Abstract:
This study was of a development type. The purpose of the study was to analyze General English
tests used in post-graduate entrance examination, to construct standardized English proficiency test items,
to develop item bank software and a computer-based test (CBT) system as wel1 as data processing system
software. The subjects of the study were 11,134 post-graduate entrance exam applicants taking General
English Test from academic 2002-2004 for obtaining admission to study in Graduate School, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), 340 students majoring English from four universities; namely, Mahasarakam University, Mahasarakam Rajabhat University, Udorn Rajabhat
University, and Ubon Rajabhat University, and 20 KMUTNB graduate students. The two latter groups
joined the project on voluntary basis. Seven sets of General English test of 100 items, and 4 sets of
English Proficiency of 100 items were used in the study. To standardize test items, the answers to each
item were analyzed to find its difficulty level and discrimination. The test items were sorted and
improved. Appropriate items were stored in the test bank software constructed by the researcher using a
freeware called MySQL, OOP, and PHP. A computer-based examination room was developed in a LAN
system. It consisted of a server and 20 client computer sets. Twenty KMUTNB graduate students tried the
test in the constructed CBT room.
It was found that most analyzed test items complied with standard criteria. Six hundred and fifty
items were saved in the constructed item bank software, which could store up to 200,000 items and could randomize items for use as designed. The constructed computer-based exam worked appropriately. The scores of the CST test could be processed by the developed software and the result could be printed out by the test administrator immediately after the test was finished.