Table of Specification (TOS): How to Make One, With a Sample and Template

The short answer: A table of specification (TOS) is the blueprint of a test. It lists the competencies you taught, how long you spent on each, how many items each one gets, and at which cognitive level those items are written. The usual rule is simple: number of items = (days spent on the competency ÷ total days) × total items. A two-way TOS then spreads those items across cognitive levels such as remembering, understanding and applying.

Download the files used on this page. No account is needed.

• TOS template with formulas (Excel): type your competencies, days and total items; percentages, item counts and item numbers are calculated for you.
• Blank TOS and filled Grade 7 science sample (Word), editable.
• Blank TOS and filled Grade 7 science sample (PDF), ready to print.

Key takeaways

• Weight each competency by the time you actually spent teaching it, not by how hard it feels or how much you like it.
• A one-way TOS gives items per competency. A two-way TOS adds the cognitive level of every item.
• DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 asks for test items spread across cognitive levels. It does not fix one national percentage per level, so the split on this page is an example, not a rule.
• Division memoranda cite DepEd Order No. 15, s. 2026, which is reported to revise the assessment rules. If it, or your division, sets a split or a number of items, follow that instead.
• Check your school or division first: many divisions share their own TOS format or a TOS for the term examination.

What is a table of specification?

A table of specification, also called a test blueprint, is a planning grid you fill before you write the test questions. Each row is a learning competency. The columns record the teaching time, the share of the test that competency deserves, the number of items, and where those items sit in the test paper (the item placement).

It solves two common problems. First, it stops a test from over-sampling the topic you taught last week and forgetting the one you taught at the start of the term. Second, it shows at a glance whether every question is a recall question. That is what test specialists call content validity: the test measures what was taught, in proportion to how it was taught.

There are two common formats:

You may also see a “three-way” TOS, which adds a third dimension such as item type (multiple choice, matching, short answer) or difficulty. It follows the same logic, and most teachers only need the two-way version.

What DepEd asks for, and what it leaves to you

The classroom assessment policy that introduced the K to 12 grading components, DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015, describes six cognitive process dimensions adapted from Anderson and Krathwohl (2001): remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating. On written work, it says: “It is strongly recommended that items in long quizzes/tests be distributed across the Cognitive Process Dimensions so that all are adequately covered.”

That is the principle a two-way TOS puts into practice. DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 does not give a required percentage for each level, and it does not attach a national TOS form.

For School Year 2026-2027, at least one division memorandum on term examinations cites DepEd Order No. 15, s. 2026, for example the Schools Division Office of Angeles City memorandum of 10 August 2026. It shares a Term 1 table of specifications and states that it “is intended to serve as a guide and may be revised or modified, as necessary, based on the needs, abilities, and circumstances of the learners.”

Division memoranda cite DepEd Order No. 15, s. 2026, which is reported to revise the rules on classroom assessment. As of 23 October 2026 we could not read its official text, so this page does not describe what it requires. If it sets a split across cognitive levels or a number of items per test, follow it rather than the example on this page. Read the current order and any TOS your division issues before you finalize your own test. If your school or division gives you a format, use it. The method below fills any format.

Sources checked on 23 October 2026: DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 (full text, archived copy of the official PDF) and the SDO Angeles City memorandum of 10 August 2026. The official text of DepEd Order No. 15, s. 2026 could not be accessed on that date.

How to make a table of specification in 5 steps

The worked example is a Grade 7 science term examination of 50 items covering four competencies taught over 30 class days. The competencies are written in plain language for this example. In your own TOS, copy the exact competency statements, and codes if your school uses them, from your curriculum guide.

Step 1. List the competencies you actually taught

Write one row per competency covered since the last test. Leave out anything you planned but did not teach. If a competency was only introduced, decide whether it belongs in this test or the next one.

Step 2. Record the teaching time for each competency

Use your daily lesson log or class record to count the days (or hours) you spent on each competency. In the example: A took 6 days, B took 8 days, C took 10 days and D took 6 days, for a total of 30 days. If class periods have different lengths, count minutes or hours instead of days. Use the same unit for every row.

