Writing Multiple-Choice Questions
Brenda Kupsch
[Link]
Multiple choice items are a common way to measure student understanding
and recall. Wisely constructed and utilized, multiple choice questions will
make stronger and more accurate assessments.
At the end of this activity, you will be able to construct multiple choice test
items and identify when to use them in your assessments.
Let's begin by thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of using
multiple-choice questions. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of
using multiple choice questions will help you decide when to use them in your
assessments.
Advantages
Allow for assessment of a wide range of learning objectives
Objective nature limits scoring bias
Students can quickly respond to many items, permitting wide sampling
and coverage of content
Difficulty can be manipulated by adjusting similarity of distractors
Efficient to administer and score
Incorrect response patterns can be analyzed
Less influenced by guessing than true-false
Disadvantages
Limited feedback to correct errors in student understanding
Tend to focus on low level learning objectives
Results may be biased by reading ability or test-wiseness
Development of good items is time consuming
Measuring ability to organize and express ideas is not possible
Multiple choice items consist of a question or incomplete statement (called a
stem) followed by 3 to 5 response options. The correct response is called the
key while the incorrect response options are called distractors.
For example: This is the most common type of item used in assessments. It
requires students to select one response from a short list of alternatives.
(stem)
1. True-false (distractor)
2. Multiple choice (key)
3. Short answer (distractor)
4. Essay (distractor)
Following these tips will help you develop high quality multiple choice
questions for your assessments.
Formatting Tips
Use 3-5 responses in a vertical list under the stem.
Put response options in a logical order (chronological, numerical), if
there is one, to assist readability.
Writing Tips
Use clear, precise, simple language so that wording doesn’t effect
students’ demonstration of what they know (avoid humor, jargon,
cliché).
Each question should represent a complete thought and be written as a
coherent sentence.
Avoid absolute or vague terminology (all, none, never, always, usually,
sometimes).
Avoid using negatives; if required, highlight them.
Assure there is only one interpretation of meaning and one correct or
best response.
Stem should be written so that students would be able to answer the
question without looking at the responses.
All responses should be written clearly, approximately homogeneous in
content, length and grammar.
Make distractors plausible and equally attractive for students who do
not know the material.
Ensure stems and responses are independent; don’t supply or clue the
answer in a distractor or another question.
Avoid “all of the above” or “none of the above” when possible, and
especially if asking for the best answer.
Include the bulk of the content in the stem, not in the responses.
The stem should include any words that would be repeated in each
response.
Examples
Examine the examples below and think about the tips you just learned. As you
look at each one think about whether or not it 's a good example or does it
need improvement?
As a public health nurse, Susan tries to identify individuals with
unrecognized health risk factors or asymptomatic disease conditions in
populations. This type of intervention can best be described as
A. case management
B. health teaching
B. advocacy
D. screening
E. none of the above
This item should be revised. It should not have “none of the above” as a
choice if you are asking for the “best” answer.
Critical pedagogy
A. is an approach to teaching and learning based on feminist ideology
that embraces
egalitarianism by identifying and overcoming oppressive practices.
B. is an approach to teaching and learning based on sociopolitical
theory that
embraces egalitarianism through overcoming oppressive practices.
C. is an approach to teaching and learning based on how actual day-to-
day
teaching/learning is experienced by students and teachers rather than
what could
or should be experienced.
D. is an approach to teaching and learning based on increasing
awareness of how
dominant patterns of thought permeate modern society and delimit the
contextual
lens through which one views the world around them.
This item should be revised because the repetitive wording should be in the
stem. So the stem should read "Clinical pedagogy is an approach to teaching
and learning based on:"
Katie weighs 11 pounds. She has an order for ampicillin sodium 580 mg
IV q 6 hours. What is her daily dose of ampicillin as ordered?
A. 1160 mg
B. 1740 mg
C. 2320 mg
D. 3480 mg
This example is well written and structured.
The research design that provides the best evidence for a cause-effect
relationship is an:
A. experimental design
B. control group
C. quasi-experimental design
D. evidence-based practice
This example contains a grammatical cue and grammatical inconsistency.
Additionally, all distractors are not equally plausible.
The nurse supervisor wrote the following evaluation note: Carol has
been a nurse in the post-surgical unit for 2 years. She has good
organizational and clinical skills in managing patient conditions. She
has a holistic grasp of situations and is ready to assume greater
responsibilities to further individualize care.
Using the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition, identify the stage that best
describes Carol’s performance.
A. Novice
B. Advanced beginner
C. Competent
D. Proficient
E. Expert
This is a good example.
Multiple choice questions are commonly used in assessments because of
their objective nature and efficient administration. To make the most of these
advantages, it's important to make sure your questions are well written.
References:
Bosher, S. (2003). Linguistic bias in multiple-choice nursing exams. Nursing
Education Perspectives, 24(1), 25-34.
Case, S. M. & Swanson, D. B. (2003). Constructing written test questions for
the basic and clinical sciences, 3rd edition (revised). Philadelphia: National
Board of Medical Examiners. [Link]
Clegg, V. L. & Cashin, W. E. Improving multiple-choice tests. Idea paper No. 16,
Center for Faculty Evaluation & Development. Manhattan, KS: Kansas State
University.
Cohen, A. S. & Wollack, J. A. Handbook on test development: Helpful tips for
creating reliable and valid classroom tests. Testing & Evaluation Services,
University of Wisconsin-
Madison. [Link]
Jacobs, L. C. How to write better tests: A handbook for improving test
construction skills. Evaluation Services and Testing, Indiana University-
Bloomington. [Link]
Park University, Faculty Development web site, Writing Test
Items. [Link]
