and criteria through a blueprint. I also check that the assessment method is appropriate for the type of construct - assessing practical skills requires practical methods, not written exams. Finally, I would involve SMEs to review content accuracy and conduct accessibility and bias reviews to remove irrelevant barriers. Validity is not a one-time check; it is built through the entire assessment design process.

Weak Answer (Avoid)

I follow the specification and make sure the questions are clear.

Likely follow-up: Can you give me an example of when an assessment might appear valid but is actually not?

Assessment Design Top 10

What is the difference between validity and reliability?

What the interviewer is testing: Tests understanding of two core assessment principles.

Key terms: validity, reliability

Strong Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency of assessment outcomes - if a learner took the same assessment on a different day or had a different marker, would they get the same result? Validity refers to whether the assessment measures what it claims to measure. The key point is that reliability is necessary but not sufficient for validity. You can have a perfectly reliable assessment that consistently measures the wrong thing - like using a written test to assess driving ability. The test might give consistent scores, but it is not a valid measure of driving skill. Good assessment design requires both: measuring the right things consistently.

Weak Answer (Avoid)

Validity is about being correct and reliability is about being repeatable.

Likely follow-up: Can an assessment be reliable but not valid? Give an example.