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1990-09-03
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BESTTEST USERS MANUAL
(DISK VERSION)
Copyright (c) 1990
by
WiseWare
P.O. Box 148139
Chicago, IL 60614
____|__ | (tm)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
BESTTEST and the BESTTEST USERS MANUAL are provided "as is"
and without warranties as to performance or merchantability
or any other warranties whether expressed or implied.
Because of the various hardware and software environments
into which this program may be put, no warranty of fitness
for a particular purpose is offered. Good data processing
procedure dictates that any program be thoroughly tested with
non-critical data before relying on it. The user must assume
the entire risk of using the program. Any liability of the
author and/or provider will be limited exclusively to product
replacement or refund of the purchase price.
This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that
the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to
resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by
contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The
ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with
an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for
members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at
P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve
message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
INSTALLATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
QUICK START . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
TUTORIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Starting the Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Using the Help System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Using the Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Creating Your First BESTTEST File . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Creating a New File Item. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Using the BESTTEST Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Working With an Existing File . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Changing Program Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Composing and Printing Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
CONVENIENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
PRINTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
GRAPHICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
SPELLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
GOOD TESTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
ABOUT BESTTEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
KEY CHART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
INTRODUCTION
BESTTEST is a little like a word processor and a little like a
database manager. Users familiar with one or both of these kinds of
software should be able to get up to speed with BESTTEST fairly
easily. A glance at the INSTALLATION and QUICK START sections of this
manual should be enough to allow such experienced users to begin
working with the
program.
Those new to computers (or simply wary of new software) will want to
begin with the TUTORIAL section on page 4.
We hope you find BESTTEST useful and we hope, too, that you enjoy
working with the program. We would be interested to hear any
suggestions you have for improving BESTTEST and/or this manual.
Please write to us at:
WiseWare
P.O. Box 148139
Chicago, IL 60614
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 1
INSTALLATION
To run BESTTEST, you will need an IBM PC or compatible with 384KB RAM,
at least one disk drive, and an 80 column monitor and printer.
BESTTEST is distributed in a compressed format, and the program cannot
be run until it has been properly installed. If your disk contains
the file INSTALL.BAT (as well as the file, BESTTEST.EXE), just type
INSTALL at the DOS prompt and press ENTER. Then read and follow the
directions displayed on your screen.
If you have only the file BESTTEST.EXE, then, at the DOS prompt, type:
BESTTEST [d:]
where [d:] represents the drive or directory where you want the
program to be installed. For example:
BESTTEST B:
would install the program on floppies in Drive B.
If you will be running BESTTEST from a hard disk, we suggest that you
make a new directory and use it as the target of your installation.
If you are installing the the program to floppies, you will need two
disks: one for the program file, BT.EXE, and one for the tutorial file,
SAMPLE.BTD. If you want to create a readable and printable disk
version of this manual, you will need a third disk.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 2
QUICK START
1. Insert a disk containing BT.EXE in the currently
active drive (or, if you are using a hard disk,
change to the directory in which BT.EXE is
stored.)
2. Type BT at the DOS prompt and press F1,
3. Read the title screen* and press ESC
4. Press F1 once to view the FILE LEVEL
BASICS help screen, and then press F1 again
to view the HELP INDEX.
5. With the "Help on Using Help" option
highlighted, press ENTER
From this point, you will be able to use the online help system and
the key chart on the inside back cover of this manual to guide you in
your exploration of the program. Please consult the REFERENCE section
of this manual when you need detailed explanations of program
unctions.
*Once the BESTTEST title screen is displayed, you can remove the
program disk and replace it with a data disk. You may want to do this
if, for instance, you are using BESTTEST on a laptop with only one
floppy disk drive.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 3
TUTORIAL
Probably the easiest way to understand what BESTTEST does is to try to
imagine doing yourself what the program does for you automatically:
You start with of a box of file cards. On each
card you write a test item. When you want to
make a test, you choose the cards you want, lay
them out in order, and tape them together.
Then you cut up your chain of cards (test items)
into page-sized sections, and photocopy them.
Then you type out a sheet showing the correct
answers. If you want another version of the
test, you have to untape the cards and start the
whole business over again. Finally, you untape
your file cards and put them back in the box.
In this "manual" version of the program, you do two very different
sorts of jobs; one involves writing and/or editing individual test
items, and the other involves working with the whole box of cards.
In BESTTEST, these two basic functions are performed at different
levels of the program: the ITEM LEVEL and the FILE LEVEL. The top
level
(where the program starts when you first load it) is the FILE LEVEL.
At this level you will do things such as delete file items, sort the
file, select items for a test, etc. At the ITEM LEVEL you will create
and edit individual test items.
There is no way to avoid a certain amount of jargon when you work with
computers. For instance, if you are a very careful reader, you will
have noticed that in the last two paragraphs we made, without
explanation, a distinction between test items and file items. And if
you are especially finicky about such things, you might think that
this was adding insult to injury since the ordinary term question
would have done the job just fine. After all, what is a test item if
it isn't a question?
However, in BESTTEST there are test items that are not questions. A
BESTTEST test item which isn't a question is a header. Header items
are used for titling tests, for distinguishing different parts of a
test, for giving instructions etc.
And, as it turns out, BESTTEST recognizes yet one more kind of item, a
list item, which is neither a question nor a header (and therefore
cannot be a test item). List items are used for saving whole tests.
The "list" comprises the items included in the
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 4
test. To save disk space, list items do not store the entire text of
a test, rather they store only a list of special identification
numbers (which you cannot see) that the program uses to remember which
items you choose to include in your test.
So, in BESTTEST a file item can be a question, or a header, or a list.
That only leaves one further term which needs explanation now. In any
item (or, on any of the file cards in the imaginary manual system)
there will be several different kinds of information. In a
multiple-choice question, for instance, there will be the question,
the correct answer, and two or more incorrect alternatives (usually
called "distractors"). In computerese these are referred to as the
different fields in the item.* So, in our multiple-choice example, we
would have: the question field, the answer field, and the distractor
fields.
BESTTEST recognizes a wide variety of question formats: Essay,
Fill-In, True/False, Multiple-Choice, and Matching. As you will see,
the differences among these formats are a function of the different
kinds and different numbers of fields each format includes.
There will be other terms to learn, of course, as you make your way
through the tutorial. But if you are clear about item and field, and
the three basic item types (list, header and question), that's all you
need for now.
And remember, there is nothing to prevent you from consulting the
REFERENCE section of this manual while you are working through the
tutorial.
Starting the program. (If you have not completed the steps in the
INSTALLATION section on page 2, do so now.)
The procedure for starting BESTTEST depends on what sort of machine
you are using.
If you are using a machine with a hard disk:
change to the directory in which BT.EXE and
SAMPLE.BTD are stored, type BT at the
DOS prompt and press ENTER.
If you are using a machine with two 360K floppy drives (and no hard
disk):
insert a disk containing BT.EXE in Drive A and a
disk containing SAMPLE.BTD in Drive B. Make
Drive B the default drive, then type A:BT at the
DOS prompt and press ENTER.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 5
If you are using a machine with no hard disk and only one floppy disk
drive:
insert a disk containing BT.EXE in that drive.
Type BT at the DOS prompt and press ENTER.
When the BESTTEST title screen is displayed,
remove the program disk and insert a disk
containing SAMPLE.BTD*.
Read the BESTTEST title screen and then press
ESC (EXIT/CANCEL)
You should now be at the FILE LEVEL, and the screen should look like
this
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Format Level Reference-A Reference-B Item Text |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Current File: no file |
| Current Path: (default path) |
| Total Items: 0 |
| System Date: (today) |
--------------------------------------------------------------
The bottom part of the screen is the message area. Most of the time,
the message area will look pretty much as it does now, but when there
are special messages, or when you call up the main menu, or when the
program needs information from you, the display in the message area
will change.
The top part of the screen is the work area. There is nothing much
you can do in the work area right now because there is no file for you
to work with.
* This swap is not necessary if your floppy disk holds 720K or more
because such high capacity disks can hold both BT.EXE and your data
files.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 6
Using the Help System
Even at this early stage, however, there are two keys that are worthy
of your attention.
The first is the HELP key.
Press
F1 (HELP)
NOTE: There is almost always a reminder about this key at the lower
left-hand corner of the screen.
