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A test or exam is an educational examination meant to measure the knowledge, ability, aptitude, skill, or category of knowledge of a test-taker. The test components may be math, reading, writing, logical reasoning, reading comprehension, or any other areas. It is used as a tool for measuring achievement and as a basis for promotion and grade determination in schools and colleges. For parents, it provides them with the knowledge on what their children have learned and to how well they are progressing. In addition, it helps the teachers know which students have the potential to excel more.

Prior to testing, students, parents, and teachers should formulate a test plan or a test schedule. Preparation of a test plan usually involves setting up a proper testing environment. The atmosphere should not be too distracting. It should allow the test-takers to concentrate well. Test preparation includes extensive planning, scheduling, and implementation.

Test plan formulation is based on four major steps. The first step is identification of the specific questions that will be included in the testing. The next step is development of test conditions that will evaluate the test and control the test design, the test observation, and the test outcome. The third step is setting the test objectives and the measurement of these objectives. And the last step is outlining the level of difficulty of the different test conditions.

A test summary report is one of the most important parts of the entire test administration. It contains important information such as test objectives, test design, test administration details, and scope limitations. Test summary reports should contain all details necessary for evaluating the test and its outcome. This includes test design, objectives, test specifications, test results, and evaluation methodology. Test summary reports also include commentaries from experts, which are usually written on separate sheets of paper.

Another part of the test administration process is test analysis. Test analysis involves identifying the problems in the test design, the test conditions, and the test results so that they can be better understood by the developers. The purpose of test analysis is to find potential problems in the development work products so that the developers can correct these problems before release.

One of the most important aspects of the test management process is defining the test approaches. The test approach is a description of the testing process that describes how the tester proceeds with the specific tests in a particular project. Defining the test approaches helps in estimating the test costs and enables the testers to estimate their time to completion. It also helps in defining the project budget and the time required for completing the project.