MSTGen: simulated data generator for multistage testing created by Kyung T. Han

Multistage testing, or MST, was developed as an alternative to computerized adaptive testing (CAT) for applications in which it is preferable to administer a test at the level of item sets (i.e., modules). As with CAT, the simulation technique in MST plays a critical role in the development and maintenance of tests. Theoretically, MST is a special case of CAT (likewise, CAT also can be viewed as a special version of MST). Technically, however, MST and CAT are completely different relative to how test systems work; thus, existing commercial or noncommercial CAT simulation programs, for example, CATSim (Weiss & Guyer, 2012) and SimulCAT (Han, 2012), cannot accommodate MST-based tests. MSTGen, a new MST simulation software tool, was developed to serve various purposes ranging from fundamental MST research to technical MST program evaluations. The new CAT simulation software tool supports both traditional MST functioning (MST by routing to preassembled modules after each stage; Luecht & Nungester, 1998) and new MST methods (e.g., MST by shaping a module for each stage; Han & Guo, 2013). It offers a variety of test administration environments and a user-friendly graphical interface.