You will see the FILE LEVEL BASICS help screen
- FILE LEVEL BASICS -------------------------- F1 = Help Index -
| |
| F1 Help |
| F2 Find |
| F3 Sort |
| F4 Filter |
| F5 Files |
| F6 List |
| F7 Print |
| F8 Utilities |
| F9 Defaults |
| F10 Create a New Item |
| INS Create a New Item |
| ENTER Edit the Highlighted Item |
| DEL Delete the Highlighted Item |
| * Mark / Unmark the Highlighted Item |
| Ctrl ENTER Move Marked Item / Printer Definition |
| Ctrl PgUp Top of File |
| Ctrl PgDn Bottom of File |
| PgUp Screen Up - KeyStroke Recorder - |
| PgDn Screen Down | ALT = Start ||
| HOME+RIGHT Shift the Display Right | ALT - Stop ||
| HOME+LEFT Shift the Display Left | ALT P Playback ||
| ESC Exit / Cancel ---------------------- |
----------------------------------------------------------------
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 7
Press
F1 (HELP)
again and you will see the HELP INDEX
--------------------------- HELP INDEX -------------------------
| Help on Using Help |
| BESTTEST BASICS |
| FILE LEVEL BASICS |
| ITEM LEVEL BASICS |
| Configuring Your Printer |
| Formatting Test Items |
| Good Tests |
| Keystroke Recorder |
| Loading Files |
| Print/Answer Position |
| Sorting, Searching and Filtering Files |
| Using Header Items |
| Utilities |
| Working With Lists |
| How to Register Your Copy of BESTTEST 1.1 |
| Disclaimer |
| About Besttest |
| |
| |
| |
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Help Index is a typical BESTTEST menu. In all such menus, you
will use the cursor keys to highlight the different options. If you
press
ENTER
the highlighted option will be invoked. In this case, the help screen
associated with that item is displayed. Now press
ESC (EXIT/CANCEL)
and you will exit the menu without doing anything. In this case, you
will exit the BESTTEST help system and return to the FILE LEVEL
screen. In general, whenever you exit the Help System, you will be
returned to the previous program level, whatever it was.
This EXIT/CANCEL key is the other important key mentioned earlier
because you can use it to cancel any BESTTEST function, and,
ultimately, you can use it to exit from the program File Level and
return to the DOS command line.
NOTE: Never turn off your machine while you are running BESTTEST.
Always exit from the program and return to the DOS command line first.
Failure to do this may result in damage to your data file.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 8
Using the Main Menu
BESTTEST is designed with a function key interface. This means that
you invoke different program functions by pressing the specific key
associated with each one.
New users often find using the function keys difficult at first. For
that reason, BESTTEST also provides a Main Menu (at both the FILE
LEVEL and the ITEM LEVEL) which allows you to pick program functions
just as you would pick options from any other menu.
To call up the Main Menu (at either the FILE LEVEL or the ITEM LEVEL)
just press
ALT M (MAIN MENU)
Creating Your First BESTTEST File.
You should be at the File Level screen now, so all you need to do to
create your first BESTTEST file is press
F5 (FILES)
Notice that the display in the message area changes when you do this,
and that it now shows this menu
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Select File |
| Create File |
| Change Path |
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------
Highlight the "Create File" option and press
ENTER
In the message area you will see
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Enter new file name: ........ |
| |
| |
| ESC = cancel F10 = done |
--------------------------------------------------------------
You can use letters and/or numbers in naming your files. The dots
following the "Enter new file name" prompt show you how many
characters you have to work with.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 9
For now, let's keep things simple, just type
WORK
and press
F10 (SAVE/DONE)
When you do this, the program will create two files on the default
drive/directory. One will be named WORK.BTD. This file will hold the
data, i.e. the actual text of your file items. The other file will be
called WORK.BTX. This is the index file associated with the WORK.BTD.
You will never view or use this file directly, but the program will
use it when sorting and filtering the data file.
Now your screen should look like this
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Format Level Reference-A Reference-B Item Text |
| This file is empty. |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Current File: WORK |
| Current Path: (default path) |
| Total Items: 0 |
| System Date: (today) |
--------------------------------------------------------------
The display in the message area has changed to show the name of the
file you have just created. As you work with the program, the
information displayed in the message area will be continually updated.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 10
Creating a New File Item
To create your first BESTTEST test item. Press
INS (NEW ITEM)
This will take you to the ITEM LEVEL and your screen will look
(roughly) like this
Question:....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
Answer Comment: ...............................................
|----| Answer: ........................................... (*)
|F1 | Distractor: ........................................... (*)
|HELP| Distractor: ........................................... (*)
|----| Distractor: ........................................... (*)
This is a typical BESTTEST item template. This one is for the factory
default item format: MC-4v. This format yields a Multiple Choice
item, with 4 response options (i.e. the "Answer" and three
"Distractors") which are printed vertically. Each of these counts as
a distinct field (i.e. an area where you will enter text) in the
template.
You may be puzzled by the "Answer Comment" field. This is an optional
field which will print, if at all, only on answer sheets. You can use
it to explain why the correct answer is correct, to give a source
validating the answer etc.
There are four other fields on this screen that you may not notice at
first. These are the tag fields at the end of each response option
line. They look like this: (*). These fields contain print position
indicators. BESTTEST will automatically shuffle the order of the
response options every time you print a test unless you indicate, by
using these fields, that you want a given response always printed in a
given
position. You will want to do this with "All of the above" and "None
of the above" type responses. (See page 18 and the POSITION entry on
page 49.)
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 11
Now press
TAB (NEXT FIELD)
and
SHIFT TAB (PREVIOUS FIELD)
several times and watch how the screen changes.
You may find this screen a little jumpy at first. What is happening
is that, as you move from field to field, BESTTEST is automatically
adjusting the screen to give the current field (the one in which the
cursor is blinking) the maximum number of lines available. NOTE: A
given item can contain as many lines as will fit on the screen. On a
standard monitor this means a maximum of 25 lines, but EGA/VGA
monitors can display more lines. (See the SCREEN FONT entry on page
51.)
Using the BESTTEST Editor
Entering text in BESTTEST is easy and straightforward. There is
automatic wordwrap in all fields, so you can just type what you want
and let the program move you from line to line. When, for instance,
at the end of a paragraph, you want to force a new line, press
ENTER (NEW LINE)
You can, of course, use the cursor keys to move back over the text you
have already typed and make changes. When you see the normal cursor,
that means you are in insert mode and any text to the right and/or
below the cursor will be pushed down to make room for the new
characters you enter. If you want to change to typeover mode, press
INS (INSERT/TYPEOVER)
and you will see a large block cursor. To change back to insert mode,
press
INS (INSERT/TYPEOVER)
again.
The BESTTEST editor supports four screen/print attributes: bold,
underline, subscript and superscript. To use any one of them,
position the cursor under the character you want to change, and press
the appropriate key. You can check the ITEM LEVEL help screen to
determine which key you need. To undo the change, repeat the same
process. (Only bold and underline can be combined.)
While you are editing there are various ways to delete text. These
are all identified in the ITEM LEVEL help screen, and a little
experimentation with them should clear up any confusion.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 12
Now enter some text for a question into this template. (Remember: Use
TAB and SHIFT TAB to move from field to field.) It doesn't matter
what the question is about, but it would be better if you didn't enter
nonsense text or random characters. Enter something in the "Answer
Comment" field even if you don't fully understand what it is for. And
make sure you enter the correct answer to your question in the
"Answer" field.
When you have finished entering and correcting the text for your
question, press
F10 (SAVE)
The window which will now appear in the middle of the screen is called
the Reference Window*
-- ESC = cancel ---------------------- F10 = save --
| |
| Item Level: 4 |
| Reference-A: .......... |
| Reference-B: .......... |
| |
--------------------------- last revised: (today) --
The information you enter in the fields in this window will be used by
the program in sorting and filtering your file, and it will be
displayed in the appropriate columns of the work area screen. But for
now, don't enter anything, just press
F10 (SAVE)
again, and BESTTEST will save your item to the disk and return you to
the FILE LEVEL.
* Don't worry if this window appears to overwrite some of the text you
just entered. All of your text is saved in memory, and will be
restored when this window is "closed."
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 13
Your screen will now look like this
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Format Level Reference-A Reference-B Item Text |
| MC-4V 4 Your first line |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Current File: WORK |
| Current Path: (default path) |
| Total Items: 1 |
| System Date: (today) |
--------------------------------------------------------------
(In the "Item Text" column, your screen will show the actual text you
just entered in the "Question" field of the item template. In fact,
your screen will show a little more text than appears above because
the pages of this manual are not quite wide enough to reproduce a true
image of an 80 column monitor.)
If you want to view the item you have just created, just press
ENTER (EDIT)
and you will be returned to the ITEM LEVEL. You can then make changes
and save them as you did previously, or you can simply return to the
FILE LEVEL (canceling any changes you may have made) by pressing
ESC (EXIT/CANCEL)
Working with an Existing File: SAMPLE.BTD.
To make the SAMPLE file active (and automatically close the WORK file
you have just created) press
F5 (FILES)
With the Select File option highlighted, press
ENTER
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 14
Highlight SAMPLE.BTD in the menu displayed in the message area, and
press
ENTER
to select (load) the SAMPLE file. When you do this, in the message
area, you will see
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Attempt to recreate defective index file? YES (NO) |
| |
| |
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------
There is nothing really wrong. In order to demonstrate that BESTTEST
can reconstruct a damaged or missing index file, the SAMPLE.BTX file
was not included on your program disk.
Say "Yes" to this question (that is, type: Y), and you will now see
this message
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Reindexing file, please wait... |
| |
| |
| Working on Key: Records Read: Records Written: |
--------------------------------------------------------------
and, for a moment*, your disk drive will be active.
