Test Hero

Test Hero is a free, low-bandwidth, open-access digital platform that empowers low-income school students in preparing for college entrance exams.

Equitable access to college entrance preparatory courses is not a given for all grade 11 and 12 students in the Philippines. Those with the resources either attend private tutorials or a part of a private school which offer special training. Less than 20% of school-going children have access to such resources.

One of the reasons for the inequity was the inadequate access and affordability to the internet, this myth was busted, ironically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The government, communitites including students were able to adapt to the changing learning environment which was forced on them. This is an opportune time in bridging the gaps in terms of access to quality education.

Test Hero is designed as a social impact platform that will enable and empower millions of high school students irrespective of their economic and geographical background to have high quality preparation for college admission tests (CATs).

More than a supplementary review portal, it is also a learning hub with over 10,000 expert-validated practice questions, modules, tips, videos, and other learning content. With the goal of democratizing education in mind, Test Hero bridges the financial, technological, and logistical gaps for those without means and access to a CATs preparation ecosystem.

By bringing a convenient, accessible, and practical online CAT preparation platform to underserved grade 11 and 12 students, students can be confidently equipped with the necessary tools to enchance their chances of pursuing college education even in limited connectivity environments and regardless of economic ability to access commercial platforms.

The specific problem Test Hero aims to address is the existing inequity experienced by high school students who wish to prepare for CATs. The lack of a comprehensive, affordable, and accessible platform for underserved college-bound students to use to prepare for CATs is the gap that Test Hero will bridge. This problem is caused by many factors, one of which is the hesitancy to adopt EdTech solutions even at the national level due to costs and the lack of support in infrastructure.

While students were forced to adopt EdTech or be left behind, the situation has been less than ideal and exposed inequities. Only 55 percent of Filipinos, and only 26 percent of public schools have internet access. The Philippines has yet to catch up to its peers in terms of availability, speed, and affordability of internet access. A low-bandwidth yet free platform such as Test Hero can keep students safe while ensuring access to quality CATs exam preparation.

The solution aims to serve primarily Grade 11 and 12 students from lower-income groups and rural areas, Out of School Youths (OSYs), and students who are Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), with a special emphasis on women and girls among those.

Given the EdTech adoption and internet access situation discussed in previous sections, students in our target groups are at a dramatic disadvantage compared to their peers from higher income groups residing in urban areas because they have better economic and logistical access to internet and commercial review centers. Students in private schools also have reviews integrated into their school programs around the time that Grade 11 and 12 students prepare to take CATs whereas public school students must seek external opportuntities for CATs exam preparation.

OSYs are also a target population fro Test Hero since the platform integrates review for assessment and accreditation within the country's Alternative Learning System, the system developed for OSYs to gain elementary and high school competencies even without having to enroll in the school system and give up time for work. PWDs also stand to benefit from the solution due to the access that it grants them in comparison to attendance at the brick-and-mortar centers where mobility and physical access are issues.

The problem of inequitable access to high quality college education is worsened by the uneven access to a platform to even enable college-bound students to prepare for CATs. EdTech can be the bridge for these underserved students to be able to access quality and affordable college education. Test Hero as an EdTech intervention tackles the problems of access, affordability, convenience, and inequity overall. Disadvantged students from low income groups and residing in rural areas can have the same opportunity as their privileged peers to prepare for CATs. OSYs and student PWDs are also a target population of Test Hero because the benefits of the platform serve their needs as well.

Gabrielle Tañada

Lead, Communications & Visibility

Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST)

A Pilot Test of the Test Hero platform in August of 2018 proved that the CATs review materials on the platform are valid and reliable test review materials with coefficient alpha of 0.970 (aggregate of 3 sets tested), equivalent to the level of the best standardized test and at par with CATs. This test was done using Item Response Theory 2-parameter model and was tested with Grades 10-12 Senior High School students of private and public schools in the country.

The core technology of Test Hero is a web-based digital platform, accessible on desktops, smartphones, and tablets. The solution harnesses the advantages and strengths of technology and applies it to the education context. As an EdTech solution, it provides convenient and on-the-go access to users regardless of their device and the quality of their connection in terms of banwidth. Users can access Test Hero from their smartphones even while commuting and using minimal mobile data. 

The logic of the program is premised against the backdrop of the apparent and developing critical challenges of the Philippine education sector. The current state of access to college education remains inequitable. One way to address this inequity is to narrow the gap between those who can prepare for college admission tests and thus have better chances of being gaining admittance to colleges and those without the means to prepare for college admission and thus who may not be able to pursue college education at top colleges. 

The current state is one of differential access to important materials and services in relation to college test preparation. This access gap between these students is perpetuated by differences in financial capacity, as most preparatory courses and programs remain expensive and the alternative option of self-study using official review materials such as books is also costly. Through Test Hero, students will be able to prepare without incurring the significant costs and enduring the inconvenience and potential risk due to COVID-19 in attending face to face review classes at brick-and-mortar centers. 

