Your experts, writing items to one standard
Training, drafting and review for up to 12 subject matter experts.
- Length
- 2 days on site or four half-days online
- Price, indicative
- From $5,500
Experts know the field; few have been taught to write a question that tests it. The workshop teaches the rules, then applies them the same day, so every item leaves with a peer review, a bias and accessibility check and a status in the bank.
How the sessions run
- Two weeks before
Plan the targets
Blueprint gaps turned into item targets per writer, with reference sources agreed.
- Session 1
Learn the rules
Stems, keys, plausible distractors and common flaws, shown on your own retired items.
- Session 2
Draft to targets
Writers draft in the platform while a facilitator reviews items as they arrive.
- Session 3
Review in pairs
Writers swap items and review each against the item review checklist.
- Session 4
Check bias and access
Every item checked for bias, reading load and screen reader issues, then given a bank status.
What you receive
- Who it is for
- Exam committees and subject matter experts writing new items
- Format
- On site in New Mexico and the Southwest, or online
- Item writing training for up to 12 experts, with a written guide
- Drafted items in the bank, each tagged to the blueprint
- Peer, bias and accessibility review notes on every item
- A status report by writer and domain
- A revision list of items still to fix, with reasons
Is this the right program?
Right for you if
- Some blueprint domains have too few items
- You can free 8 to 12 experts for two days
- Your committee wants one shared standard for a good item
Look elsewhere if
- You want Exampit to write the items; the content must come from your experts
- You have no blueprint yet; start with a Job Task Analysis
Example: a veterinary technician exam refresh
A state veterinary technician association needs 150 new items for its credential exam, mostly in anesthesia and pharmacology. Ten technicians and two veterinarians join four half-day sessions online from clinics across the state, and the set closes with 118 items approved, 26 in revision and 6 withdrawn after bias review.
Item Writing Workshop questions, answered
Do you use AI to draft items?
Only if you ask, and never without human review. An AI draft is raw material that a writer rewrites or discards, and each item records whether AI was used and who reviewed it. Our responsible AI page sets out the rules, and you can choose to write every item by hand.
How many items will we come away with?
That depends on item type and how experienced your writers are, so we set targets in advance rather than promise a count. A common target is 8 to 12 reviewed multiple-choice items per writer over the workshop, with case-based sets counting for more because each takes longer.
How does the online format differ from on site?
The content is the same; on site, sessions 1 and 2 fill day one and sessions 3 and 4 fill day two. Online, each session is a half-day of about three and a half hours, usually spread over two weeks, and writers keep drafting between sessions.
What does the workshop cost?
From $5,500 for up to 12 subject matter experts, including the training guide, facilitation and review notes. On-site days in New Mexico carry no travel fee. It is one of our psychometric services, and the pricing page shows it beside the Job Task Analysis and Standard Setting Study.
Plan this program with us
A 30-minute call to see whether Item Writing Workshop fits your teams, your calendar and your budget.