* If you are running BESTTEST from a floppy disk, this and other,
similar "moments" may require a little patience. However, the bottom
line of the message window is updated as the process proceeds, so you
need not worry that something has gone wrong.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 15
When the reindexing process is finished, your screen should look like
this
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Format Level Reference-A Reference-B Item Text |
| LIST 4 BT USERS TUTORIAL THIS IS A SAMPLE |
| HEADER 0 EVERYONE READ ME This file gives |
| FILL-IN 4 BT USERS ITEM TYPE The "h" item type |
| T / F 4 BT USERS ITEM TYPE A file item, once |
| T / F 4 BT USERS LISTS A file item, once |
| T / F 4 BT USERS ONE FLOPPY A file item, once |
| T / F 4 BT USERS LISTS A file item, once |
| MC-3h 4 BT USERS KEYS When the order of |
| MC-3h 4 BT USERS KEYS Which key do you |
| MC-3h 4 BT USERS GRAPHICS In which year was |
| MC-3v 4 BT USERS HELP INDEX What should you do |
| MC-3v 4 BT USERS KEYS At the FILE LEVEL |
| MC-3v 4 BT USERS COLORS Why might you want |
| MC-3v 4 BT USERS DEFAULTS Which of the follow|
| MC-4v 4 BT USERS SHAREWARE Which Tennessee Wil|
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Current File: SAMPLE |
| Current Path: (default path) |
| Total Items: 28 |
| System Date: (today) |
--------------------------------------------------------------
Each line in the work area represents an individual file item. The
highlighted item is the current one. As you can see, there is room in
the work area to display only 15 item lines, but a file may contain
many more than 15 items.
In the example above, the display in the message area shows that the
SAMPLE file contains 28 items. (At maximum, a file can contain 1000
items.)
As you can see, the work area represents a window 15 items wide (or
deep, if you prefer) on the file. When you first load the program,
this window is automatically positioned over the top of the file,
however, you can use these keys and key combinations
PgUp (SCREEN UP)
PgDn (SCREEN DOWN)
Ctrl PgUp (TOP OF FILE)
Ctrl PgDn (END OF FILE)
to reposition it.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 16
Use the cursor keys to move from item to item
UpArrow (PREVIOUS ITEM)
DownArrow (NEXT ITEM)
within the work area window.
Move back to the top of the file now, and then down one item so that
the highlighted item looks like this
HEADER 4 EVERYONE READ ME This file gives
Now press
ENTER (EDIT)
You should now be at the ITEM LEVEL, and your screen should look like
this
Text: This file gives examples of a variety of item formats, and
it also demonstrates some of the possible uses of answer
comments. Registered users of BESTTEST will find a
step-by-step tutorial based on this file in the BESTTEST
USERS MANUAL...............................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
|----|...........................................................
|F1 |...........................................................
|HELP|...........................................................
|----|...........................................................
The item displayed is a HEADER item. (This one is a dummy item used
only to make clear the purpose of the SAMPLE file.) You will use
HEADER items to title your tests, distinguish different parts of a
test, specify instructions etc. You could make changes to this item
now, but instead, press
ESC (EXIT/CANCEL)
to return to the FILE LEVEL.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 17
Now press
PgDn (SCREEN DOWN)
so that the highlighted item looks like this
MC-4v 9 BT USERS SHAREWARE Which Tennessee Wil
and then press
ENTER (EDIT)
This time your screen should look like this
Question: Which Tennessee Williams character is the role model
for shareware developers:...........................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
Answer Comment: Because, like her, they have always depended on
the kindness of strangers......................
|----| Answer: Blanche DuBois............................. (d)
|F1 | Distractor: Stanley Kowalski........................... (*)
|HELP| Distractor: Big Daddy.................................. (*)
|----| Distractor: The Gentleman Caller....................... (*)
This is a typical MC-4v item, i.e., a Multiple Choice item with 4
answer options printed vertically. Notice that the tag field for the
correct answer indicates (for no particular reason except to
demonstrate this function) that that response should always be printed
in the last position.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 18
To see how this works, press
F2 (PREVIEW)
Now your screen will look something* like this
xxx. Which Tennessee Williams character is the role model
for shareware developers?
a. Big Daddy
b. The Gentleman Caller
c. Stanley Kowalski
d. Blanche DuBois
|----|
|ESC |
|EXIT|
|----|
Notice that the correct response has been bolded and that the print
position specified for the correct answer has been maintained even
though the other responses have been shuffled.
Press
ESC (EXIT/CANCEL)
to return to the screen template. If you repeat this procedure
several times, you will quickly see how BESTTEST automatically
shuffles response options while maintaining specified print positions.
* Of course, the BESTTEST autoshuffle function may produce a different
ordering of the responses on your screen.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 19
Now press
F10 (SAVE)
and the Reference Window will appear in the middle of the screen
-- ESC = cancel ---------------------- F10 = save --
| |
| Item Level: 0 |
| Reference-A: EVERYONE.. |
| Reference-B: SHAREWARE. |
| |
--------------------------- last revised: (today) --
This question is important to all computer users (and not merely
BESTTEST users), and the "Reference-A" field should be corrected.
Press
TAB (NEXT FIELD)
to move to the "Reference-A" field. Press
Ctrl ENTER (DELETE FIELD)
to clear the field and then type
EVERYONE
Now press
F10 (SAVE)
again to save the changes you have made to this item and return to the
FILE LEVEL.
Changing program defaults.
The FILE LEVEL work area contains quite a bit of important
information. Each line represents an individual file item. There are
five different pieces of information in each line. The column
headings at the very top of the screen explain what each one is.
The first (leftmost) column is used to indicate the item format. The
various options in this column should be obvious. The second column
holds a value from 0 to 9. These "Level" values are meant to indicate
the relative difficulty of the item in question.
The headings of the third and fourth columns (Reference-A and
Reference-B) can be customized. If you will examine the values in
these columns for the items in the SAMPLE file, you will see that we
have used those fields to indicate, respectively, the audience and the
topic of each file item.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 20
(Of course, you may prefer a different use for these fields.)
To make these headings reflect the functions of their respective
fields, press
F9 (DEFAULTS)
and choose the Program Defaults option from the menu displayed in the
message area. Your screen will now look like this
- SCREEN AND NEW ITEM DEFAULTS- ----- USER DEFINABLE KEYS -----
| || |
| || ASCII |
| || |
| || ALT 1 = ┌ 218 |
| Item Level: 4 || ALT 2 = └ 192 |
| Item Format: MC-4v || ALT 3 = ┐ 191 |
| || ALT 4 = ┘ 217 |
|Reference-A Title: Reference-A || ALT 5 = ─ 196 |
|Reference-A Value: ........... || ALT 6 = │ 179 |
| || ALT 7 = ┬ 194 |
|Reference-B Title: Reference-B || ALT 8 = ┴ 193 |
|Reference-B Value: ........... || ALT 9 = ├ 195 |
| || ALT 0 = ┤ 180 |
| || |
| || |
| || |
------------------------------- -------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Minimum = 0 Maximum = 9 |
| |
| |
| ESC = cancel F10 = done |
--------------------------------------------------------------
Press
TAB (NEXT FIELD)
twice to move to the "Reference-A Title" field, and then, to edit the
field, press
ENTER
Now press
Ctrl ENTER (DELETE FIELD)
to clear the field.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 21
Then type
Audience
and press
ENTER
again. Now move down to the "Reference-B Title" field, and use the
same series of steps to change that title to "Topic".
Now press
F10 (SAVE)
to save your changes and return to the work area.
Notice, now, that the headings or titles of the third and fourth
columns in the work area are, respectively, "Audience" and "Topic".
If you have a color monitor, you might want to adjust the default
screen colors to your own preference. Just press
F9 (DEFAULTS)
and choose the "Change Screen Colors" option from the menu that
appears in the message area.
These changes are only temporary. However, when you exit the
program, you will see a message asking if you want to make them
permanent. If you say "Yes" to this question, a very small file,
BT.SYS, will be created on the same disk or in the same directory
where BT.EXE resides. (If for any reason you want
to return to the factory defaults, all you have to do is erase
BT.SYS.)
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 22
You should be back at the file level now, and your screen should look
like this
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Format Level Audience Topic Item Text |
| LIST 4 BT USERS TUTORIAL THIS IS A SAMPLE |
| HEADER 0 EVERYONE READ ME This file gives |
| FILL-IN 4 BT USERS ITEM TYPE The "h" item type |
| T / F 4 BT USERS ITEM TYPE A file item, once |
| T / F 4 BT USERS LISTS A file item, once |
| T / F 4 BT USERS ONE FLOPPY A file item, once |
| T / F 4 BT USERS LISTS A file item, once |
| MC-3h 4 BT USERS KEYS When the order of |
| MC-3h 4 BT USERS KEYS Which key do you |
| MC-3h 4 BT USERS GRAPHICS In which year was |
| MC-3v 4 BT USERS HELP INDEX What should you do |
| MC-3v 4 BT USERS KEYS At the FILE LEVEL |
| MC-3v 4 BT USERS COLORS Why might you want |
| MC-3v 4 BT USERS DEFAULTS Which of the follow|
| MC-4v 4 BT USERS SHAREWARE Which Tennessee Wil|
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Current File: SAMPLE |
| Current Path: (default path) |
| Total Items: 28 |
| System Date: (today) |
--------------------------------------------------------------
To create a new file item press
INS (NEW ITEM)
Unless you changed the default item format, what you will see will be
the screen template for an MC-4v file item. This time, however, you
are going
to create an MC-3h item.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 23
To get the proper template on the screen, press
F3 (ITEM FORMAT)
and from the menu displayed in the center of the screen, choose the
"MC-3h" option. Now your screen should look like this
Question:.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
|----| .....................................................
|F1 | Answer Comment:...........................................
|HELP| *. .............. *. .............. *. ..............
|----| └── answer ──┘ └ distractor─┘ └ distractor─┘
Items in this format are especially useful in vocabulary tests.
