Abstract: An automated system and method for creating a test form that conforms to predetermined content specifications (the blueprint) and has a desired statistical profile (target statistics). The algorithm divides the test-construction problem into two phases: a content-matching phase that is followed by a statistical-matching phase. In these phases, (1) a structural skeleton is sought that fits the blueprint; and (2) a search is made among the set of all possible tests that could be created from a pool of items for at least one test that matches the desired target statistics. The algorithm performs the statistical matching in the second phase without upsetting the content match that was attained in the first phase. This is possible because the content matching takes place using content specifications that match a number of different items or sets of items rather than specific items or sets of items.