AssessmentTest:OutcomeDeclaration

An assessmentTest element can contain zero, one or more outcome declaration elements.

An outcome declaration declares one outcome variable which is scoped to the entire test. An outcome variable stores a value relevant to the candidate’s performance at the test level.

Note that other outcome variables are used at the item level (click here for more information about item level outcome variables). Not surprisingly, item outcome variables often determine the value of test outcome variables; for example, in a test comprising ten items, the value of a test outcome variable may be computed as the sum of the values of ten item outcome variables.

How are both types of outcome variable used with a test? The overall approach is 1. Declare test outcome variables in the outcome declarations section of assessmentTest

2. For each item response submitted by the candidate •	First execute the item’s response processing (if declared inside assessmentItem) – this will update item’s outcome variables •	Then execute test’s outcome processing (if declared inside assessmentTest) – this will update test’s outcome variables 3. End for Outcome processing (explained later in this chapter) is logic which assigns values to outcome variables.

Example of outcome declarations
Note the element name is OutcomeDeclaration - without a space!          + + 

Note the two lines above, which begin with “+”, represent sections which will be explained later in the notes).

This assessmentTest element declares seven test outcome variables.