(Notice that there are no "tag" fields in this screen. That is
because BESTTEST always shuffles all response choices in "h" type
items.
Make up a question of your own and enter it now. You might want to
press
F1 (HELP)
and read through the ITEM LEVEL Basics screen again before you begin.
When you are through entering text, press
F10 (SAVE)
and enter something in the "Item Level", "Audience" and "Topic"
fields. (Notice that the titles you entered in the Program Defaults
screen, are in effect here as well as in the FILE LEVEL work area.)
Finally, press
F10 (SAVE)
again, to save your new item and return to the FILE LEVEL.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 24
Now, with your new item still highlighted, press
ENTER (EDIT)
and, when your item is displayed on the screen, press
F3 (ITEM FORMAT)
and choose the "MC-5v" option from the menu displayed. Notice how the
full text of your item is recast in the new format. Add some new text
for the fourth and fifth response options. Then repeat the same steps
again and choose another of the multiple choice formats. This time
some text will be lost because you are going from five response
options to only four or three. (None of these changes affects the
item as it is stored on your disk unless you deliberately resave the
reformatted item.)
Go back to the FILE LEVEL, and with your new item still highlighted,
press
DEL (DELETE ITEM)
Notice that a confirmation request is displayed in the message area
giving you a chance to reconsider your DELETE ITEM command. (You
should probably choose to delete the item you have just created just
to be sure that the SAMPLE file will always be properly coordinated
with this tutorial.)
Composing and Printing Tests.
To compose a test, you simply mark the items you want to use.
Highlight any item that you want on your test and press
* (MARK/UNMARK)
Notice that an asterisk (indicating that this item has been marked)
now appears just to the left of the first column in the work area.
If, with that same item still highlighted, you press
* (MARK/UNMARK)
again, the asterisk will disappear and the item will be deleted from
the marked items list. (See page 40 for an explanation of the AUTO
SELECT function which allows you to have the program mark items for
you automatically.)
Mark four or five more items and then press
F4 (FILTER)
Choose the "Marked Items" option from the menu displayed in the
message area.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 25
Now the display in the work area shows only the items you marked for
your test. The program has filtered out all the others. They are
still safely stored in the file, but, for the moment, you cannot get
to them.
Items appear in the order in which you marked them. But suppose you
realize now that the last item you marked should really be the first
item on the test. You don't have to return to the full (unfiltered)
file,
unmark all the marked items and start again. Instead, highlight the
item in question and press
Ctrl ENTER (MOVE)
Now move the highlight to the position where you want the item you are
moving to be inserted, and press
Ctrl ENTER (MOVE)
again. Notice that the item you are moving was inserted above the
item that was highlighted when you pressed
Ctrl ENTER (MOVE)
the second time.
Try moving several more items until you are comfortable with this
procedure.
Now press
F6 (LIST)
and choose the "Return to File" option from the menu displayed in the
message area.
As you can see, all the items you previously marked have been
unmarked, and you have been returned to the full file.
Press
Ctrl PgUp (TOP OF FILE)
The highlighted item represents a saved list. If you press
ENTER (EDIT)
while this item is highlighted you will not be taken to the ITEM
LEVEL. Instead the list in question will be retrieved into memory,
and the items it comprises will be automatically marked. Try this
now.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 26
To view this list, press
F6 (LIST)
and choose the "Show List" option from the menu displayed in the
message area. You will notice that the last question is #10 even
though the list comprises only 7 items. The explanation is that the
next to last item is a MATCH-h item which itself comprise 4 questions.
As you can see, this list contains no Header item. This means that
when the test is printed, it will begin immediately with the first
question in the list. Most tests, however, have titles and,
sometimes, instructions which proceed the first question. It is for
this sort of thing that HEADER items are used.
However, you cannot create new items while a filter is active, so in
order to create your header item, you must first return to the full
file. Press
F6 (LIST)
and choose the "Return to File" option from the menu displayed.
This will take you back to the FILE LEVEL with all file items active.
Now press
F10 (NEW ITEM)
and then press
F3 (ITEM FORMAT)
and choose HEADER from the menu displayed.
Now enter text until your screen looks like this
Text: My First Test:
Instructions: Mark one and only answer for each question.
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
...........................................................
|----|...........................................................
|F1 |...........................................................
|HELP|...........................................................
|----|...........................................................
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 27
When you have finished, press
F10 (SAVE)
The Reference Window should now look like this
-- ESC = cancel ---------------------- F10 = save --
| |
| Item Level: 4 |
| Audience: .......... |
| Class: .......... |
| |
| Force page break at this item: YES |
| Print first line on answer sheets and forms: YES |
| |
--------------------------- last revised: (today) --
The two new fields in this window apply only to HEADER items. (See
page 45 for more information on Header items.)
Press
F10 (SAVE)
to save this item, and then mark it for inclusion in your test. Now
press
F4 (FILTER)
again, and once more choose the "Marked Items" option from the menu
displayed. Your new HEADER item will be at the bottom of the list, so
move it to the top where it belongs. You can save this new version of
the list by pressing
F6 (LIST)
and choosing the "Save List" option from the menu displayed in the
message area. If you do this you will see a special version of the
Reference Window (see page 20) in the message area. The first three
fields should be familiar. Whatever you enter in the "Description"
field will be displayed in the Item Text column of the work area.
When you have resaved the list, press
F7 (PRINT)
and choose the "Preview Test" option from the menu displayed in the
message area. When you do this, you will see a message asking if you
want to change the print defaults. Say "No" to that question.
You will then see a message asking you to enter an ID for the current
test. You may enter anything you like here and the program will print
it in the footer of every test and answer sheet.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 28
Enter some text in the "Test ID" field and then press
ENTER
Now you will see the test scrolling by in the work area exactly as it
would actually print (with questions properly numbered, response
choices
shuffled etc.) The only difference between the preview version of a
test and actual printed test is that in the preview version the
correct answer for each question is indicated in bold.
You can preview a test as often as you like. And, as is indicated in
the message area, while a preview is running you can speed it up, slow
it down, or stop it altogether.
Actually, printing a test merely requires choosing the "Print Test"
option from the menu displayed in the message area when you press
F7 (PRINT)
NOTE: Before you print your first test, you must make sure BESTTEST is
properly configured for your printer. You will find instructions for
doing this on page 33.
This concludes the BESTTEST tutorial. Remember, you can find more
information about any program function in the REFERENCE section.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 29
CONVENIENCES
BESTTEST offers a number of features which can make your work with the
program easier and more effective.
1. THE KEYSTROKE RECORDER
This is a simple macro function which allows you to automate
repetitive tasks within BESTTEST.
Suppose, for instance, you entered a number of items without filling
in their "Audience" and "Topic" fields.* Now you want to update them.
Highlight the first of the items you want to update, then press
Ctrl = (START RECORDING)
to turn the keystroke recorder on, go to the ITEM LEVEL, make the
necessary changes and resave the item. Once back at the FILE LEVEL,
move down to the next item, then press:
Ctrl - (STOP RECORDING)
to turn the keystroke recorder off.
Now just by pressing
ALT P (PLAYBACK)
you can update another item, and another, and another...
2. F10 as a synonym for INS at the FILE LEVEL
Suppose you know you will be entering a series of new items, all
addressed to the same audience and concerning the same topic. First,
change the "Reference-A Value" field in the program defaults screen to
reflect the audience you want. Then set the "Reference-B Value" field
in the same screen to the topic you want. You might want to reset the
default format and level as well. Now return to the file level and
press
F10 (NEW ITEM)
At the FILE LEVEL, F10 is a synonym for the INS key. It, too, takes
you to the ITEM LEVEL and displays a blank screen template. Now enter
your first item and press
F10 (SAVE)
* Assuming that you have set Reference-A Title to Audience and
Reference-B Title to Topic as in the TUTORIAL. (See pages 20-22.)
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 30
the values in the Reference Window will be correct (because you set
them previously in the program defaults screen), so press
F10 (SAVE)
again. Now you are back at the FILE LEVEL, so press
F10 (NEW ITEM)
one more time and you will go back at the ITEM LEVEL with a blank item
template ready to write your next file item.
The point is that, with a little preparation, three quick taps of the
key will save one new item and set you up to write another.
3. PgUp and PgDn at FILE LEVEL
If you want merely to view a series of file items, you can go to the
ITEM LEVEL by pressing
ENTER
and then, without returning to the FILE LEVEL, you can press
PgUp or PgDn
to view, respectively, the next or previous item.
