Types of test items

DR. C. BEULAH JAYARANI
M.Sc., M.A, M.Ed, M.Phil (Edn), M.Phil (ZOO), NET, Ph.D (Edn)
ASST. PROFESSOR,
LOYOLA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, CHENNAI - 34
TYPES OF TEST ITEMS

INTRODUCTION
• Achievement tests are conducted using different types of test items. Hence
science teacher should master the skills of constructing test items. A constructor
should take the following precautions while framing the test items.
03-08-2021 Dr. C. Beulah Jayarani 2
The items should cover as far as possible, the whole range of topics prescribed in the
syllabus.
No item or part of the item should be set which is outside the syllabus.
More items should be set to test higher objectives. For this purpose items should be in
the context of new situations
Items should provide clear direction to the students regarding the scope and length of
responses
The language of the items should be simple and within the easy grasp of students.

TYPES OF TEST ITEMS
1. Objective Type test item
A) True – false items (Alternate response type)
b) Multiple choice Test Items (Changing Alternative type)
c) Matching Type Test Item
d) Simple Recall Type Test Items
e) Completion Type Test Item
2. Short Answer Type
3. Essay Type

1. ObjECTIvE TYPE TEST ITEM
• An objective type test item is one
in which the response will be
objective. The responses are
made fixed and hence the
freedom of the respondent to
deviate subjectively is restricted.
OBJECTIVE TYPE TEST
ITEM
1. Supply Type
(Recall Type)
2. Selection Type
(Recognition Type)
Supply type test items
the respondents have to
supply the response
Selection type they have to
select the responses from
among the given responses.

ObjECTIvE TYPE TEST ITEM
1. Supply Type
(Recall Type)
Simple recall
type
Completion
type
2. Selection Type
(Recognition
Type)
True-false type
Multiple
choice types
Matching type
Objective Type
test item

a) TRUE – FalSE ITEMS
(alTERNaTE RESPONSE TYPE)
• The respondent is asked to read a statement and
indicate in some specific manner suggested,
whether it is ………..
• It tests the ability to discriminate between
misconceptions and scientific truth.
• It is suitable for young children who have poor
vocabulary.
• Large sample of subject matter can be covered
within a short period.
 True / false
 Right / wrong
 Correct / incorrect
 Agree / disagree
 Yes / no

b) MUlTIPlE ChOICE TEST ITEMS
(ChaNgINg alTERNaTIvE TYPE)
• These are items presenting four or
more responses in which one is
either correct or definitely better
than the others.
• The examinee has to find this out
and record this in the manner
required in the paper. Here the
chances of guess work are
minimized. Multiple choice items
consist of two parts.
Multiple choice
items
1. Stem
2. Options /
Alternatives /
Response
Presented in the form of
a direct `question or
incomplete statements
Usually four or five in number
among the options one is the
keyed response and others
are called distracters or
misleads or foils

Contd.,
• The stem gives data for the selection of the
keyed response. The respondent has to read
the stem and options and select the correct
or best alternative.
 correct answer form
 best answer form
 multiple response form

C) MaTChINg TYPE TEST ITEM
• This is a modified version of the multiple choice test items. In fact matching type
is an economized form of combining a number of multiple choice items in the
same question- a condensation of several multiple choice items. It consists of
two parallel columns,
MATCH THE FOLLOWING
CONTENT TO BE MATCHED CONTENT TO BE MATCHED
with each phrase, word or number or
symbol in one column
being matched to a word, phrase or
sentence in the other column.

Contd.,
• The items in the column for which a
match is sought are called premises or
stem and items in the column from which
selection is made is called responses or
options.
• The respondent is required to make
some sort of association between each
premise and each response in the two
columns

D) SIMPlE RECall TYPE TEST ITEMS
This test requires
the respondent to
recall a response
to a direct
question.
The typical
response should
be short
preferably a
word, a number
or a small phrase.
It eliminates the
chance of
guessing.

