One useful feature of the scoring process is that it yields domain-level and competency-level* raw scores as well as total exam scaled scores.
While total exam scaled scores are of use in determining test takers' pass/fail status and indicating in general how well the test taker did on the overall exam,
domain-level and competency-level raw scores, when interpreted with care, may permit a more detailed analysis of the test taker's strengths and needs in relation to exam content.
Domains are composed of groups of competencies that address generally similar content. Domain-level and competency-level raw scores permit test takers to consider their performance
on groups of selected-response questions that appeared on the exam form. However, test takers (and their faculty advisors) should exercise caution in evaluating performance based on
these raw scores. Among the issues with these raw scores for individual domains or competencies are:
- These scores are based on fewer exam questions than total exam scores and are inherently less stable than total exam scores. Domain-level raw scores (which may be based on as
few as four exam questions) are more stable than competency-level raw scores (which may be based on as few as one or two scored exam questions), but both levels of raw scores are less
stable than total exam scores and neither can support strong inferences or conclusions.
- Both competencies and domains vary in difficulty. A high score on a competency or domain with relatively difficult exam questions is not equivalent to a similarly high score on a
competency or domain with relatively easy exam questions.
- These scores cannot easily be converted to pass/fail scores or scaled scores; for this reason, test takers cannot conclude that they know more about the content covered in
one domain than another merely because the raw percent of questions they answered correctly in one domain is higher than that in another domain.
Still, these raw scores do provide some information and candidates should consider domain-level and competency-level performance when they are looking for specific
areas of content that they need to study more. A consideration of domain-level and competency-level scores may suggest areas of content to review, additional course
work to take, or independent reading to pursue before retaking an exam.
*Competency-level raw scores are not provided in results for the following examinations: Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT) Spanish (190), Languages Other Than
English (LOTE) examinations (610–613), TASC, and TASC–ASL. Domain-level raw scores and constructed-response specific raw scores are provided for the BTLPT Spanish and LOTE exams.
TASC and TASC–ASL test takers receive only a holistic score.
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