4. SPECIAL CHARACTERS
When you are editing a file item, the BESTTEST editor will accept and
display any of the visible ASCII characters (i.e. numbers 1..254). To
enter one of these characters, hold down the ALT key and type the
decimal ASCII value of the character you want (using the keys on the
number pad*), and then release the ALT key.
This can, of course, get a little tedious if you want to enter more
than a few special characters. But, in the program defaults screen,
you will see that there are fields which allow you to define the key
combinations ALT 1 through ALT 0 to any single character you like.
The factory defaults for these keys are the standard box drawing
characters. (See, also, GRAPHICS, page 35.)
NOTE: in those fields where BESTTEST will allow you to enter special
characters, you can press
ALT A (ASCII CHART)
and a chart listing all available characters and their decimal ASCII
values will be displayed.
* The top row number keys will not work.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 31
5. PRINT TO DISK
If, for instance, you have access to a machine with a LASER printer
(whereas your own machine has only a lowly MATRIX printer), you can
set the "Destination" field in the Printer Defaults screen to DISK,
and the "Printer" field to LASER, and BESTTEST will create a file
(TEST.TXT) containing all the codes and characters which would have
been sent to a LASER printer attached to your machine. You can then
carry the disk containing that file to the machine with the LASER
printer, load up DOS, put your disk in Drive A, and type:
copy a:test.txt PRN /B
Your file will print on that machine's printer almost as if BESTTEST
were installed there and managing the print job.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 32
PRINTERS
The Print Defaults screen looks like this
-------- Print Defaults ------- ---- USER DEFINABLE PRINTER ----
| || |
| Copies: 1 || Start Print Job: ............ |
| Versions: 1 || End Print Job: ............ |
| Shuffle Type: Answers Only || New Page: ............ |
| First Question: 1 || New Line: ............ |
| First Page: 1 || Ignore Codes: ............ |
| Answer Sheets: For Each Copy || Normal Print: ............ |
| Answer Forms: None || Underline On: ............ |
|Answer Comments: All Items || Underline Off: ............ |
| Left Margin: 0 || Bold On: ............ |
| Top Margin: 0 || Bold Off: ............ |
| Page Type: STANDARD || Subscript On: ............ |
| Continuous: YES || Subscript Off: ............ |
| Destination: LPT1 || Superscript On: ............ |
| Printer: USER || Superscript Off: ............ |
| || |
------------------------------- -------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Minimum = 0 Maximum = 99 |
| |
| |
| ESC = cancel F10 = done |
--------------------------------------------------------------
The values you set in this screen will affect the hardcopy your
printer produces. (Some of them also affect the screen output during
the Preview Test function.) Most of these fields are
self-explanatory. A little experimentation with them should clear up
any confusion. Notice that the display in the message area changes as
you move from field to field, giving you instructions appropriate to
the current field. Of the fields in this screen, the "Printer" field
is the most important. BESTTEST has three built-in printer
definitions. They include generic codes for LASER printers, MATRIX
printers, and DAISY printers. When you highlight the "Printer" field
and use the arrow keys to cycle through these definitions, you will
see the actual codes these defaults comprise displayed on the right
side of the screen. Select the built-in definition appropriate to
your printer, press
F10 (SAVE)
to save your choice and return to the FILE LEVEL screen. Then press
F7 (PRINT)
Turn your printer on, and choose the "Check Printer" option from the
menu displayed in the message area.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 33
If you find the results of the printer check to be unsatisfactory,
BESTTEST will allow you to define your own USER printer.
When you select USER in the "Printer" field you will be able to move
the cursor to the fields on the right side of the screen (otherwise
you cannot get to those fields.) You can then enter any codes you
like. (Check your printer manual to find the codes you need.) Most
printer codes require the use of characters not available on the
keyboard. You enter such characters via the ALT key and the keys on
the number pad. (See page 31.)
In most cases you will need to change only a few of the codes in one
or the other of the built-in definitions. To save time, you can clone
the codes from any of those built-in definitions into the USER printer
definition. Then you need only change the problematic ones.
To clone a built-in definition, first select the definition you want
to clone in the "Printer" field, then, with the "Printer" field still
highlighted, press the CTRL ENTER key combination. (To clear the
USER printer definition, select USER in the "Printer" field, then,
with the "Printer" field still highlighted, press the CTRL ENTER key
combination.)
The purpose of the "Ignore Codes" field on the right side of the
screen may not be clear at first. It is important because some
printers can print the entire ASCII character set including those
characters which are normally interpreted as printer control codes.
To make this possible, you must send a special string of control codes
(the "Ignore Codes" string) and then your printer will treat the very
next ASCII character as text no matter what it is. (Some printers
recognize two versions of this function. One allows for printing a
single control code character, and the other allows for printing a
string of such characters. In defining your USER printer, you must
choose the single character version.)
Good luck.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 34
GRAPHICS
There are two ways to include graphic images in tests you create with
BESTTEST.
You can create character graphics by using extended ASCII character
set. (See page 31.) However, you need to prevent BESTTEST from
wrapping your lines as you add and delete characters. To do this,
just make sure you end each line by pressing ENTER, just as you do at
the end of a normal paragraph. With a little practice, you will find
you can create bar charts and the like with this technique. The file
SAMPLE.BTD includes an example of this sort of thing.
If you need true graphics in your tests, BESTTEST is compatible with
INSET from:
Inset Systems Inc.
71 Commerce Drive
Brookfield, CT 06804
203-775-5866
When using INSET, make sure that you enter enough blank lines in the
field where your graphic will appear to accommodate the entire
rectangle that INSET displays when you call it. If you fail to do
this, BESTTEST will not be able to calculate correctly the number of
lines the item in question requires, and page breaks will be misplaced
when you print your
test.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 35
SPELLING
BESTTEST does not include a spell checker, but the program is
compatible with TURBO LIGHTNING from:
Borland International
1800 Green Hills Road
Scotts Valley, CA 95066-0001
408-438-5300
When you use TURBO LIGHTNING with BESTTEST, be sure to select the
WordPerfect environment.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 36
GOOD TESTS
Writing good multiple choice items is something of an art. Below are
a few tricks of the trade:
1. It should be possible to answer a question without looking at the
response options:
RIGHT
Question: Oedipus' mother was named
Answer: Jocasta
Distractor: Merope
Distractor: Antigone
Distractor: Ismene
WRONG
Question: Jocasta is the one who
Answer: married a younger man with bad feet.
Distractor: killed Liaus.
Distractor: defeated the Sphinx.
Distractor: married Creon.
2. Keep your questions and responses as simple as possible. That
way you can be confident that you are measuring the testtaker's
knowledge of your subject and not his or her knowledge of English
grammar (unless, of course, your subject is English grammar.)
3. Responses should be plausible and parallel completions of the
question stem
RIGHT
Question: In the Blitzstein translation, MacHeath "ate
frugally a grape or two" for
Answer: lunch
Distractor: dinner
Distractor: breakfast
Distractor: a bedtime snack
WRONG
Question: In the Blitzstein translation, MacHeath "ate
frugally a grape or two"
Answer: for lunch
Distractor: because he was on a diet
Distractor: in Tiger Brown's jail
Distractor: with Polly Peachum
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 37
4. One response should not subsume another
RIGHT
Question: Antonio Gaudi was struck down and killed by a
Answer: tram
Distractor: bicycle
Distractor: motor car
Distractor: truck
WRONG
Question: Antonio Gaudi was struck down and killed by a
Answer: a tram
Distractor: a motorized vehicle
Distractor: a public conveyance
Distractor: something bigger than he was
In the WRONG example above, all the responses could be correct, though
the answer is "more correct" than the others. This kind of thing can
be legitimate, but you should not let it happen by accident.
5. BESTTEST makes creating and maintaining "objective" tests much
easier than it has been in the past. We hope that some of the time
and effort you save by using this program will enable you to include
more essay questions in your tests. Essay questions both teach and
measure. Good essay questions encourage real thinking and promote
true-- rather than merely "functional"-- literacy.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 38
REFERENCE
ANSWER
For Essay items, you will not specify an answer. For True/False items
you will specify options between which the program will choose each
time you print a test. For Fill-In, and MC items, you will see a
plainly marked "Answer" field in the screen template displayed when
you create or edit such items. For MATCH items, you must specify the
correct response for each of the questions the item comprises. To do
this, you use the tag fields to the right of each "Question" field.
These fields look like this [?]. (Do not confuse them with the print
position tag fields to the right of response fields. See the POSITION
entry on page 49.) To specify an answer in a tag field, move the
cursor to the appropriate "Question" field, press F4 POSITION and type
the letter which identifies the correct response. You can specify the
same response as correct for more than one question.
ANSWER COMMENT
Answer comments are a BESTTEST innovation. As you create a test item,
you can specify, in the "Answer Comment" field, the source of the
correct answer. Most often, your answer comments will probably be
page references to texts, checkpoints for essay questions etc., but
you may find other uses for them. When you choose to print answer
comments on answer sheets, the answer sheets for your tests become
instant study guides because they will show not only what the correct
answer is, but also why it is correct.
