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
Quality Assurance Top 10

Describe your QA process for assessment materials.

What the interviewer is testing: Tests understanding of quality assurance in assessment.

Key terms: QA, review, SME, technical review

Strong Answer

QA is a staged, multi-reviewer process. Stage 1 is the developer self-review against a checklist. Stage 2 is peer review - another assessment developer checks alignment, clarity, and mark scheme accuracy. Stage 3 is SME review for content accuracy and level appropriateness. Stage 4 is technical review - checking every item maps to the specification, command verbs are correct, and marks are appropriate. Stage 5 is accessibility and bias review. Stage 6 may involve a regulatory compliance check. Each stage produces documented feedback, and changes are tracked with version control. Nothing proceeds to the next stage until all feedback from the previous stage is resolved. The final sign-off requires evidence that all checks have been completed.

Weak Answer (Avoid)

I check my own work carefully before submitting it.

Likely follow-up: What would you do if an SME and the technical reviewer disagree about an item?