Step 3. TOS formula: percentage and number of items

For each row, divide the days by the total, then multiply by the number of items in the test:

• % of teaching time = days for the competency ÷ total days × 100
• Number of items = days for the competency ÷ total days × total items (the same as % of teaching time ÷ 100 × total items)

Rounding is where most TOS errors come from. Round each result to the nearest whole number, then add the column. In this example the rounded column already adds up to 50 (16.67 rounds to 17 and 13.33 rounds to 13), so nothing needs to change.

When it does not add up, change one row by one item. Take three competencies taught 4 days each in a 50-item test: each gets 4 ÷ 12 × 50 = 16.67, which rounds to 17, and 17 + 17 + 17 = 51. That is one item too many, so bring one row down to 16 (17 + 17 + 16 = 50). When rows are tied like this, take the item from the competency you consider least central. Never let the rounded column drift away from the total number of items.

Step 4. Spread the items across cognitive levels (two-way TOS)

Decide what share of the test goes to each cognitive level, then split each row. The split below is illustrative: it is one reasonable choice for a Grade 7 written exam, not a DepEd requirement. Change it to match your learners, your competencies and any guidance from your school or division.

Creating gets no items here because a pen-and-paper exam is rarely the best evidence for it. DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 describes performance tasks as the component where learners “may create or innovate products”, so creating is usually assessed there. If your exam includes an essay or a design question, give creating a few items and take them from another level.

To write the items at the right level, keep a verb list beside you. Our Bloom’s taxonomy verbs chart gives verbs and question stems for each of the six levels.

Step 5. Fill the grid, number the items and check the totals

Fill each cell so that every row adds up to its item count from step 3 and every column adds up to the level total from step 4. Then assign item numbers. Grouping items by competency, as below, makes the item analysis after the test much easier.

Finally, check three things: the grand total equals the number of items, no competency you taught has zero items, and no single level carries most of the test unless you meant it to.

Sample: complete two-way TOS for a Grade 7 science term exam

Each level cell shows the number of items, then their item numbers in brackets: for example, competency C at the applying level is items 32-36. Every row adds up to its item count (10, 13, 17 and 10) and every column to its level total (10, 15, 13, 7, 5 and 0). The Word and PDF files show the same sample.

Here is what one item per level can look like for competency C (solutions and concentration):

• Remembering: Which part of a sugar solution is the solvent?
• Understanding: Explain why stirring makes sugar dissolve faster in water.
• Applying: A drink is made with 30 mL of juice concentrate in a total of 250 mL of drink. What is its concentration in percent by volume? (Answer: 12%.)
• Analyzing: Two salt solutions have the same volume. After the water evaporates, one leaves more residue than the other. What can you conclude about the amount of salt dissolved in each?
• Evaluating: A classmate says adding more water makes a solution “stronger”. Is the claim correct? Justify your answer.

How to use the Excel template

The Excel template has two sheets.

1. TOS template. Type in the yellow cells: the total number of items, then up to 10 competencies with their days or hours. The sheet calculates the percentage, the exact item count, the rounded item count and the item placement. Type your cognitive-level shares in the yellow row above the grid: the grid suggests a number of items for each cell, and a check line shows how many items are still unplaced in each row and column. To fix rounding by hand, type a number over the suggested item count of a row or of a level cell. This replaces the formula in that cell only.
2. Sample Grade 7 science. The worked example from this page, with the same formulas, so you can compare it with your own.

The file opens in Excel, Google Sheets (File, then Import) and LibreOffice Calc, which calculate the formulas when the file opens. The formulas only use basic functions (SUM, ROUND, IF and OR), so they also work in the Excel and Google Sheets phone apps. A quick preview, for example in an email or a file viewer, may show the calculated cells empty: open the file in a spreadsheet app instead.