ANSWER FORM
You can generate a customized answer form for any test you print. If,
for instance, your test comprises one MC-4 item, one True/False item,
2 MC-5 items and a MATCH item (with 4 questions and 8 response
options), the answer form would look like this
1. [a] [b] [c] [d]
2. [T] [F]
3. [a] [b] [c] [d] [e]
4. [a] [b] [c] [d] [e]
5. [a] [b] [c] [d] [e]
[f] [g] [h]
6. [a] [b] [c] [d] [e]
[f] [g] [h]
7. [a] [b] [c] [d] [e]
[f] [g] [h]
8. [a] [b] [c] [d] [e]
[f] [g] [h]
You may choose to print one answer form for each version of a given
test, or for each copy of each version, or none at all. You make this
choice on the Print Defaults screen.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 39
ANSWER SHEET
An answer sheet shows the correct answers for a given version of a
test. One answer sheet is automatically generated for each version of
a test you print, but you may choose to generate one for each copy of
each version of a test. You make this choice on the Print Defaults
screen.
Answer sheet titles are based on the TEST ID you specify when give the
print command. You can easily match an answer sheet with the
appropriate test by comparing its title with the footer printed on any
test page. When you print multiple versions of a given test, dot
notation is used to distinguish them. For instance, if you choose to
print three versions of a test for which you have specified the TEST
ID Sample, the test footers and answer sheet titles will be: Sample.1,
Sample.2 and Sample.3.
AUTO SELECT
You can use this option on the F6 LIST menu to make the program choose
questions at random for a test. You specify the number of questions
you want, and the rest is automatic. Questions are chosen from the
currently active items, and if you first specify a FILTER and then use
the Auto Select function, you can control the group of questions from
which test items will be chosen. The Auto Select function adds items
to whatever list is currently in memory, so if you use it several
times in succession with a different filter each time you can easily
compose a test based on items chosen at random from different
sub-groups of the items in the current file.
BOLD (F6)
As you are creating or editing a test item you can display any
character in boldface. To do this, move the cursor under the
character in question, and press the BOLD key. To unbold a character,
repeat the same process. (Note: BOLD and UNDERLINE can be combined.)
CHANGE PATH
You can use this option on the F5 FILES menu to change the default
path, i.e. drive and/or directory, for the programs data files. You
can change the path while a file is active and the program will still
remember the path of the active file. This might seem pointless, but
you need to do it when you want to export items from the current file
to another file in another directory or on another drive. The
procedure for the "Change Path" option is simple: you use the cursor
keys to highlight the name of the directory you want (remember ./
represents the parent or the current directory, and you can choose it
just as you would any other directory name), and press ENTER. Because
you sometimes need to move through a series of directories and
subdirectories to reach the one you want, pressing ENTER does not
terminate the change path function. Instead it simply moves you to
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 40
the directory you have highlighted (and from which you can move on, if
you choose.) When you have reached the directory you want, you will
press F10 to make that directory the default directory, and to
terminate the "Change Path" function.
CHECK PRINTER
Use this function on the F7 PRINT menu to determine if the PRINT
DEFAULTS are set correctly for your printer.
CLEAR LIST
Use this function to clear the list of marked items currently in
memory. It you want to reuse the current list, make sure you save it
before you use this function.
CLONE
You can copy the codes from one of the predefined printers into the
USER printer. This can save time if you need to change only a few of
the predefined codes. To do this, highlight the "Printer" field in
the Printer Defaults screen, select the predefined printer you want to
clone and press the CTRL ENTER key combination. The value of the
"Printer" field will change to USER and the codes from the printer you
cloned will appear on the right side of the screen. You can then
highlight the fields on the right side of the screen and change
whatever codes you like. (See, also, pages 33-34.)
COLORS
If you have a color monitor, you can use this option on the F9
DEFAULTS menu to set NORMAL text and background colors to suit your
preferences. BOLD, SUBSCRIPT and SUPERSCRIPT colors are set
automatically based on your normal text setting. On CGA monitors, you
must also specify an UNDERLINE color, and you may do this on EGA/VGA
monitors or you may choose the option which allows these latter
monitors to display true underlines.
COPY
Two copies of a given version of a given test will be identical. Two
versions of a given test will differ in that answer choices and/or
question order will be shuffled. (Warning: unless you are using a
laser printer, making multiple copies using BESTTEST will be very time
consuming. Photo-copying will be much faster.)
CREATE FILE
When you choose the "Create File" option from the F5 FILES menu and
specify a new file name, two files will be created in the current
directory. One will be the data file, (filename).BTD, and the other
will be the index file, (filename).BTX. These files can manage up to
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 41
1000 items depending on available disk space. (Note: if you decide to
delete a BESTTEST file, make sure you delete both the .BTD and the
.BTX versions.)
DELETE (DEL)
Pressing this key at the FILE LEVEL, and responding "Yes" to the
confirm message, will delete the currently highlighted item.
DESTINATION
You must specify a destination for printed tests. Usually, the
destination you specify will be one of your machine's ports: LPT1,
LPT2, or COM1.
If, however, you choose the "DISK" destination, the program will send
to a disk file (called: TEST.TXT) all the codes and characters that
would have gone to the printer.
DISTRACTOR
A distractor is an incorrect response choice. "Distractor" fields are
clearly marked on the appropriate item templates.
EDIT (ENTER)
Press this key to view and edit the currently highlighted file item.
(When a LIST item is highlighted, pressing this key retrieves that
list into memory.
ESSAY (FORMAT)
Items in essay format are the simplest ones the BESTTEST recognizes.
There is nothing special to do in creating items of this format. Just
type the question and that's it. You can use the "Answer Comment"
field to indicate notes toward a good answer as well as to provide the
usual sort of reference.
EXIT (ESC)
Use this key to pause or cancel the current operation. Pressing it
often enough will take you all the way back to the DOS command line.
EXPORT
This choice on the F8 UTILITIES menu will allow you to create copies
of items from the current file in another new or currently existing
file. (As an option, you many choose to delete the exported items
from the current file.) The items exported will be the currently
active ones. This means that you can use a FILTER to export a group
of similar items from the current file, or you can mark just a few
items, choose the predefined Marked Items FILTER, and then export only
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 42
those items. You can use this function to combine items from
different files and then print a test from that file.
FIELD
Item templates are divided up into fields. For instance, the template
for items in the MC format includes the following fields: "Question,"
"Answer Comment," "Answer," and from 3 to 5 "Distractors". Fields can
vary in length, and as you move from field to field the screen is
automatically adjusted to give the maximum possible space to the
current field.
FILE
BESTTEST uses 4 different kinds of files. First there is the program
file itself, BT.EXE, then there is a small file, BT.SYS, which the
program will create to store any changes you make to the factory
defaults. (Note: if you wish to restore the factory defaults, all you
have to do is delete BT.SYS.) Finally there are the (filename).BTD
and (filename).BTX files in which data and indexes are stored.
FILES (F5)
When you choose the "Select File" option on this menu, a list of the
BESTTEST files in the current directory will be displayed in the
message area. Use the cursor keys to highlight the one you want, and
press ENTER. When you choose the "Create File" option and specify a
new file name, two files will be created in the current directory.
One will be the data file, (filename).BTD, and the other will be the
index file, (filename).BTX. These files can manage up to 1000 items
depending on available disk space. (Note: if you decide to delete a
BESTTEST file, make sure you delete both the .BTD and the .BTX
versions.)
When you choose the "Change Path" option, you will first see a message
asking if you want to change the default drive. Then a list of the
sub-directories of the current directory (and the "..\" symbol which
represents the "parent" of the current directory) will be displayed.
Highlight the one you want and press ENTER. If you want to move on to
yet another directory, repeat this same process. When you have
reached the directory you want, press F10 to make that directory the
default directory.
You can use the "File Maintenance" option to reconstruct a damaged
index file, and/or to regain disk space after you have purged a group
of items. However, the maintenance process creates temporary files
which require considerable disk space. This should not be a problem
for hard disk users, but if you are running BESTTEST from floppies,
you will have to specify a second drive where there is a disk with
adequate space for the temporary maintenance files. Since BESTTEST
will reuse disk file freed by the delete process, there is little
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 43
point in doing file maintenance to reclaim space on floppy disks. Of
course, if an index file has been damaged, that is a different matter.
FILL-IN (FORMAT)
The screen template for FILL-IN items looks exactly like that for
ESSAY items. In writing a FILL-IN item, however, you will use
underlining to indicate the phrase which is to be filled-in. You can
use this template for writing "short-answer" questions. The advantage
in doing this (as opposed to choosing the move intuitive ESSAY format)
lies in the fact that this format allows you to specify an answer
which will print on your answer sheets (which the ESSAY format does
not allow.)
FILTER (F4)
You can use a filter to restrict the active items in a given file to a
sub-group you specify. For instance, you might specify a filter which
would pass only the True/False items in a given file, or only the MC-5
items. When you employ a filter, it is as if your file contained only
the items in the group you have specified. (Note: when a filter is
active, the default message area display will show number of file
items out of the total, which are currently active, i.e. which have
passed the filter.)
With a filter active, you can use the Auto-Select function to mark
some items at random for use in a test. In composing a test, then,
you might first filter out all but the MC-5 items, choose 25 of those
at random, then cancel that filter and specify another which would
pass only the Essay items, choose several of them, and continue on in
this way until the test comprised as many items of as many different
formats as you wanted.
