Innovative exam delivery, development, and technology for UK assessment programmes- a guide from PSI

The UK assessment industry is rapidly evolving, driven by candidates’ demands for flexibility and seamless testing experiences, as well as the necessity for strict regulatory compliance and security. From multi-modal testing to advanced online proctoring, the landscape is transforming to accommodate more accessible and diversified examination methods.

This new guide from PSI, dives into the latest topics and trends that are shaping the future of assessments in the UK. Learn how these innovations not only meet current regulatory and candidate expectations but also ensure the integrity and credibility of the testing processes.

Candidates want convenient, frictionless and flexible testing that fits around their everyday life. And in a competitive market your exams and assessments need to meet and exceed their expectations. At the same time, your exams must be underpinned by regulatory compliance, including Ofqual, the Data Protection Act (DPA), and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Rigorous security is essential to safeguard the reputation and credibility of your organisation. All while adapting and responding to technological advances, societal change and political shifts. There’s a lot to consider in the development, design and delivery of computer-based testing. This guide takes you through the latest topics and trends in the UK assessment industry.

Flexibility for the future

To survive and thrive into the future, testing programmes need to be flexible. Flexibility is important for your:

1. Organisation– to scale up test delivery as needed, stay relevant in your market, and grow your programme.
2. Candidates– to take an exam where and when they want, with a high-quality experience that matches the ease of the online interactions they have every day.
3. Industry / sector – to attract new entrants into the profession and support career pathways.
4. Employers – to provide and sustain a pool of skilled candidates in the workforce with qualifications that are up to date, right sized and relevant.

Flexible test delivery

Multi-modal testing is becoming the norm. This gives candidates the flexibility to choose whether to take an exam:

1. In-person with access to the facilities of a secure test centre.
2. Remotely with online proctoring at home or in the office.

As well as flexibility, the benefits of multi-modal include increased accessibility and convenience for candidates. Plus the opportunity for your organisation to extend its reach and respond to changing candidate expectations.

Flexible Remote Exams

Online proctoring options provide further flexibility, with the potential to deliver exams with either live or record & review online proctoring, depending on your programme’s needs.

• Record & review offers and candidates the ultimate in flexibility, with continuous on-demand testing – anytime, anywhere.
• Live Remote Proctoring provides candidates with real-time, secure testing from anywhere – ensuring integrity and convenience with every exam.

“With some testing providers, the move to multi-modal testing can be complicated. It can involve adding new vendors, increasing the complexity and administrative burden for the client. That’s not the case with PSI. We’ve supported our clients through this transition on multiple occasions, for us it’s almost as simple as flicking a switch.” – Eunice McAllister  Director of Business Development, PSI

Test delivery trends

In 2019, just 1.5% of PSI  exams took place remotely. In 2023, this increased to 31%. n 2020, 16% of PSI certification clients had adopted multi-modal testing. In 2023 this increased to 33%.

When given the option, 45% of PSI candidates choose to take an exam remotely. It is significant that 55% of PSI candidates still choose to take an exam in person. This highlights the importance of organisations having an online and physical presence, to meet the evolving needs of their candidates.

Flexible exam formats and item types

Flexibility extends beyond how you deliver your exams to the formats and item types now available:

Exam item types: Go beyond the more traditional multiple-choice questions to drag and drop, hot spots / zones, and multiple select. In-application testing is also an option, where candidates answer questions using applications on their device.

Flexible reporting: Reporting that is flexible to the needs of your testing programme is another tool in our kit to support the validity, reliability of fairness of your exams, and your regulator reporting requirements.

For example, Exam Development Reports support the validity of an exam by summarising key tasks within the test development cycle:

• Item reclassification: items reviewed, marked for review,  or reclassified.
• Item writing: item writers who’ve received training and submitted items, items assigned and written.
• Item review: items reviewed, approved as pre-exam items, deleted, or set aside for later review.
• Exam assembly: criteria for itemlevel characteristics, content equivalence, or statistical targets.

Post-test reporting can also flex to the needs of  your testing programme, for example in a Technical Analysis Report which summarises the performance of an exam: •

• Scale-level statistics: by administration type and testing mode, including sample size, number of items, cut score, mean, standard deviation, time, pass rate.
• Raw score distribution: by testing mode.
• Subscale-level statistics: by administration type.
• Item-level statistics: by administration type.

Moving from PBT to CBT

Many UK assessments have already made the move from paper-based to computer-based testing. And we’ve supported multiple clients to take this step – offering convenience and flexibility for candidates in a way that is cost-effective, secure and scalable for organisations.