Common mistakes

• Weighting by difficulty instead of time. A hard topic taught for two days should not take a third of the test. If it matters that much, give it more teaching time next term.
• Letting rounding change the total. A TOS that adds up to 49 or 51 items will not match the test paper. Fix the remainder before you write any question.
• Writing the TOS after the test. Then it only describes the test. Write it first and let it decide how many questions you write for each competency.
• Labeling items by verb alone. “Explain” can be a recall question if students memorized the explanation word for word. Judge the level by what the learner has to do with the content, not by the first word of the question.
• Forgetting performance evidence. Some competencies are better shown through a performance task than a test item. A TOS covers the written test; it does not have to carry every competency of the term.

From the TOS to the test items

Once the grid is set, you know exactly how many items to write for each competency and level. The Draft My Lesson worksheet generator can draft multiple choice items, quick quizzes and summative assessments from your topic, grade and difficulty, with an answer key, in a format you can edit and export to Word or PDF. It does not build the TOS for you and it does not produce an official DepEd test form: use your TOS to choose what to ask for, then review every item against it. Your free account includes two complete lessons with access to the exercise formats. Draft the items for one competency.

Frequently asked questions

What is a table of specification in assessment?

It is a test blueprint: a grid that links each learning competency to the time spent teaching it, the number of test items it gets, the cognitive level of those items and their place in the test paper. It is written before the questions, so that the test samples what was taught in the right proportion.

What is the difference between a one-way and a two-way table of specification?

A one-way TOS shows competencies, teaching time, percentage, number of items and item placement. A two-way TOS adds a second dimension: how many of each competency’s items are written at each cognitive level, such as remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating.

How do you compute the number of items per competency?

Divide the days (or hours) spent on the competency by the total days, then multiply by the total number of items. For example, 8 days out of 30 in a 50-item test gives 8 ÷ 30 × 50 = 13.33, rounded to 13. After rounding every row, make sure the column still adds up to the total.

How do I make a TOS for 30 items?

Use the same formula with 30 as the total number of items. With the teaching time from this page (6, 8, 10 and 6 days out of 30), each competency gets days ÷ 30 × 30 items: 6, 8, 10 and 6 items, which already adds up to 30. Then split each row across the cognitive levels and number the items from 1 to 30. The same steps work for an elementary quiz and a high school term exam.

Is a TOS required for summative tests?

It depends on your school and division. DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 recommends spreading the items of long quizzes and tests across the cognitive process dimensions, which is what a TOS records, but the order does not require a TOS or attach a TOS form. The rules of DepEd Order No. 15, s. 2026 could not be checked here, so ask your school head or check your division memorandum. Even when it is not required, a one-way TOS takes a few minutes and keeps a short test balanced.

Is there an official DepEd table of specification template?

DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 asks that test items be distributed across the cognitive process dimensions, but it does not attach a single national TOS form. DepEd Order No. 15, s. 2026 is reported to revise the assessment rules; we could not read its official text as of 23 October 2026, so check whether it or your division sets a format. Many schools and divisions provide their own format, and some divisions share a TOS for the term examination as a guide. Ask your school head or subject coordinator which format to use.

What percentage should go to easy, average and difficult items?

DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 sets no single rule. Some schools group the six cognitive levels into easy, average and difficult and set their own percentages. If DepEd Order No. 15, s. 2026 or your division sets a split, follow it. If there is none, start from a split like the example on this page and adjust it to your learners.

Is this the same as the PRC table of specifications for the LET?

No. LET reviewers also talk about a “TOS”, meaning the coverage of the licensure exam. This page is about the TOS a teacher prepares for a classroom test.

Continue your assessment toolkit

• Designing a fair test in under an hour: the full test-writing method, with a quick table-of-specifications check.
• Assessment types every teacher should know: where a written test fits next to formative checks and performance tasks.
• Bloom’s taxonomy verbs: verbs and question stems for each cognitive level.
• Detailed lesson plan: the 4As structure and an editable sample, with the evaluation part of the plan.