Also, when you use the Export or Purge functions with a filter active,
only the items which have passed the filter are exported or purged.
In specifying a filter, you mark values in the first two columns, and
enter values as text in the last two. Only items which match at least
one of the (marked or entered) values in each non-empty column will
pass the filter. If, for instance, with the SAMPLE file active, you
mark MC-5v in the first column and LEVEL 9 in the second column, the
filter will pass only one item. If, on the other hand, you mark MC-5v
and MC-4v in the first column and, again, LEVEL 9 in the second
column, the filter will pass a total of 6 items. You will discover,
as you experiment with the FILTER function, that two specifications in
the same column are equivalent, logically, to an "or" condition, while
two specifications in different columns amount to an "and" condition.
That is, in the first of the examples above, the filter passed the
only item in the file which was both of the MC-5v format and addressed
to "EXPERTS". In the second example, the filter pass all those items
(5 in all) which were either of the MC-4v format or the MC5-v format
and which were addressed to experts.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 44
FIND (F2)
When you press this key, you will see a display (in the message area)
asking you to specify the value you want to find. Exactly what value
you will be asked to specify will depend on how your file is sorted at
the time. If, for instance, the default sort (by format, then by
level, then by Reference-A and, finally, by Reference-B) is in effect,
you will be asked to specify an item format to search for. You could
then use the FIND function to move quickly to the first MC-4v item in
a large file (assuming, again, that the default sort was in effect.)
If, to choose another example, you had specified that the file should
be sorted first by Reference-A, then by Reference-B, then by Format
and, finally, by Level, and you pressed F2 FIND, you would be asked to
specify a specific value for Reference-A, and the program would then
move to (i.e. highlight) the first item (if any) in the file having
that Reference-A value.
FORMAT (F3)
BESTTEST recognizes all the standard test item formats: essay,
fill-in, true/false, multiple-choice and matching. Two further item
formats, header and list, are also recognized. Your tests may combine
items of any of these format (excluding list format items) in any
order.
HEADER (FORMAT)
Headers are used to title tests and to distinguish different parts of
tests. The reference window for a header displays two extra fields.
The first allows you to choose whether to begin a new page (when
printing a test) at the header in question. The second allows you to
specify whether the first line of the header should be printed on
answer sheets and forms. This latter option is useful for
distinguishing different parts of test on answer sheets and forms.
When a list is shuffled, the position of headers is preserved, and so
is the grouping of items between them. That is, if you use a header
to divide your test into two parts, the shuffle function will reorder
the items in part one and then the items in part two, but no item will
be moved from one part to the other.
HELP (F1)
When you press this key, a help screen appropriate to the program
function and/or level you are currently using will be displayed. If
you press this key while such a help screen is displayed, the Help
Index will be displayed and you can then choose an index entry (by
using the cursor keys to highlight it) and view the help screen in
question by pressing ENTER.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 45
IMPORT
BESTTEST can import and convert files from two other programs:
TESTMAKR, and EXAMBANK.
All converted TESTMAKR file items will have the format MC-5v, the
print position setting will be preserved, and the conversion should be
accurate.
EXAMBANK uses different files to store items in different formats.
You must import each file individually. Items from files with the .tf
extension (True/False) will require editing after conversion because
the EXAMBANK format for such items does not allow for the distinction
between true and false options. Items from files with the .cm
extension (CROSS MATCH) will also require some editing because the
EXAMBANK format for these items allows for 18 questions and response
options, whereas BESTTEST allows for only 15. When the program
detects any of these difficulties, you will see the message: "EDIT
THIS ITEM!!!" displayed in the Item Text column of the work area
screen.
INSERT (INS)
At the FILE LEVEL, pressing this key will display a blank item
template (of the default format) which you can use to create a new
item.
At the ITEM LEVEL, pressing this key toggles the BESTTEST item editor
between its insert and overwrite modes. You can tell when the editor
is in the overwrite mode, because when it is, a large block cursor
will be displayed. In the (default) insert mode, the standard cursor
is displayed.
ITEM
Not all file items are test items. Some are headers, which, while
they are used in tests, are not themselves test items. Some are saved
lists of items (in effect, saved tests). And, finally, each MATCH
item comprises from three to fifteen test items.
KEYSTROKE COMBINATION
In this manual, a keystroke combination is indicated by two juxtaposed
keytop symbols
Ctrl END Delete to End of Line
In such a keystroke combination, you hold down the first key and tap
the second.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 46
KEYSTROKE SEQUENCE
In this manual, a keystroke sequence is indicated by two keytop
symbold with a plus sign between them. Like this
Home + END End of Field
In such a keystroke sequence, you tap the first key and then tap the
second.
KEY (SORT)
In this manual this term is used to specify how a given sort
specification works. The file is always sorted four fields. These
fields are the keys of the sort. The first sort key is the primary
key. Thus in the default sort (by format, then by level, then by
Reference-A, then by Reference-B), format is the primary key. (Note:
in using the FIND function, you specify only the primary key.)
(KEYSTROKE) PLAYBACK (ALT P)
Press this key combination to replay recorded keystrokes.
Recorded keystrokes are remembered during a working session unless you
redefine them. They cannot be saved to the disk. (See page 30 for a
practical example of the use of this function.)
(KEYSTROKE) START RECORDING (ALT =)
Press this key combination to start recording keystrokes.
(KEYSTROKE) STOP RECORDING (ALT -)
Press this key combination to stop recording keystrokes.
LEVEL (F6)
The second column of the work area display shows the LEVEL of each
item. The purpose of the LEVEL field is to indicate the relative
difficulty of the item in question.
LIST
You select items from a file for use in a test (or for other special
functions such as export or purge) by marking them for a list. You
can do this manually by using the MARK key, or you can choose the
"Auto Select" option on this menu.
A list can hold a maximum of 125 items. Because Header items do not
count as test items, and because each Match item comprises more than
one test item, the number of test items in a given list may not be
equal to the number of file items included in that list.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 47
The "Save List" option will save the list currently in memory as a
file item. A list format item will appear among the others displayed
in the work area, but it cannot be viewed or edited in the same way
that other items can. When you press the ENTER key while a list item
is highlighted, that list will be retrieved into memory. If there is
already a list in memory, the new list will be appended to it. If
appending the new list to the current one would exceed the maximum
list length, you will see a message to that effect. The "Shuffle List"
option reorders the items in the current list. If the list is
partitioned by one or more header items, then shuffling is done only
within each partition. (Note: Essay items are always moved to the end
of a shuffled list or partition.)
Use the "Clear List" option to clear the list of marked items
currently in memory. It you want to reuse the current list, make sure
you save it before you use this function.
MAINTENANCE
This function serves two purposes. It can sometimes repair a
defective index (.BTX) file-- though there is no guarantee of this.
It can also recover disk space allocated to file items which have been
deleted. This can be important if you are using a hard disk, because
the recovered space can be used by other programs. Floppy disk users
need not bother with this function, since the program will reuse all
previously allocated space before expanding the disk file further.
The maintenance process creates temporary files which require
considerable disk space. Most often this will not be a problem for
hard disk users, but if you are running BESTTEST from floppies, you
will have to specify a second drive where there is a disk with
adequate space for the temporary maintenance files. Remember: you can
remove the program disk, and use that drive for maintenance files.
MARK (*)
You can mark or unmark the currently highlighted item by pressing this
key. Marked items are added to the list maintained in memory. In the
work area, marked items are indicated by an asterisk to the left of
the format column.
You can view and work with only the currently marked items by choosing
the predefined Marked Items filter.
MATCH (FORMAT)
Match items are significantly different from other BESTTEST items.
First, every match item comprises at least three test items (whereas
other item formats comprise only one test item each.) In creating a
Match item, you must specify the number of questions and the number of
responses it will comprise. Of course, you can always reformat the
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 48
item later on and change these choices if you like. You must use the
position key to specify the correct answer for each question in a
Match item.
MENU
A menu is a list of program options. To choose an option from a menu,
first use the cursor keys to highlight it, then press ENTER.
MOVE (Ctrl ENTER)
When you are working with the predefined "Marked Items" filter, you
can reposition an item in the list by using this key combination
twice. When you first press this key combination, the currently
highlighted item will be picked up. You can then use the usual keys
to move to another position in the list. When you press this key
combination a second time, the item you are moving will be inserted
above the currently highlighted item.
Note: to move an item to the very end of the list requires two steps.
First pick up the item you want, then press CTRL-DOWN to go to the end
of the list, then press this key combination again to insert the item
you are moving above the last item. Then highlight the last item,
pick it up, press the UPARROW key, and then press this key combination
again to insert that last item just above the one you originally
moved. That original item will now be the last one in the list.
(See, also, the CLONE entry on page 41.)
MC (MULTIPLE CHOICE FORMAT)
Multiple Choice items come in several varieties. They can have 3, 4
or 5 response choices, including the correct answer, and these can be
printed either horizontally or vertically. When responses are printed
horizontally, you are allowed a fixed number of characters per
response. When responses are printed vertically, response fields may
vary in length. Horizontal responses are intended to save paper as in
vocabulary tests where very short responses can be used.