As a free, accessible, low-bandwidth, and open-access platform, Test Hero is the ideal intervention to solve the access problem in terms of being able to connect students to review materials via a portal and by being an affordable option in comparison to commercially available routes for exam preparation.

Progress towards out impact goals will be measured by first conducting a baseline study in partnership with the country's Department of Education to get a better idea of the current state. 

Other indicators we used to measure impact have been the number of total users who have accessed the Test Hero platform as well active users of the platform. At the time of the pilot, Test Hero had over 1,500 users, among whom 200 were considered to be active users.

We also have a growing network of multi-sector partners and stakeholders who are keen to support Test Hero in a variety of ways to help us achieve maximum cross-cutting impact.

For the next year, we aim to launch the Test Hero platform in full and with a significantly upgraded and updated set of features. This would be to encapsualte the entire CATs preparation journey that college-bound students undergo. It would be made up of five interconnected components, the Plan, Study, Track, Refresh, and the already existing review component. This will help students manage all aspects of preparation from start to finish.

Monitoring Features such as the Parent and Teacher dashboard, as well as greater expansions in the Practice component encompassing mandatory tests like licensure exams, board exams, technical skills certification, and continuing professional development units are some features that would be within our targets for the next three years. Secondary to the previously mentioned features, other upgrades that can also be accommodated are teacher training, video tutorials on review tips, practical experience sharing, career guidance, and internship training, which can be integrated in the next five years along with an expansion and replication to other countries where ASSIST maintains offices, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, and Kenya.

Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) was established in 2003, as a pan-Asian, non-profit organization, situated in the Philippines that focuses on addressing sustainability challenges in various sectors. ASSIST’s establishment lies beneath the pressing need of such low-middle income countries (LMICs) to provide critical services to communities where government intervention lacks. Our areas of work include human development, agriculture and rural development, energy and natural resources, and private sector development.

As a cornerstone of our efforts, we have always advocated our “Partner for Progress” philosophy, in which we believe common good can be effectively achieved through collaboration. Through this, we have been able to create meaningful partnerships among local, international, and government organizations in the development field. This has allowed us to expand growth for over 18 years, in our regional offices of Vietnam, Cambodia, India, and Kenya.

Since then, education has served as one of the key components of our work to human development. We recognize its foundation for capacity building, empowerment, and sustainability for the labor market. However, we realize a greater cause which is poverty alleviation. Coupled with the necessitating leap towards digitization, ASSIST has demonstrated flexibility in methods for reaching out to students and teachers through various channels for previous projects during the pandemic. Using this leverage, we have developed a deeper understanding on how to craft solutions to digital divide and education challenges in which we aim to be a contributor.

ASSIST is composed of 55 total full time staff and five board members.

By utilizing a multi-stakeholder partnership approach combined with an emphasis on capacity building, ASSIST has driven change in many of its cross-cutting areas. In the Education space, democratizing access, digital innovation, skills development, and technical and vocational training are examples of previous priorities ASSIST has addressed. 

By leveraging over 15 years of experience and strong expertise in our priority areas we have managed to deliver a wide range of comprehensive technical assistance and capacity building services including TechVoc Education, Upskilling and Right Skilling, Soft Skills Training, and Learning through Play and Gamification.

The Team Lead developed some of the content that went on Test Hero - specifically the test questions and answers. Beyond that, she been in charge of most aspects of development on ASSIST Academy, which will be ASSIST's own online learning database across different projects (which so far includes training modules from our capacity building programs Future Movers, Saving the Lives of Healthcare Workers, and WorldClass). The Team Lead has also had experience in contributing from designing the platform, coordinating with the web developers, curating the content, to testing the site. The activities of the Communication & Visibility unit of ASSIST in general revolve around the testing of new tools and resources to assess what can be mobilized for our projects and communication materials, and as as Lead of the unit, she has trained our colleagues on the use and plays a major role in the development of these tools, platforms, and resources.

ASSIST has a broad network pf partners across our priority areas. For Test Hero in particular, we have partnerships with country's Department of Education, a significant number of public and private schools thorughout the country, the Technical Education And Skills Development Authority of the country (TESDA), other Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions, and urban poor community organizations.

Mentorship from MIT Solve will allow the further development and upscaling of Test Hero to be done with the learners of the future, their situation, and their needs in mind. Because the Octava Social Innovation Challenge’s goals are aligned with the objectives of Test Hero, mentorship from MIT Solve’s experts can bring out the full potential of the platform and its developers.

The financial and technological barriers can be overcome with the partnership with Octava and MIT Solve. Funding is a major barrier to the upscaling and upgrading of the platform and technology can be developed with the expertise of MIT Solve.