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Formative and summative tests

You can create different types of tests within Drillster, read more about the adaptive test and the normal test here. Tests can have different purposes. They can formative and summative. Click on the two ways below and read more about when to use each.

Summative test
The summative test is the test we all know, such as Final exams, the test someone has to take to get a certificate, or the test at school at the end of a semester. A summative test is a test in which all knowledge is tested that a participant has learned about a specific subject or theme. This is the final result of the participant on the subject that the participant has been studying for throughout the term. 
Formative test
A formative test is repeated more often. It can be used to monitor the progress of a participant. What level do they perform at in this moment? Is the participant better off than a year ago? Is there progress or decline in their performance? These kinds of questions can be answered by using summative tests. It gives feedback on the progress of the participant, with the goal of improving performance.

The difference between the summative test and the formative test seems to be very vague. In practice it is often the case that a formative test can also be considered summative. Because the different formative tests that you usually make over a certain period of time do have an end point, this can be the last formative test. In many cases, the formative test can be used as a summative test and determine your final grade or result. This does not work the other way around. Summative tests can't be considered formative because then you would be assuming that after the summative test, someone continues learning about the theme or subject, though the test is an end point on the subject matter. .

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