E) COMPlETION TYPE TEST ITEM
It consists of a series of
sentences in which
certain words are
omitted and replaced by
blanks.
The respondents are
expected to fill in the
blanks with a word or a
number or at the most a
phrase.
The probability of guess
work is completely
eliminated.

aDvaNTagES OF ObjECTIvE TYPE ITEM
1. Large number of question are set, a wide coverage of the syllabus is possible.
2. Questions can be set which are designed to assess one particular educational
quality.
3. Marking of such tests is objective and can be done speedily
4. They are more valid and reliable, since the response/ answers are definite
5. There is greater administration use and control
6. They have higher diagnostic value
7. They are less time consuming

DISaDvaNTagES OF ObjECTIvE TYPE ITEMS
1. Such tests do not encourage verbal fluency or a student’s ability to development argument
2. Chancing of guessing are high
3. An objective test is difficult and expensive to construct
4. Emphasis on testing superficial knowledge
5. Inefficiency in testing complicated skill.
6. Objective type items are often ambiguous, particularly for the better students.
7. Such tests when over used can have a negative effect on teaching, since they encourage
the student to learn bits of knowledge rather than the whole.

2. ShORT aNSwER TYPE
A question requiring value points at the most may be defined as a short answer question.
The term value points indicates a point to be given credit in the expected answer.
Thus the length of the answer expected from a short answer question becomes very short.
This diminishes subjectivity.
Such question are of great helping having wide coverage of content and each item can be set to a test a
definite objective. Because of this reason, a fair proportion of such questions should be included in a test

aDvaNTagES OF ShORT aNSwER TYPE
1. Questions of this
form can be made
stimulating
2. Students can be trained
to select relevant
information and present it
in a few short, crisp
Sentences
3. Short answers are
easy to score
4. Reliability of
scoring is high
5. Questions can
cover a wider
content area.
6. It is possible to achieve a
more expensive sampling in the
short answer test than in the
essay type test
7. The short answer test is
especially useful in diagnosis. In
part, this follows from the factor
of extensive sampling

DISaDvaNTagES OF ShORT aNSwER TYPE
• 1. It is more subjective than the
objective type of items
• 2. Its excessive use may encourage a
student to memorize facts and
develop poor study habits
• 3. Mechanical scoring is not possible
because of the subjectivity involved

3. ESSaY TYPE
• “Essay test is a type of examination in which the subject or examinee is asked to
discuss, enumerate, compare, state, evaluate, analyze, summarize or criticize
and involves writing at specific length on a given topic involving the processed
listed above”.
- Good
• The essay type questions get its name from the manner in which the examinee
responds.
• The term essay implies a written response which may consists of many
sentences to several pages.
• The student is allowed freedom with respect to what his answer will include its
wording length and organization.

aDvaNTagES OF ESSaY TYPE
It encourages good study habits.
It helps to develop a variety of skills.
A student’s ability to use knowledge effectively can be assessed.
Chances of copying are minimal
They can be used to test the student’s language mastery, expression and organizational ability of
a student
They are easy to construct
Highlight important units, look for relationships and exercise judgement in deciding points of emphasis.

6. Time limitations make it impossible to achieve good sampling in an easy test, assuming that a
large body of subject matter has been covered.
5. Sampling is limited.
4. The higher levels of the cognitive domain cannot be completely assessed by this method.
3. It encourages rote memory.
2. Subjective bias could creep in as these test are based on the examiner’s moods and whims
1. Guessing creates few problems
DISaDvaNTagES OF ESSaY TYPE

DISaDvaNTagES OF ESSaY TYPE
10. Besides no two teachers agree on the score given to a particular paper, the hand writing,
presentation and so on. Thus score rating cannot be generalized.
9. Essay type test are difficult to score.
8. The “gift of gap” can be encountered in written as well as in oral communication. It requires a
discerning teacher to realize that nothing much is been said.
7. There is danger of bluffing.

CONClUSION
• "Education is the Key to Success"
• School Testing Assesses Knowledge Gains and Gaps
• Teachers teach content then test students. This cycle of teaching and
testing is familiar to anyone who has been a student. Tests seek to see
what students have learned.
• Objective measure of student performance
• Short answer Assesses What students Have Learned
• Detail answer helps to Identifies Student Strengths and Weaknesses

REFERENCE
TNTEU – Study Material
Ram Publications
Sri Krishna Publications
Kaviyamala Publications
Google Images

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