Constructing Multiple Choice Test Items

Teacher Reference Page

http://tlc.murdoch.edu.au/eddev/evaluation/mcq/mctests.html

HTML Author: Christina Ballantyne Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia

Writing MCQs is a relatively difficult task. However, the effort expended in item construction is rewarded by the ease and reliability of marking. There needs to be:

· a clear and unambiguous question (or item stem)

· an answer which is correct

· several (usually 3 or 4) distractors which appear plausible to students without the ability to recognise a correct answer

· a coherence to the content matter to be examined

Standard Form of a MCQ

Q1 A word that modifies a noun is called:	<-- Stem
a) an adverb b) a conjunction c) a verb	{ Distractors
d) an adjective	<-- Correct Answer

Useful Tips

· The stem or question should be worded simply.

· The stem or question should involve one issue only.

· Negative premises are undesirable and may especially disadvantage ESL (English Second Language) students.

· The answer to one question should not be obtainable from another question.

· The distractors should be brief and as homogeneous as possible.

· The distractors should be plausible eg. common errors made by students.

· Use at least 3 distractors to reduce the chance of guessing the correct answer.

· Avoid distractors that provide clues eg. phrases from text books.

· Group similar types of MCQ together.

· Avoid using a pattern for the position of the correct response.

Some useful suggestions on writing multiple choice questions to test higher order thinking skills - http://www.uct.ac.za/projects/cbe/mcqman/mcqappc.html