NEW ITEM (INS or F10)
When you press this key at the FILE LEVEL, you will see a blank item
template of the default item format. You can change the item format
by pressing F3 FORMAT.
POSITION (F4)
This key performs two different functions.
In the response fields of Multiple Choice and Match items, it is used
to specify the print position of the current response. Print position
is shown on the screen at the end of each response field in a tag
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 49
field like this: (*). To set the print position, move the cursor to
the appropriate response field, press F4 POSITION and type the letter
which identifies the print position you want. You cannot specify the
same print position for more than one response.
For MATCH items, you must specify the correct response for each of the
questions the item comprises. To do this, you use the tag fields to
the right of each question field. These fields look like this [?].
To specify an answer in a tag field, move the cursor to the
appropriate question field, press F4 POSITION and type the letter
which identifies the correct response. You can specify the same
response as correct for more than one question. (Try using F2 PREVIEW
to check how these functions work.)
PREVIEW (F2)
This function lets you see how a test item will look when it is
printed. Frequent use of this function probably affords the easiest
way to learn how the screen templates for the various item formats
work.
PRINT (F7)
The Print Preview option on this menu allows you to print a test to
the screen only. While the preview is running you can pause it by
pressing the ESC key. You can speed up or slow down the preview scroll
rate by pressing, respectively, the uparrow or downarrow keys. When
you choose either the Print Preview or Print Test function on this
menu, you can pause or cancel the print job at any time by pressing
the ESC key. The Check Printer function on this menu will print a
sample page showing all the various print attributes (bold, underline
etc.) that the program supports.
PRINT DEFAULTS
You can adjust the Print Default settings to suit your printer. Any
changes you make in them will remain in effect until you change them
again or exit the program. You can choose to make them permanent as
you exit the program. (See pages 33-34 for more information about
configuring BESTTEST for use with your printer.)
PRINT PREVIEW
You can use this function on the F7 PRINT menu to get an idea of how a
test will look before you actually print it.
PROGRAM DEFAULTS
This option on the F9 DEFAULTS menu allows you to specify the initial
format and level of new items, the headings for columns 3 and 4 of the
FILE LEVEL work area display ("Reference-A Title", "Reference-B
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 50
Title"), and the initial values for these reference fields in new
items ("Reference-A Value", "Reference-B Value").
You can make any changes you like to these settings and they will
remain in effect until you change them again or exit the program. You
can choose to make them permanent as you exit the program.
PURGE
This option on the F6 UTILITIES menu allows you to delete all the
currently marked items. Deleted items cannot be recovered, so use
this function with care.
REFERENCE-A / REFERENCE-B
BESTTEST files can be sorted, filtered, and searched by format, level,
and two further categories (Reference-A and Reference-B) that you may
specify according to your needs. (See page 22 for a practical example
of the use of these categories.)
RETRIEVE LIST
When you press the ENTER key while a list item is highlighted, that
list will be retrieved into memory. If there is already a list in
memory, the new list will be appended to it. If appending the new
list to the current one would exceed the maximum list length, you will
see a message to that effect. Note: if you delete an item belonging
to a saved list, when that list is next retrieved you will see a
message indicating that fact. Also if you edit an item included in a
list, when that list is next retrieved it will be marked with the
larger version of the usual asterisk character to indicate that it is
out of date.
SAVE (ITEM) (F10)
Pressing this key while you are editing a file item will display the
Reference Window in the middle of the screen. You may edit the values
of the various reference fields. When you are ready, pressing this
key again will save the item in question to the disk.
SAVE (LIST)
Choosing this option from the F6 LIST menu will save the current list
of marked items to the disk.
SCREEN FONT (F5)
On EGA/VGA monitors it is possible to use a screen font smaller than
the usual one and therefore to get more lines (either 43 or 50) onto a
single screen. This may be useful to because BESTTEST file items are
limited to the number of lines actually displayed on the screen (25 in
the usual case.) If you do create items using this function and then
attempt to recall them on another machine with a standard monitor, you
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 51
will not be able to do so. However, this means only that such items
can not be edited (or created on such a machine.) You can delete them
or mark them for inclusion on a list.
SELECT FILE
Choosing this option from the F5 FILES menu will display a list of all
BESTTEST files in the current directory. Use the cursor keys to
highlight the file you want to work with, and press ENTER.
SHUFFLE LIST
Choosing this option from the F6 LIST menu will randomly reorder the
current list of marked items. If the list is partitioned by Header
items, the shuffling will occur only within a given partition. Essay
items are always pushed to the end of each partition.
SORT (F3)
By default, BESTTEST files are sorted first by format and then by
level then by Reference-A and, finally, by Reference-B. However, you
can specify a custom sort based on any ordering of the four available
categories or keys (format, level, Reference-A, or Reference-B). Sort
specifications are automatically saved along with the file data and
they remain in force until you deliberately change them (or until you
choose the "File Maintenance" option on the F5 FILES key which
automatically restores the default sort.
SUBSCRIPT (F7)
As you are creating or editing a test item, you can specify that any
character should print as a subscript. (Subscripted characters are
displayed with text and background colors reversed.) To do this, move
the cursor under the character in question, and press the SUBSCRIPT
key. To unsubscript a character, repeat the same process.
Note: subscript cannot be combined with other print attributes.
SUPERSCRIPT (F9)
As you are creating or editing a test item, you can specify that any
character should print as a superscript. (Superscripted characters
are displayed with bold and background colors reversed.) To do this,
move the cursor under the character in question, and press the
SUPERSCRIPT key. To unsuperscript a character, repeat the same
process.
Note: superscript cannot be combined with other print attributes.
T / F (TRUE/FALSE FORMAT)
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 52
The True/False screen template is designed to allow BESTTEST to
shuffle True/False items when a test is printed. Only the "True
Option" and "False Option" fields are strictly necessary, but you will
find that the "Opening" and "Closing" fields allow for some
considerable flexibility in creating items of this format. Probably
the easiest way to understand how this template works is just to
experiment a little bit. Enter something in each of the four fields
in question, and check what happens when you press the F2 PREVIEW key.
UNDERLINE (F8)
As you are creating or editing a test item you can underline any
character. To do this, move the cursor under the character in
question, and press the UNDERLINE key. To ununderline a character,
repeat the same process.
Note: BOLD and UNDERLINE can be combined.
VERSION
BESTTEST can automatically produce different versions of your tests by
shuffling the response choices for each item and, if you so choose, by
reordering the test items as well. You specify whether you want to
print different versions of your test (and what sort of versions you
want to print) by choosing the "Print Defaults" option from the F9
DEFAULTS menu.
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 53
ABOUT BESTTEST
BESTTEST was written in Turbo Pascal 5.5 using the excellent tools
provided by Turbo Power Software.
BESTTEST is distributed as shareware. This means that, although the
program is copyrighted, users are free to make copies of it and give
them to others provided that:
1. The original program file, BT.EXE, is not
renamed or altered in any way.
2. Nothing beyond a small service charge is asked
for any such user-produced copy.
We hope that you will urge those with whom you share this program, to
register with us by sending a check for $50.00 to:
WiseWare
P.O. Box 148139
Chicago, IL 60614
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 54
KEYS USED AT BOTH FILE LEVEL AND ITEM LEVEL
F1 HELP ESC EXIT/CANCEL
F2 FL: FIND PgUp FL: SCREEN UP
IL: PREVIEW IL: PREVIOUS ITEM
F3 FL: SORT PgDn FL: SCREEN DOWN
IL: FORMAT IL: NEXT ITEM
F4 FL: FILTER UpArrow FL: PREVIOUS ITEM
IL: POSITION IL: PREVIOUS LINE
F5 FL: FILES DownArrow FL: NEXT ITEM
IL: SCREEN FONT IL: NEXT LINE
F6 FL: LIST INS FL: NEW ITEM
IL: BOLD IL: (Ins)
F7 FL: PRINT DEL FL: DELETE ITEM
IL: SUBSCRIPT IL: (Del)
F8 FL: UTILITIES * FL: MARK
IL: UNDERLINE IL: (*)
F9 FL: DEFAULTS HOME+RightArrow FL: SCREEN RIGHT
IL: SUPERSCRIPT IL: LINE END
F10 FL: NEW ITEM HOME+LeftArrow FL: SCREEN LEFT
IL: SAVE IL: LINE START
ENTER FL: EDIT ITEM HOME+UpArrow FL: SCREEN UP
IL: NEW LINE IL: FIELD START
Ctrl PgUp FL: FILE TOP HOME+DownArrow FL: SCREEN DOWN
IL: FIRST FIELD IL: FIELD END
Ctrl PgDn FL: FILE END ALT = START
IL: FIELD END RECORDING
Ctrl ENTER FL: MOVE ALT - STOP
IL: DELETE FIELD RECORDING
ALT M FL: MAIN MENU ALT P PLAYBACK
IL: MAIN MENU
KEYS USED AT ITEM LEVEL ONLY
Ctrl END DELETE TO END Ctrl HOME DELETE LINE
OF LINE
BESTTEST USERS MANUAL page 55