Developing Multiple Choice
Test Items
Ari Purnawan
Multiple Choice Items
1. Stem (presents a stimulus)
2. Options, usually 3 - 5 (give
alternatives to choose from),
one is the key, the others are
distractors
Multiple choice
• Is most suitable for assessing learning
outcomes at the recall and comprehension
levels
• does not allow test takers to construct,
organize, and present their own answers.
• enables the test takes to arrive at a
correct answer simply by guessing.
Rules
• Design each item to measure a specific
objective. e.g. questions with wh-q
• State the stem and options as simple and
directly as possible.
• Be sure that there is only one correct
answer.
• Do not provide clues to the correct
answer.
Stems can be:
• 1. A complete statement (test takers
choose the best response)
• 2. A complete question with wh-questions
(tts choose the best answer).
• 3. An incomplete sentence (tts choose the
correct form).
Options:
• Must be in an equal form and, if possible,
length.
• Must be correct by itself
• Must contain only one correct answer. (It
becomes `correct` only after it is used in
the stem or to respond to it.
• use uppercase A, B, C, D, E instead of
lowercase a, b, c, d
How?
• Start from an open-ended question.
Choose several wrong answer that many
of the tts wrote.
• make some adjustments to make all look
equal or similar
More things to consider
• Each item should measure a specific
aspect of language learning.
• Each must be independent.
• Do not provide an answer to an item in a
stem of another item.
Examples
1. According to the text above, a figure that
has eight sides is called an:
A. pentagon
B. quadrilateral
C. octagon
D. ogive
2. As compared to autos of the 60s, autos in
the 80s ....
A. travelling slower
B. bigger interiors
C. to use less fuel
D. was less constructed in foreign countries
E. contain more safety features
3. Switzerland ....
A. is located in Asia
B. produces large quantities of gold
C. has no direct access to the ocean
D. is a flat arid plain
References
• Brown, H.D. 2001. Teaching by Principles: An interactive approach to language
pedagogy (2nd ed). Language Assessment: Basic Concepts in Test Development New
•
•
•
•
•
York: Pearson Education Company.
Brown, H.D. 2004. Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. New
York: Pearson Education Company.
Cohen, A.D. 1994. Assessing Language Ability in the Classroom (2nd ed). Boston:
Heinle & Heinle Publishers.
Harmer, J. 2007. The Practice of English language Teaching (4th ed). Harlow:
Pearson.
Lado, R. 1977. Language Testing: The Construction and Use of Foreign Language
Tests. London: Longman.
Stanley, J.C. dan K.D. Hopkins. 1978. Educational and Psychological Measurement
and Evaluation. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall.