Republic of the Philippines

Bulacan State University

City of Malolos
Tel. No. (044) 919-7800 to 99 Local 1022

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING 1

MODULE 5
WRITING OBJECTIVE TEST ITEMS

LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
At the end of this module, students are expected to:
1. match test items with objectives;
2. critique sample test items based on guidelines; and
3. construct different types of test items.

INTRODUCTION

After the development of the instructional objectives and of the test blueprint, to ensure an
adequate sampling of the content area and accurate matching of test items to instructional
objectives, we are now ready to put some “meat” on this “skeleton.” It is how to construct different
kinds of objective test items. Objective test items include items with the following formats: true-
false, matching, multiple-choice, and completion or short answer. Although, essay is considered
to be subjective, we will still include the principles in constructing this kind since they are of the
kind of written tests.
Beforehand, it is very important for teachers and those who wants to construct test items
to remember that tests are as much a public reflection of our professional standards as any other
product we create. Therefore, based on this premise, our goal is to test mastery of the material,
not the student’s ability to figure out what we’re asking. Test construction is not something that
must be done because we need to do so but with some mastery and careful analysis.
But for the meantime, in order to have a preview of what we need to do on the second
stage of assessment, let us first be aware of the general guidelines in constructing any kind of
test.

5.1 GENERAL GUIDELINES IN CONSTRUCTING DIFFERENT TYPES OF TESTS

1. Begin writing items far enough in advance that you will have time to revise them.
2. Be sure each item deals with an important aspect of the content area and not with trivia.
3. The test should have extensive sampling of items.
4. The test items should be carefully expressed in simple, clear, definite and meaningful
sentences.
5. Be sure that the problem posed is clear and unambiguous.
6. There should be only one possible correct response for each item.
 7. Each item should be independent. Leading clues to other items should be avoided.
8. Don’t quote directly from textual materials. Lifting sentences from books should not be
done to encourage thinking and understanding.
9. The first person personal pronoun I and we should not be used.
10. Prevent unintended clues to the answer in the statement or question. Grammatical
inconsistencies such as a or an give clues to the correct answer to those students who
are not well prepared.
11. Various types of test items should be made to avoid monotony.
12. Majority of the test items should be of moderate difficulty. Few difficult and few easy
items should be included.
13. The test items should be arranged in an ascending order of difficulty. Easy items should
be at the beginning to encourage the examinee to pursue the test and the most difficult
items should be at the end.
14. Clear, concise and complete directions should precede all types of test.
15. Items which can be answered by previous experience alone without knowledge of the
subject matter should not be included.
16. Catch words should not be used in the test items.
17. Test items must be based upon the objectives of the course and upon the course content.
18. The test should be of such length that it can be completed within the time allotted by all
or nearly all of the students.
19. Try to write items that require higher level of thinking.

5.2 WRITING OBJECTIVE TEST ITEMS

Objective test items include items with the following formats: true or false, matching
type, multiple-choice, completion and short answer. Let us now consider writing each of
these types.

5.2.1 WRITING TRUE OR FALSE ITEMS

1. The desired method of marking true or false should be clearly explained before
students begin the test.
2. Declarative sentences should be used.
3. Construct statements that are definitely true or definitely false, without additional
qualifications. If opinion is used, attribute it to some source.
3. Use relatively short statements and eliminate extraneous material.
4. Keep true and false statements at approximately the same length, and be sure that
there are approximately equal numbers of true and false items.
5. Avoid using double-negative statements. They take extra time to decipher and are
difficult to interpret.
6. Minimize the use of qualitative terms like: few, great, many, more, etc.
7. Avoid the following:
a. verbal clues, absolutes, and complex sentences
 b. broad general statements that are usually not true or false without further
qualifications.
c. Terms denoting indefinite degree (for example, large, long time, regularly), or
absolutes (for example, never, only, always).
d. Placing items in a systematic order (for example, TTFF, TFTF, and so on).
e. Taking statements directly from the text and presenting them out of content.

5.2.2 WRITING MATCHING TEST ITEMS

1. Keep both the list of descriptions and the list of options fairly short and homogenous-
they should both fit on the same page. Title the lists to ensure homogeneity and
arrange the descriptions and options in some logical order.

2. Make sure that all the options are plausible distractors for each description to ensure
homogeneity of lists.

3. The list of descriptions should contain the longer phrases or statements, while the
options should consist of short phrases, words or symbols.

4. Each description in the list should be numbered (each is an item), and the list of options
should be identified by letter.

5. Include more options than descriptions.

6. In the directions, specify the basis for matching and whether options can be used more
than once.

LEARNING EXERCISE:
Critique the following matching test items based on the given guidelines.

