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
Item Writing Top 10

What makes a good multiple choice question?

What the interviewer is testing: Tests knowledge of MCQ design principles.

Key terms: MCQ, stem, distractors, key

Strong Answer

A good MCQ has several characteristics. The stem should present a clear, focused problem - a learner should be able to answer without seeing the options. The key must be unambiguously correct. Distractors should be plausible but incorrect, and each distractor should be diagnostic - a learner who selects it likely has a specific misconception. Options should be similar in length and grammatical structure to avoid giving clues. I avoid "all of the above" and "none of the above" where possible, as they can inflate or deflate scores. I also ensure the question tests more than recall where the specification demands higher-order thinking. After writing, I would have the question reviewed by a peer and an SME before it goes into a live assessment.

Weak Answer (Avoid)

A question with four options where one is right. The harder the distractor, the better the question.

Likely follow-up: How would you analyse MCQ performance after learners have taken the test?