Effects of item order on test scores

To combat problems of cheating arising from testing under crowed classroom conditions, instructors frequently use multiple arrangements of a set of test items. These different arrangements or forms should be nearly equivalent relative to mean total scores. This study reports data from comparisons involving eleven pairs of equivalent tests. There were no significant linear relationships between equivalent test forms on the ordering of item difficulties. Reliabilities differed little within pairs of equivalent tests. Nine of eleven t-tests comparing mean total test scores were insignificant. The bulk of these data supported the assumption that one may construct equivalent power tests by rearranging’ items, when the ordering of item difficulty is non-systematic on both arrangements.