diff --git a/.changeset/sour-ways-wave.md b/.changeset/sour-ways-wave.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..33f6cc1eee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/sour-ways-wave.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@khanacademy/perseus": minor
+---
+
+Create a helper function for generating correctly typed Perseus test items
diff --git a/packages/perseus/src/index.ts b/packages/perseus/src/index.ts
index d6a689ab15..0f3d2147a9 100644
--- a/packages/perseus/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/perseus/src/index.ts
@@ -84,6 +84,10 @@ export {
     injectWidgets,
 } from "./util/extract-perseus-data";
 export {parsePerseusItem} from "./util/parse-perseus-json";
+export {
+    generateTestPerseusItem,
+    genericPerseusItemData,
+} from "./util/test-utils";
 
 /**
  * Mixins
diff --git a/packages/perseus/src/util/test-utils.test.ts b/packages/perseus/src/util/test-utils.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c5905d3aa3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/perseus/src/util/test-utils.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import {generateTestPerseusItem} from "./test-utils";
+import {
+    basicObject,
+    customQuestionInfo,
+    expectedQuestionInfoAdded,
+    customAnswerAreaInfo,
+    expectedAnswerAreaInfoAdded,
+    customHintsInfo,
+    expectedHintsInfoAdded,
+} from "./test-utils.testdata";
+
+describe("generateTestPerseusItem", () => {
+    it("should provide a basic Perseus item object with no inputs", () => {
+        expect(generateTestPerseusItem()).toEqual(basicObject);
+    });
+
+    it("should replace question parts when given question custom info", () => {
+        expect(generateTestPerseusItem(customQuestionInfo)).toEqual(
+            expectedQuestionInfoAdded,
+        );
+    });
+
+    it("should replace answer area parts when given answer area custom info", () => {
+        expect(generateTestPerseusItem(customAnswerAreaInfo)).toEqual(
+            expectedAnswerAreaInfoAdded,
+        );
+    });
+
+    it("should add hints when given custom info containing hints", () => {
+        expect(generateTestPerseusItem(customHintsInfo)).toEqual(
+            expectedHintsInfoAdded,
+        );
+    });
+});
diff --git a/packages/perseus/src/util/test-utils.testdata.ts b/packages/perseus/src/util/test-utils.testdata.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..771f9a8012
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/perseus/src/util/test-utils.testdata.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@
+import type {PerseusItem} from "@khanacademy/perseus";
+
+export const basicObject: PerseusItem = {
+    question: {
+        content: "",
+        images: {},
+        widgets: {},
+    },
+    answerArea: {
+        calculator: false,
+        chi2Table: false,
+        periodicTable: false,
+        tTable: false,
+        zTable: false,
+        financialCalculatorMonthlyPayment: false,
+        financialCalculatorTotalAmount: false,
+        financialCalculatorTimeToPayOff: false,
+        periodicTableWithKey: false,
+    },
+    itemDataVersion: {
+        major: 0,
+        minor: 1,
+    },
+    hints: [],
+    _multi: null,
+    answer: null,
+};
+
+export const customQuestionInfo: Partial<PerseusItem> = {
+    question: {
+        content: "Test content string",
+        images: {"Test image string": {width: 200, height: 200}},
+        widgets: {
+            "input-number 1": {
+                type: "input-number",
+                graded: true,
+                options: {
+                    value: 123,
+                    simplify: "required",
+                    size: "small",
+                    inexact: false,
+                    maxError: 0.123,
+                    answerType: "number",
+                },
+            },
+        },
+    },
+};
+
+export const expectedQuestionInfoAdded: PerseusItem = {
+    question: {
+        content: "Test content string",
+        images: {"Test image string": {width: 200, height: 200}},
+        widgets: {
+            "input-number 1": {
+                type: "input-number",
+                graded: true,
+                options: {
+                    value: 123,
+                    simplify: "required",
+                    size: "small",
+                    inexact: false,
+                    maxError: 0.123,
+                    answerType: "number",
+                },
+            },
+        },
+    },
+    answerArea: {
+        calculator: false,
+        chi2Table: false,
+        periodicTable: false,
+        tTable: false,
+        zTable: false,
+        financialCalculatorMonthlyPayment: false,
+        financialCalculatorTotalAmount: false,
+        financialCalculatorTimeToPayOff: false,
+        periodicTableWithKey: false,
+    },
+    itemDataVersion: {
+        major: 0,
+        minor: 1,
+    },
+    hints: [],
+    _multi: null,
+    answer: null,
+};
+
+export const customAnswerAreaInfo: Partial<PerseusItem> = {
+    answerArea: {
+        calculator: true,
+        chi2Table: true,
+        periodicTable: true,
+        tTable: true,