Directions: Match A and B

A B
1. Lincoln a. President during the twentieth century
2. Nixon b. Invented the telephone
3. Whitney c. Delivered the Emancipation Proclamation
4. Ford d. Recent president to resign from office
5. Bell e. Civil rights leader
6. King f. Invented the cotton gin
7. Washington g. Our first president
8. Roosevelt h. Only president elected for more than 2 terms

Is it a good matching exercise or not? If not, what is wrong with it? See any
problems?

Have you seen any defect/s? Can you please tell what are those and give your
reasons.
 5.2.3 WRITING MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEMS
Multiple choice items are considered to be the most popular among the objective types
of tests and at the same time, mistakes in the construction of items are being committed.
Moreover, in the context of online teaching and learning, multiple choice items are the
number one type that can be used more specifically through the use of Google forms. To
lessen the possibility of committing mistakes, below are some of the guidelines that could
help you in constructing appropriate items.
1. The stem of the item should clearly formulate a problem. Include as much of the
item as possible, keeping the response options as short as possible.
Ex: A tomato is:
Item such as this is not asking any question and could be answered with
many possible answers. To make it one that is a sample of a correct multiple-
choice item, try to make it precise by formulating a problem or try to specify what
do you want the students to answer.
Better Item: A tomato is a type of:
A. Fruit.
B. Vegetable.
C. a combination of a fruit and a vegetable.
2. Be sure that there is one and only one correct or clearly best answer.
Example: Governor Dela Torre was a true
a. autocrat
b. communist
c. democrat
d. all of the above
The main reason why an item like this is defective is for the reason that there is no
problem being formulated in the stem that caused it not to have a clearly best answer.
Better Item: During his term it was proven that Gov. dela Torre served as a true
A. autocrat.
B. communist.
C. democrat.
D. law-maker.

3. Be sure wrong answer choices (distractors) are plausible. Eliminate unintentional

grammatical clues, and keep the length and form of all the answer choices equal.
4. Use negative questions or statements only if the knowledge being tested requires
it.
5. Include from three to five options (2 to 4 distractors plus one correct answer) to
optimize testing for knowledge rather than encouraging guessing.
6. To increase the difficulty of a multiple-choice item, increase the similarity of content
among the options.
7. Use the option “none of the above” sparingly and only when the keyed answer can
be classified unequivocally as right or wrong. But don’t use this option when asking
for a best answer.
 8. Avoid using “all of the above.” It is usually the correct answer and makes the item
too easy for students with partial information.

5.2.4 VARIETIES 0F MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS

1. STEM-AND-OPTIONS VARIETY
Example:
A test of two columns in which proper pairing relationship of two things is strictly observed
is the
a. multiple choice c. completion
b. true-false d. matching

2. setting-and-options variety
The optional responses to this type of test are dependent upon a setting or foundation of
some sort. The setting consists of a graphical representation, a sentence, paragraph, picture,
equation, or some forms of representation.

3. group-term variety
Example:
Direction: Choose the word which does not belong to the group. Write the letter only at the
right column.
1. a. camia 1. ____
b. white rose
c. rosal
d. sampaguita
e. ilang-ilang
2. a. mango 2. ____
b. lanzones
c. mangosteen
d. marang
e. rambutan

4. structured-response variety
Example:
d i n 1. A young lady picks flowers everyday. //She sells them to the market.
d i n 2. Maria suffers headache. //She walks under the rain.
5. contained-options variety
Example:
1. Rice and fish are staple food for Filipinos. No error.
1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

5.2.5 WRITING COMPLETION TEST

1. If at all possible, items should require a single-word answer, or a brief and definite
statement.
 Poor: World War II ended in ________.
Better Item: World War II ended in the year _________.
2. Be sure the question or statement poses a problem to the examinee. A direct
question is often more desirable than an incomplete statement.
3. Be sure the answer that the student is required to produce is factually correct.
4. Omit only key words; don’t eliminate so many elements that the sense of the
content is impaired.
Example:
Poor: The ______ type of test item is usually more _______ than the
_______ type.
Better: The supply type of test item is usually graded less objectively than the
________ type.
5. Word the statement such that the blank is near the end of the sentence rather than
near the beginning. This will prevent awkward sentences.
6. If the problem requires a numerical answer, indicate the units in which it is to be
expressed.
7. Do not include clues to the correct answer.
The most common wording errors are using single or plural verbs and
wording the sentence so that the blank is preceded by “a” or “an.” These clues
can be eliminated by avoiding verb agreement with the answer, by using “a/an”,
and by making all blanks the same length.

Ex: Hot water in a cup will cool more quickly if a/an _________ is placed in the
cup.

5.3 WRITING ESSAY ITEMS

WHAT IS AN ESSAY ITEM?

