Blueprint constraints

Blueprint constraints allow you to set coverage parameters for the materials being delivered in the item set and exam. This is useful to ensure that test materials are appropriately aligned with intended learning and assessment outcomes.

Any blueprint dimension used for tagging items can be included in a constraint group, and the constraints can be multidimensional if needed. It is also possible to add several constraint groups to the blueprint so that different parameters can be set for different component parts of the paper.

A well-designed exam blueprint (coupled with a robust bank of items) can take the hard work out of item set construction for the test setter as risr/ assess can be set to pick the items on your behalf and to the rules you have stipulated. Alternatively, if automated selection is not used, the system will warn you if your manual selections fall outside of the predetermined blueprint parameters.

Setting blueprint constraints

For this set of instructions we have assumed that you have already set up the basic exam blueprint structure. For information on how to do this please see the previous article. 

• Step 1 of 8

  Go to Blueprints > Exam Blueprints and hit View blueprint beside your chosen Exam Blueprint.

  

• Step 2 of 8 

  Click Add constraint group

  

• Step 3 of 8

  Give the constraint group a name. You can have as many or as few constraint groups in an exam as needed. for example, you may wish to create an exam with several distinct parts, or you may wish to have a section of anchor questions present in the exam. For this exam we will create a blueprint for 80 single best answer (SBAs) and 20 extended matching questions (EMQs) comprising a wider 100-item exam. So in this case we will create the first group for 80 items. If your exam contains 100 SBA's you would probably have just one 100-item SBA group.

  Click Add constraint group.

  

• Step 4 of 8

  The next screen is the pre-filters screen. This allows you to set persistent filters to narrow the selection pool before you apply your content coverage parameters. Following the example, we will select a pre-filter so that only SBA's can be picked in this first constraint group.

  Click Apply filters.

  

• Step 5 of 8

  From the next screen we can now start to add dimensions and tags. Select a dimension, then one of its categories and Add constraint.

  

  Repeat until all the required categories have been added.

• Step 6 of 8

  In the example below we have added categories from two separate dimensions. Note how they have been organised under separate headings for Clinical discipline and Competency. 

  

  1. Date exclusion: This option allows you to exclude any items from selection if they have been used within any number of calendar days before the item set you are producing. See the note below.
  2. Absolute targets: Set the absolute number of items to be picked for each category. This can be achieved using either a range (maximum and minimum bounds) or a specific target. Note the number of requested items here adds up to 80.
  3. Proportional targets: Alternatively, specify targets as a proportion of the paper (percentage values). Again, this can either be in ranges or absolute targets. Note the number this time adds up to 100%.
  4. Category deletion: Tick the box then Save page to delete any of the categories.  

  Although it is possible to exclude items used within a previous date range, this can be problematic if items have been unwittingly used for practice tests or similar. As an alternative, we would usually recommend excluding previously used specific item sets. This can be achieved during item set construction. 

• Step 7 of 8

  Once saved, you will be directed back to the exam blueprint setup screen. From here you can see the numbers of items requested and the number of items available for each category within the bank. You also have the option to edit the group you have just created. 

  Following our example, we will now create a second constraint group to request our 20 EMQ items to make up the 100 total.

  Click Add constraint group and follow the same process.

  

• Step 8 of 8

  Once complete, both constraint groups will be shown on the setup page and all the parameters can be fed into the item set generator.