Mastering Multiple-Choice
Make sure you understand the
structure of a multiple-choice
question and some basic
guidelines to follow when
creating multiple-choice tests!
Multiple-Choice Question Breakdown
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The typical multiple choice question has 3
parts:
1.
2.
3.
Stem: short text that defines the problem, setting,
and provides pertinent information to solve the
problem.
Question: Usually positioned right after the stem.
Answer Options: The range of choices students can
select from- amongst them are distracters.
Example of Stems and Questions
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In the equation 5x+4 = 20, solve for x.
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The term “osteoporosis” refers to:
The stem phrases the question, the question lets
the learner know what to look for in terms of the
answer choices.
Answer Options
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Answer options are the range of choices the
learners can select from to correctly solve the
question.
In addition to the 1 correct answer, there are a
couple of distracter choices meant to
discriminate those who know the content of the
test from those who do not.
Guidelines for Crafting Multiple Choice
Tests

The following slides are useful for teachers to
keep in mind while sitting down to develop test
questions…
1. When to Write a Test
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NEVER sit down and attempt to write an effective test
in one day!
Higher Level Thinking Questions take a long time to
develop!
A good strategy is writing a few questions after each
class session
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This way it is simply a matter of assembling the questions into
an exam when needed.
In addition, it will better reflect the content you taught in class!
2. All Questions Need to Stand Alone
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Craft questions that are completely
independent!
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This means avoid creating questions that depend on
knowing the answers to other questions on the test!
This is a common complaint of students.
3. High Level Learning Questions

Focus on constructing higher order thinking
questions that are going to test how well
students master concepts.
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Too often teachers fall into the trap of creating
questions that merely ask for recalling information!
These questions DO NOT test overall
understanding of knowledge, rather they test
students’ abilities to remember basic facts and
statistics.
4. Clarity is Key!
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Always write the stem first.
Always phrase the stem as clear as possible.
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According to students, one of the biggest issues
with multiple-choice tests deal with unclear
questions!
Unclear questions are deemed as confusing and
discriminate against students who know the
material.
5. Hold the Words Please!

Avoid using extra language in the stem other
than what is absolutely necessary.
–
“Padding” stems with surplus words only takes
MORE time for the teacher to construct, and MORE
time for students to sort through the question.
6. Repetitive Language

It is good practice to include any language in
the stem that you would have to repeat in each
answer option.
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This saves the teacher time when designing the
test!
This saves the student time when taking the test as
they do not need to waste test time re-reading
questions and answer choices.
7. Positive Questions = Positive
Responses

It is better for a student to read a positively
phrased question, than a negatively phrased
question.
–

Negative questions are often misread or
misinterpreted.
If you must use a negative stem, be sure to
emphasize the negative words and never use
double negatives.
8. Correct Answers

The best strategy for teachers to employ is to
write the correct answer choice immediately
after writing the stem.
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This is a way for the teacher to ensure that it is the
best response and that it answers the question
accordingly.
In the case of questions that ask to “select the best
answer,” using this strategy makes sure that the
correct answer choice is appropriate.
9. Don’t Give the Answer Away!
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When viewing answer options, students can
usually guess the right answer based on the
structure of the question!
To ensure this does not happen, write incorrect
options to match the correct answer in terms of
length, complexity, phrasing, and style.
10. Think Smart

Just as you will write the correct answer choice
after phrasing the stem, you should write all
distracters after writing the correct answer
choice.
–
This makes the teacher focus on creating plausible
distracters.
11. Make it Believable
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Create distracters that are realistic.
Try including extra information within the
choices that could be seen as possible due to
common fallacies about the content.
12. What???