An essay item is one for which the student supplies, rather than selects, the correct
answer. The student must compose a response, often extensive, to a question for which no single
response or pattern of responses can be cited as correct to the exclusion of all other answers.

5.3.1 TWO KINDS OF ESSAY

1. Extended Response Items
This is an essay item that allows the student to determine the length and complexity of
response. This type of essay is more useful at the synthesis or evaluation levels. This type is
sometimes better as a term paper assignment or a take-home test because of its length.
The extended response item is often better for assessing communication ability than for
assessing achievement.
Example:
Compare and contrast the presidential administrations of Joseph Estrada and Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo. Consider economic, social, and military policies. Avoid taking a position in
support of either president. Your response will be graded on objectivity, accuracy, organization
and clarity.
2. Restricted Response Items
An essay item that poses a specific problem for which the student must recall proper
information, organize it in a suitable manner, derive a defensible conclusion, and express it within
the limits of the posed problem is called restricted response essay item. The statement of the
problem specifies response limitations that guide the student in responding and provide
evaluation criteria for scoring.
Example:
List the major political similarities and differences between the Philippines participation in
the Korean War and the World War II. Limit your answer to 3 paragraphs. Your score will depend
on accuracy, organization and brevity.

5.3.2 ESSAY ITEMS AND INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES

Restricted response items may be used for instructional objectives that require students
to apply skills in new situations, to state testable hypotheses, or to formulate conclusions.
An extended response essay is more appropriate to assess the ability to evaluate, to
organize, and to select viewpoints.
The following are some of the learning outcomes for which essay items may be put to use.
❖ analyze relationships
❖ arrange items in sequence
❖ compare positions
❖ state necessary assumptions
❖ identify appropriate conclusions
❖ explain cause and effect relations
❖ formulate hypotheses

5.3.3 SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING AND USING ESSAY ITEMS

1. Have clearly in mind what mental processes you want the student to use before starting
to write the question.
Poor Item: Criticize the following speech of our president.
Better Item: Consider the following speech. Focus on the section dealing with economic
policy and discriminate between factual statements and opinions. List these statements
separately, label them, and indicate whether each statement is or not consistent with the
president’s overall economic policy.
2. Write the question in such a way that the task is clearly and unambiguously defined for
the student. Task should be explained (1) in the overall instructions preceding the test
items and or (2) in the test themselves.
Poor Item: Discuss the value of behavioral objectives.
Better Item: Behavioral objectives have enjoyed increased popularity in education over
the past several years. Take a position for or against the use of behavioral objectives in
education and support your answer with at least three of the arguments covered in class
or in the text.
3. Start essay questions with such words or phrases as compare, contrast, give, reasons,
for, give original examples of, predict what would happen if, and so on.
4. A question dealing with a controversial issue should ask for and be evaluated in terms of
the presentation of evidence for a position, rather than the position taken.
 5. Avoid using optional items. That is, require students to complete the same items.
6. Establish reasonable time and/or page limits for each essay item to help the student
complete the entire test and to give indications of the level of detail you have in mind for
each item. Indicate such time limits clearly.
7. Restrict the use of essays to those learning outcomes that cannot be satisfactorily
measured by objective items.
8. Be sure each question relates to an instructional objective.

5.3.4 MAJOR ISSUES RELATED TO THE CONSTRUCTION AND SCORING OF ESSAY

ITEMS:
1. Advantages of essay items over objective items include the following:
a. Essays enable to assess complex learning outcomes.
b. Essays are relatively easy to construct.
c. Essays enable to assess communication skills.
d. Essays eliminate student guessing.
2. Disadvantages of essay items include:
a. Longer scoring time.
b. Scoring unreliability.
c. Limited content sampling.
d. Susceptible to bluffing.
3. Essay items should be used when:
a. Objectives specify higher level cognitive processes and objective items are inappropriate.
b. Few tests or items are necessary.
c. Test security is in question.
4. Essay scoring reliability may be improved by:
a. Writing good essay items.
b. Using restricted range rather than extended range essays whenever appropriate.
c. Using a predetermined scoring scheme.
d. Implementing the scoring scheme consistently with all students.
e. Removing or covering names on papers to avoid scoring bias.
f. Scoring all responses to one item before scoring the next item.
g. Keeping scores from previous items hidden when scoring subsequent items.
h. Rescoring all papers before returning them and averaging discrepant ratings.
5. Essays maybe scored according to:
a. Simple scoring schemes that assign credit for content.
b. Detailed scoring schemes that assign credit for content, organization, process, and any
other factors that the scorer deems desirable.
c. The rating method, in which grades are assigned on the basis of a global impression of the
whole response.