Training Evaluation (Kirkpatrick Levels) questions for the ASP
ASP Domain 8: Training, Education, and Communication (8.1 Learning theory and techniques; 8.6 Assess training effectiveness and knowledge retention). 5 free questions below. Every answer quotes and links the source document it comes from.
Written lesson
Training Evaluation (Kirkpatrick Levels), 18 min read. Included with every ASP pass.
This lesson covers how OSHA's training guidance says to plan, build, deliver and evaluate worker safety training, from needs assessment through objectives, adult learning, class design and effectiveness checks. The exam tests the sequence, the numbers and the common confusions, and on the job it decides whether workers actually learn.
Sources covered
- Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model The New World Kirkpatrick Model
Guidance documents are quoted from the published edition linked above; they are recommendations, not regulations.
Question 1
Six weeks after a forklift class, a safety manager walks the warehouse floor with a checklist. She wants to know whether the operators who attended now complete the pre-use inspection before each shift. Which Kirkpatrick level is she evaluating?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: A. Level 3, behavior
The New World Kirkpatrick Model defines behavior as how far participants apply what they learned once back on the job. Watching operators on the floor weeks later fits that. Reaction covers how favorable and relevant the class felt. Learning covers knowledge and skills gained in the class. Results covers targeted outcomes, such as fewer incidents.
On the job
A safety manager at a bottling plant returns to the line six weeks after a lockout/tagout class and watches maintenance techs service a conveyor drive. She records whether each technician who attended actually applies the energy-control steps in the course of real work. Because she is checking how far attendees apply what they learned once back on the job, she is evaluating Level 3, behavior.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer A comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 3: BEHAVIOR The degree to which participants apply what they learned during training when they are back on the job”
Question 2
After a lockout/tagout class, every maintenance technician scores above the pass mark on a written test and correctly demonstrates the energy-control steps on a practice machine. Based only on these results, what can the trainer conclude?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: C. The technicians gained the intended knowledge and skills during the class
The New World Kirkpatrick Model defines learning as the degree to which participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment. A test and a practice demonstration show that. They do not show on-the-job use (behavior), injury outcomes (results), or participant opinion of the class (reaction).
On the job
A training coordinator at a water treatment plant gives operators a written quiz and a hands-on drill after a chlorine leak response class. Everyone passes both. The coordinator records this as evidence that the operators acquired the intended knowledge and skills in the class. Whether they use the steps during a real leak, or whether incident numbers change, needs separate follow-up measurement later.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer C comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 2: LEARNING The degree to which participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment based on their participation in the training”
Question 3
A plant rolls out fall protection training along with supervisor coaching and monthly accountability reviews. Twelve months later, the safety manager compares the number of fall-related injuries with the reduction target set before the program began. Which Kirkpatrick level is the manager evaluating?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: B. Level 4: Results, because the manager is checking whether the targeted outcome occurred
The New World Kirkpatrick Model defines Level 4 as whether targeted outcomes occur because of the training and its support and accountability package. Injury reduction against a preset target fits that. Reaction measures how favorable the class felt, Learning measures knowledge and skill gained, and Behavior measures on-the-job application, not injury outcomes.
On the job
At a chemical blending plant, a safety manager reviews a confined space entry program that included training, supervisor follow-up and accountability reviews. Before the program began, leadership set a target for fewer recordable injuries tied to confined space work. When the year-end injury count is compared against that target, the manager is checking whether the targeted outcome occurred, so the review is logged as Level 4: Results.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer B comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 4: RESULTS The degree to which targeted outcomes occur as a result of the training and the support and accountability package”
Question 4
After an ergonomics class, a trainer gives participants the same short questionnaire before and after the session. It asks how strongly they agree that reporting early strain symptoms is worthwhile and how committed they are to reporting their own. Scores rise sharply after the class. Which level of the Kirkpatrick model does this measurement address?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: B. Level 2: Learning
The Kirkpatrick model defines Learning as acquiring knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment from the training. A before-and-after check of attitude and commitment fits that level. It is not Reaction, which covers how favorable, engaging and relevant the class felt. It is not Behavior, which needs on-the-job application. It is not Results, which concerns targeted outcomes.
On the job
A training coordinator at a food processing plant gives forklift operators a short survey before and after a class on pedestrian awareness. It asks how confident they are in spotting blind-corner hazards and how committed they are to sounding the horn at intersections. Rising scores show participants acquired attitude, confidence and commitment from the training, which places the measurement at the Learning level of the Kirkpatrick model.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer B comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“The degree to which participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment based on their participation in the training”
Question 5
At the end of a machine guarding class, a trainer hands out a card. Each participant writes one specific guarding practice they promise to follow on their first shift back and signs it. The trainer wants to name the evaluation level this card measures, using the Kirkpatrick model. Which level is it?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: C. Level 2 learning, because commitment is part of what participants acquire in the class
The Kirkpatrick model defines Level 2 as acquiring knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment from the training. A signed promise made at the end of class measures commitment. It is not Level 1 because it is not a rating of the class. It is not Level 3 because no one has yet applied anything on the job. It is not Level 4 because no outcome has occurred.
Answer C comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 2: LEARNING The degree to which participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment based on their participation in the training”
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