+        zTable: true,
+        financialCalculatorMonthlyPayment: true,
+        financialCalculatorTotalAmount: true,
+        financialCalculatorTimeToPayOff: true,
+        periodicTableWithKey: true,
+    },
+};
+
+export const expectedAnswerAreaInfoAdded: PerseusItem = {
+    question: {
+        content: "",
+        images: {},
+        widgets: {},
+    },
+    answerArea: {
+        calculator: true,
+        chi2Table: true,
+        periodicTable: true,
+        tTable: true,
+        zTable: true,
+        financialCalculatorMonthlyPayment: true,
+        financialCalculatorTotalAmount: true,
+        financialCalculatorTimeToPayOff: true,
+        periodicTableWithKey: true,
+    },
+    itemDataVersion: {
+        major: 0,
+        minor: 1,
+    },
+    hints: [],
+    _multi: null,
+    answer: null,
+};
+
+export const customHintsInfo: Partial<PerseusItem> = {
+    hints: [
+        {
+            content: "Test content string",
+            images: {
+                "Test images string": {height: 200, width: 200},
+            },
+            widgets: {
+                "radio 1": {
+                    graded: true,
+                    options: {
+                        choices: [
+                            {
+                                content: "Test content string",
+                                correct: true,
+                            },
+                            {
+                                content: "Test content string 2",
+                                correct: false,
+                            },
+                        ],
+                        deselectEnabled: false,
+                        displayCount: null,
+                        multipleSelect: false,
+                        noneOfTheAbove: false,
+                        onePerLine: true,
+                        randomize: true,
+                    },
+                    type: "radio",
+                },
+            },
+        },
+    ],
+};
+
+export const expectedHintsInfoAdded: PerseusItem = {
+    question: {
+        content: "",
+        images: {},
+        widgets: {},
+    },
+    answerArea: {
+        calculator: false,
+        chi2Table: false,
+        periodicTable: false,
+        tTable: false,
+        zTable: false,
+        financialCalculatorMonthlyPayment: false,
+        financialCalculatorTotalAmount: false,
+        financialCalculatorTimeToPayOff: false,
+        periodicTableWithKey: false,
+    },
+    itemDataVersion: {
+        major: 0,
+        minor: 1,
+    },
+    hints: [
+        {
+            content: "Test content string",
+            images: {
+                "Test images string": {height: 200, width: 200},
+            },
+            widgets: {
+                "radio 1": {
+                    graded: true,
+                    options: {
+                        choices: [
+                            {
+                                content: "Test content string",
+                                correct: true,
+                            },
+                            {
+                                content: "Test content string 2",
+                                correct: false,
+                            },
+                        ],
+                        deselectEnabled: false,
+                        displayCount: null,
+                        multipleSelect: false,
+                        noneOfTheAbove: false,
+                        onePerLine: true,
+                        randomize: true,
+                    },
+                    type: "radio",
+                },
+            },
+        },
+    ],
+    _multi: null,
+    answer: null,
+};
diff --git a/packages/perseus/src/util/test-utils.ts b/packages/perseus/src/util/test-utils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..62c4c54994
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/perseus/src/util/test-utils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import type {PerseusItem} from "../perseus-types";
+
+export const genericPerseusItemData: PerseusItem = {
+    question: {
+        content: "",
+        images: {},
+        widgets: {},
+    },
+    answerArea: {
+        calculator: false,
+        chi2Table: false,
+        periodicTable: false,
+        tTable: false,
+        zTable: false,
+        financialCalculatorMonthlyPayment: false,
+        financialCalculatorTotalAmount: false,
+        financialCalculatorTimeToPayOff: false,
+        periodicTableWithKey: false,
+    },
+    itemDataVersion: {
+        major: 0,
+        minor: 1,
+    },
+    hints: [],
+    _multi: null,
+    answer: null,
+} as const;
+
+/**
+ * Generate a Perseus item object for testing purposes.
+ *
+ * In order to better type Perseus objects used in testing, this function
+ * uses a basic Perseus object and updates it with custom values as needed.
+ *
+ * @param {Partial<PerseusItem>} customFields
+ * @returns PerseusItem
+ */
+export function generateTestPerseusItem(
+    customFields: Partial<PerseusItem> = {},
+): PerseusItem {
+    return {...genericPerseusItemData, ...customFields};
+}