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Evaluation is defined as the act of considering or examining something in order to judge its value, quality, importance, extent, or condition Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Other dictionaries will give several definitions but there few words we should be able to master or take away from all the definitions. The action to get a closer look in the value or importance is what should matter most from the various definitions. Evaluation can be done at various levels which we can list a few here; physical, detailed, brief, financial, medical, technical and why not just a few. On the other hand, Testing which is which is adjective derived from the word Test is the act of subjecting somebody or something to challenging difficulties with the aim of measuring certain standards. Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008. We might take a test at some time to be a stock take of a mile stone. Testing can be in various ways such as a medical test, an educational test, a geological test and so many other types of test. We might be tempted at times to consider an evaluation same as a test. From the definitions above, we can see that they are of separate actions though we can try to measure any existing relationship between an evaluation and a test. It is virtually clear a test is a level of an evaluation. Test can be part of an evaluation scale to leading to have the results of an envisaged evaluation. For example, we might want to evaluate the language level of a student or a class, we will use several tests to attain that objective and come out with the evaluation. Booth evaluation and testing a scientific in nature and thus are carried out with certain laid down cannons and rules. We do not just get up and decide to develop an evaluation or a test without an objective or bases for such. That is why an evaluation and a test will both be designed by laid down rules acceptable or developed conventionally by governments or institutions to attain unexpected results. Scientifically, tests are carried out with objectives. For example, we don’t test or put students under an evaluation test without knowing the objective of the test, whether for language, medical, physical or any other form of tests. So, at the end of the test there will be a result, which will be used as an assessment of the evaluation process. This comes to help see the relationship between the evaluation and a test. We can see then that, all test form part of an evaluation, or still a test is a subset of an evaluation. That is why we see there are so many ways to carry out an evaluation which a test will not be part of the process. So an evaluation can be a questionnaire, a discussion, a feedback, and field work. From the above, I doubt to mention if there are any setbacks of one is to carry out an evaluation or a test, but I see only the goods in getting results from an evaluation or a test. For example in the medical field, a laboratory diagnostic will help in determining the illness of patient and there will never be any regrets for a test. The same for learning and education; the teacher evaluating the students after a lesson will measure the level of understanding and progress through a test whose results will be the measuring stick. We will not see any disadvantages of a teacher why he or she had to evaluate or test the students after a mile stone like a term or semester. I will conclude by saying the act of evaluating and testing are very important in every day of life in which ever aspect or field we are engaged into, we have to test and evaluate.
