Table of Specifications Generator: Build a Test Blueprint in Minutes

A table of specifications generator takes the counting out of test planning. You still decide what the test should cover. The tool keeps the grid accurate, even when you swap a question ten minutes before printing.

If the term is new to you, a table of specifications (TOS) is a test blueprint: a grid that shows what your test covers and what kind of thinking each question asks for. Below, you’ll build one by hand first, then see how QuizMagic does it while it writes your quiz.

What is a table of specifications?

A table of specifications puts a test on paper before you write a single question. Topics run down the side and thinking levels in another column, usually from Bloom’s Taxonomy or the SOLO Taxonomy. Each cell holds a number: how many questions test that topic at that level.

In a grid, read across a row, and you see how much of the test belongs to one topic. Read down a column, and you see how much of it asks students to remember, apply, or analyze. Some forms list the levels under each topic instead, but the information is the same. The totals show whether the test matches what you actually taught. “Test blueprint” is just another name for the same thing.

Schools don’t all use the same form. Many add columns for hours or days taught and for item numbers, and some set the level split for you.

Why teachers build a test blueprint

Without a plan, tests drift. Recall questions are the quickest to write, so they pile up. The topic you taught last week gets five questions, and the one from last month gets none. A blueprint stops that.

A topic that took three class sessions gets more questions than one you covered in a single session.
The test checks understanding and analysis, not only recall.
Students are tested on what you taught, in the proportions you taught it.
When you write a second version, you can follow the same blueprint.
Many schools ask for a TOS with major exams, so yours is ready when someone asks.

How to make a table of specifications by hand

The method is the same for any subject.

List the topics or learning competencies the test covers.
Count the days or class sessions you spent on each one.
Divide each topic’s days by the total days. A topic that took 3 of 10 days is 30%.
Choose the total number of questions, then multiply. Thirty percent of a 20-item test is 6 questions.
Pick the thinking levels you want to test, and decide how many questions each level gets.
Spread each topic’s questions across the levels, so the topic counts and the level totals both add up.
Write the questions, and note each question’s number next to its topic.

Worked example: a 20-item science quiz

Say a plant biology unit ran for 10 class sessions: 3 on photosynthesis, 3 on cellular respiration, 2 on plant structure and 2 on energy flow. That gives weights of 30%, 30%, 20% and 20%, or 6, 6, 4, and 4 questions.

For the thinking levels, this example uses four Bloom’s levels with a simple spread: 5 Remember, 6 Understand, 5 Apply and 4 Analyze. Your school or program may set a different split, but the method doesn’t change.

Topic	Sessions	Levels (questions)	Count	% of quiz	Question #s
Photosynthesis	3	Remember 1, Understand 2, Apply 2, Analyze 1	6	30%	1, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19
Cellular respiration	3	Remember 2, Understand 1, Apply 1, Analyze 2	6	30%	2, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20
Plant structure	2	Remember 1, Understand 2, Apply 1	4	20%	3, 7, 14, 18
Energy flow	2	Remember 1, Understand 1, Apply 1, Analyze 1	4	20%	4, 8, 11, 15
Total	10	Remember 5, Understand 6, Apply 5, Analyze 4	20	100%	1 to 20

The layout has one row per topic, with the levels, the count, the share of the quiz, and the question numbers beside it. QuizMagic’s table uses the same layout, minus the sessions column, which QuizMagic doesn’t track.

Prefer SOLO? Swap the levels for unistructural, multistructural, relational, and extended abstract. The arithmetic stays the same.

None of this is difficult. The trouble starts when you edit. Swap one question, and you have to recheck the topic counts, the level totals, the percentages, and the question numbers. After five swaps, the table is probably wrong. That recounting is the job a table of specifications generator takes over.

How QuizMagic works as a table of specifications generator

When you generate a quiz in QuizMagic, you choose a cognitive framework (Bloom’s, SOLO, or a mix of both) and the levels you want to assess. QuizMagic writes questions to match that spread and labels each one with its level. It then builds the Table of Specifications from the quiz itself, so the counts always match the questions you actually have.

Here’s what the table shows:

A header with your framework (for example, Bloom’s) and a summary such as “100 questions · 4 levels”.
Topic: one row for each topic found in your uploaded file.
Level: the levels used under that topic, with the number of questions at each.
Count: the total number of questions on that topic.
% of Quiz: that topic’s share of the whole quiz, shown with a small bar.
Question #s: the numbers of the questions that belong to that topic.

The Topic column fills in only when you generate the quiz from an uploaded file. If you start from a typed topic or pasted text instead, the table shows the level breakdown without topics. Because the table comes from the quiz, editing or regenerating the quiz keeps it accurate.

Treat the result as a solid first draft. The table doesn’t include days or hours taught, so if your form asks for them, add them by hand.

How to use the table of specifications generator, step by step

Sign in to QuizMagic and open the Quiz Generator.
Choose a source: type a topic, paste text, upload a file such as a PDF or Word document, or add a YouTube link. Upload a file if you want the table to list topics.
Set the number of questions and the question types in the quiz settings.
Under Cognitive Framework, choose Bloom’s, SOLO or Mixed, then select the levels you want. Here are guides to Bloom’s levels and Mixed mode.
Generate the quiz and read through the questions.
Open the Table of Specifications and check each topic’s count, share of the quiz, and question numbers.
Adjust anything that’s off, then export, print, or share the quiz.

Tips for a stronger blueprint

Use the Additional Customization Notes field in the Quiz Generator if you want AI to focus on certain topics.
Check the weights against your teaching time. A table of specifications generator can show each topic’s share of the quiz, but it doesn’t know how much class time each topic got. Compare the percentages with your own days or hours, then edit or regenerate if a topic is over- or under-weighted.
Include some higher-order questions. A test of recall alone says little about whether students understood anything.
Want topics in the table? Generate from an uploaded file. It’s the only source that fills the Topic column.
Need two versions for different sections? Export Set A and Set B so both follow the same content.
Use Make easier or Make harder to adapt a quiz for different groups, then look at the table again.

Table of specifications generator: frequently asked questions

Is a table of specifications the same as a test blueprint?

Yes. Both names describe a plan that maps test questions to content and thinking levels.

Which taxonomy should I use?

Bloom’s is the most widely used. SOLO looks at how complex a student’s understanding is. QuizMagic’s table of specifications generator supports both, plus a mix. Our comparison of Bloom’s and SOLO can help you choose.

Does QuizMagic’s table match my school’s required format?

Formats differ between schools and education departments. QuizMagic’s table of specifications generator lists each topic from your uploaded file, with its questions per level, the count, the share of the quiz, and the question numbers. It doesn’t track days or hours taught, so if your form asks for those, add them by hand before you submit it.

Why is the Topic column empty in my table?

The Topic column fills in only when you generate the quiz from an uploaded file. Quizzes made from a typed topic or pasted text show the level breakdown without topics. To get topics, upload your lesson as a PDF or Word file and generate the quiz again.

Is the QuizMagic table of specifications generator free?

Yes. You can create quizzes on the free plan without a credit card, and the free plan includes the Bloom’s, SOLO, and Mixed frameworks with the Table of Specifications. The Pricing page lists what Premium adds.

Try the table of specifications generator on your next test

Pick a unit you’re about to test, or paste in your own notes. The table of specifications generator drafts the questions and the blueprint together, and you can edit both before anyone sees the test. It’s free to start, and you don’t need a credit card.