Avoid using language that is completely foreign
to your students.
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This could help students narrow down answer
choices based on words they do not know.
This discriminates against students who know the
content but who are confused by the question
structure.
13. Diminutive Distinctions
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Avoid making answer options where there are
only slightly fine distinctions between answers,
unless such distinctions are important in the
course.
This is a basic rule to try to abide by because
students may get confused figuring out how the
answer options differ.
14. Distinct Distracters

Create distinctive distracters!
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If all of the distracters are similar in content, style,
and appearance, students will catch on and figure
out they are distracters!
Use words that should be familiar to students in the
distracters to differentiate from those who know the
material and test-wise students.
15. Suspicious Syntax
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Avoid writing verbal clues that give away the
answer!
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Watch out for grammar, syntax, words that appear in
the stem of the question or correct answer
response, and stating correct options in “textbook”
language.
Students are trained to look for these errors and
capitalize on them!
16. “Degrees of Right”

Be really careful creating questions with terms like “All”
“Never” and “Always,” unless it is a specific fact that
you are testing.
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There will always be students who read into the question too
much and get penalized because of the varying “degrees of
right.”
In addition, avoid using “All of the Above” or “Both A
and B”
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This common error makes it easier for students to guess with
only partial knowledge!
17. None of the Above…No Way!
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Be extremely cautious when using “None of the
Above.”
This term should ONLY be used if it is testing
absolute answers (i.e. Math tests)
If utilizing “None of the Above,” it should be the
correct answer response 25% of the time in 4
answer option tests.
18. Randomize Responses!

Be sure to randomize the position of correct
answer responses!
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Students tend to pick up on patterns of letters on
scantrons!
You can do this by alphabetizing answer
options or using random numbering.
Recap
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Are you starting to realize that there are many ways for
students to “strategize” taking multiple-choice tests?
This is why a large portion of students love these
“multiple-guess” tests, because they profit off of the
construction errors their teachers run into!
It is extremely important to craft test questions that
make it difficult for students to guess and get the
question right.
Utilizing high-level thinking questions, and following the
guidelines provided can ensure that students have to
know the content for the test!
Mini Exercise: What’s Wrong with
This Question?
The people of the United States
A.
A continent located in the Northern Hemisphere.
B.
Are extremely interested in reality television.
C.
Are descendants from countries all over the world.
D.
A land that houses many different cultures and religions.
Check out the grammatical errors! A and D can be completely eliminated because they don’t
flow with the stem and question. B works, but it is doubtful a teacher would test on that! C is
the logical choice! You did not even need to know the material! It is VITAL to construct clear,
and grammatically correct questions!
Mini Exercise: What’s Wrong with
This Question?
Which of the following cities houses Disney?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Orlando, FL
Anaheim, CA
Miami, FL
San Francisco, CA
Can you guess what is wrong with this question? It is extremely vague and not
specific! Disney what? World? Land? There are 2 possible answers! The other
2 distracters are so unrealistic you can eliminate them immediately. Do you see
the importance of phrasing clear, specific questions with plausible distracters?
Examples of Good Questions
Why do farmers rotate their crops from year to year?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To kill insects that eat the crops.
To conserve the nutrients in the soil.
To confuse animals that prey upon crops.
To make marketing the crops easier.
Notice how all of the answer options are about the same length and are composed in the same
style/phrasing. All choices seem plausible.
Examples of Good Questions
Which of the following best illustrates the law of gravity?
A. Mike fills his glass with water. When he puts too much ice in
the glass, the water spills over the brim.
B. Joe’s fast car is able to travel a greater distance in a shorter
amount of time than Steve’s bicycle.
C. At a fireworks show, you will see the flash of the explosions
before you hear the actual noise.
D. A kicker punts a football high into the air and watches the
ball falls 10 yards short of the goal post.
All answer options are in phrased in similar ways, and are similar in length and complexity.
Here the student needs to understand the law and how it is applied! Higher Level Thinking!
Feeling Confident!
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You are now armed with the tools to write effective,
high-level thinking objectives!
You are now aware of how multiple-choice questions
are structured, and some guidelines to follow to
construct effective questions!
Are you ready to move on and learn about different
types of multiple-choice questions? If you are, please
continue to Presentation 5. If you want to review,
please do so and move on only when ready.