Assessment experts, ready to help you achieve your testing mission.
Building the right test the first time defines a successful test development process, and we can help you achieve success. As your test development partner, we will work alongside your team and can provide psychometric experts to help you build tests that measure the right knowledge, skills and abilities, and that yield valid, reliable, and fair results.
One of the differences between Surpass and other providers is that regardless of who writes the items and assembles the test forms, you will have access to the item bank and your items. You will be in control, with the freedom to make changes as needed.
Find out why organisations across a range of industries choose Surpass for their assessment programme.
We offer:
Test Development and Supporting Services
Our technology and psychometric experts can undertake or support you with:
Job Task Analysis
Without the Job Task Analysis, how can you be sure you’re measuring everything essential to performing a job successfully? We will help you identify the competencies, knowledge and responsibilities that are essential to success in a specific role.
Test Specification / Exam Blueprint Design
Using the job analysis data, our team will help you develop and validate the test specifications and exam blueprint according to your programme goals and industry expectations. Then, with our Tasks solution in Surpass, we can help you manage the item writing process with assigned tasks, quotas and deadlines. This is a perfect solution to use with your SMEs ensuring your efforts map to the blueprint.
Subject Matter Expert (SME) Recruitment
Finding the right team to author your items is an essential part of the process. Our team can help you, using both psychometric expertise and innovative technology. Surpass also enhances the retention and monitoring of SMEs; our item development tools are easy to use, with no lengthy training needed, and the data generated from authoring and test performance can help you refine your recruitment process.
Item Writing
Surpass is the most intuitive solution on the market for item writing. Each item can be created via the Surpass user interface or imported from third–party sources, with configurable production workflows to match your specific quality review processes. Surpass also provides multiple tools to monitor, pilot, and share items, thereby helping you to create questions which will unlock new potential in your assessment design.
Advanced Item Creation Training
Technology is at the forefront of test delivery and offers so much more than traditional paper-based delivery. Our team can help you leverage the best that technology and question design have to offer. With Surpass, it’s easy to integrate your existing item bank and use this as a starting point for creating new advanced items, allowing you to start your journey with familiar content. Then, at a time right for you, our team can help you get creative with your item and test design, and help you work towards truly authentic testing.
As well as our award-winning high-fidelity image viewer, you will have access to functionality such as spreadsheet simulations, audio capture question types, in-test video and our new custom content feature for embedding interactive HTML content.
Item Banking
With Surpass, your item bank belongs to you. At every stage in the process, you are in control of your item bank with the freedom to edit, import, or export items whenever you wish. With extensive metadata management solutions and the ability to create comprehensive item lists, our item banking solution is all you need regardless of whether you are delivering via Surpass, paper, or another third-party testing vendor.
Standard Setting
By utilising appropriate methodology for your testing programme, our team of experts can provide you with a strong degree of confidence that test cut scores are properly calculated and validated. The tools and features in Surpass allow score adjustment, item revision and replacement, and test form balancing.
Test Production and Publishing
Our experts can work with you to design your exam blueprint and content, test form plan, test delivery frequency, test delivery models, and administration specification. Surpass is the market-leader for the instant publishing of items; questions in your Surpass item bank can be instantly included or withdrawn from tests.
Item-level and Test-level Analysis
Often described as the Science of Testing, our experts will work with you to identify the best approach (CTT or IRT) to undertake ongoing statistical maintenance of a test. Surpass procedures involve analyzing item and test-level data for security concerns, drift, bias / DIF, and consistent pass rates. Our expertise will underpin your confidence in the validity of your test results and that they meet your program design objectives and requirements.
Alternatively, if you prefer to handle the data yourself, Surpass allows a raw data extraction, so you’re never tied to the system.
Item Bank Maintenance
Surpass reduces the burden of maintaining your item bank. Test performance data can be used to monitor your item usage and help you spot errors in the bank. Data can also be used to identify possible security concerns and opportunities to customise your test bank. Items which are ready for retirement may still be usable for online practice tests, and our team can help you get the most return from your investment.
Consulting
Get assistance from our experts.
We have a huge amount of experience in the learning and assessment sector, and work closely with our partners and clients to implement improvements and monitor changes. We’re happy to assist with developing bespoke assessment solutions, or work with partner educational specialists to provide you with the best technology and industry knowledge.
- Over 30 years of working closely with partners and clients.
- Extensive knowledge of the learning and assessment sector.
- In-house technical support.
- Psychometric capabilities ready to assist you.
Test Conversion
Get your content into the Surpass Platform with the support of our team of experts.
Are you short on time and resources, or don’t have the in-house assessment design expertise needed to transfer your existing content into the Surpass Platform? The Test Conversion Service can support you with this. Whether you want to transition from paper-based tests to on-screen, are transitioning from another system, or just need some extra support with item or test creation, we can help.
With flexible levels of service to suit your needs, our team of experts are on-hand to help when you need it most. Support is available for one-off conversions of content to get you up and running, or long-term arrangements can be made if you require an ongoing service.
Key benefits:
- Potential time and cost savings for your organisation.
- Faster implementation / a reduction in transition time.
- Confidence in knowing you are using Surpass to its full potential.
- Access to our team of experienced Surpass users.
Key features:
- Analysis of sample content to ensure we understand requirements for items, tests, delivery, and scoring.
- Sample items and tests presented with opportunity for feedback, to ensure everything we do meets your requirements.
- Consultation with our in-house accessibility team where required.
- Secure transfer of test content with restricted user access.
- An in-house quality review process prior to items and tests being sent to undergo your own rigorous quality review.
- First-class communication from the team throughout the process, with regular calls to update you on progress and resolve any questions.
Product Customisation
Get custom features added to the Surpass Platform.
It is often the case that making the decision to buy/license an existing assessment platform or build your own often comes down to how your requirements differ from market trends. Surpass is customer-driven; our roadmap is influenced by the needs of the market, but these don’t always match all the needs of our customer base. We have therefore implemented a Sponsored Development Team model which has successfully proven to provide customers and partners the ability to build bespoke features which bring value to their market and business growth.
Because we operate an agile approach to development, additional teams sponsored by our customers and partners can create features within Surpass, giving you the option to build what matters to you and achieve your aims, on top of an already excellent product. It’s better than an Open Source approach, because all development is supported and quality checked by professionals, so everyone benefits without the uncontrollable risks of Open Source development.
Training & Support
Extensive documentation and training.
Training support ranges from a comprehensive collection of online help and knowledge to customisable remote product training. Customers and users have access to our award-winning product documentation, which our Technical Communications team are continually updating and enhancing. Additional training can always be requested from our dedicated Training team, and we also offer Surpass users access to our online training platform containing interactive courses and materials that enable you to learn more about Surpass.
- Remote training ensures any initial questions are answered efficiently.
- Award-winning documentation includes comprehensive information for all Surpass Assessment products.
- Dedicated team continually update resources.
Dedicated support.
Our support desk is available to customers to deal with technical requests or general product help and advice. We also offer an option to train your existing support staff to deal with Surpass Platform inquiries, which is a popular choice with some larger clients. Dedicated Service Delivery Managers are available should they be required for the smooth operation of your high-stakes assessment process.
- Technical Support available for authors and implementation staff.
- User support available for candidates.
- Optional training available for your own support teams.
- Dedicated Service Delivery Managers.
A Community of Experts
Share your ideas with other Surpass Community members.
Share ideas for enhancements to Surpass and contribute to the product roadmap. Enjoy the opportunity to collaborate on the development of ideas with other Surpass Community organisations.
