THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Organization of the Study

9 3. Providing feedback to the teacher as well as to students-information about how well students have learned and how well the teacher has taught 4. Serving as motivators for students to study 7 It means that a test could be used as a tool of appreciation and motivation for students, and as a measurement about how well the teaching and learning process is applied. On the other hand, according to Harris, the objectives of test are: 1. To determine the readiness for instructional programs 2. To classify or place individuals in appropriate language classes 3. To diagnose the individual’s specific strengths and weaknesses 4. To measure the extent of student achievement of the instructional goals 5. To evaluate the effectiveness of instruction 8 It shows that through the test, teacher should know the characteristics of the students in order to increase the achievement of the goals. Based on the explanation above, the writer concludes that a test has at least two main objectives. First ly, it is to measure the student’s achievement so that the teachers are able to determine the grades and the aptitudes of their students. Secondly, it is as a feedback for the teachers and for the students about the progress of teaching learning process.

C. The Types of the Test

The categorization of the test is determined by the information which is implied in the test. 9 Hughes categorizes the test based on the types of information they supply. In addition, he classifies the test into four, such as types of the test; they are placement test, diagnostic test, achievement test, and proficiency test. 10 7 Anthony J. Nitko, Educational Tests and Measurement: An Introduction, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc, 1983, pp 17-18. 8 David P. Harris, Testing English as a Second Language, New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1974, pp. 2-3. 9 Arthur Hughes, Test for Language Teachers, second edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004, p. 11. 10 Ibid.