Alternate Choice Test Items
- Easy to write (?), easy to grade, guessing is
high
- Good alternate choice tests are actually difficult
to write
-
Many objectives can be tested quickly
Write items definitely
Use short statements
Avoid absolutes (always, all, never, only)
- Alternatives: tend, generally, usually
- You may require revision of false statements
(underline & revise)
Alternate Choice Test Items
- Trick questions are seldom appropriate
- Avoid double negatives
- Highlight or emphasize negatives
- Avoid double-barreled items
- Write approximately equal numbers of each
alternative
- Keep statements the same approximate length
- Avoid a systematic order
- Avoid taking statements directly from the text
and placing them out of context
- Use other symbols other than T/F, G/O, O/Q,
N/M
Alternate Choice Test Items
T F - High IQ children always get high
grades in school
Guns should not be outlawed unless they
are never fired
The Duroc is a red breed of swine with
erect ears
Matching Test Items
-
Easy to grade
Appropriate for associations between facts
Emphasize facts and memorization
Problems when using many scan sheets
Keep the list and descriptions short (8-12)
& homogeneous
- Arrange in a logical order
Matching Test Items
- Use plausible distractors
- Descriptions should be in the left column
and longer
- Lists should be in the right column and
short phrases, words, or symbols
- Descriptions should be numbers, lists
lettered
- Include more options than descriptors &
instruct as such
Completion Test Items
-
Easy to write, easy to grade, guessing is low
Many answers could be correct
Refer to alternate choice rules
Avoid grammatical clues
Write items so there is a single word answer
A question is usually better
Omit only key words from statements
Avoid awkward sentences
- Word so that the blank is near the end of the
sentence
Essay/Short Answer Test Items
- Easy to write, bears to grade, guessing is low,
bluffing is high
- Also measure communication skills
- Write the items for specific answers
- Grade on evidence instead of opinion
- Avoid giving students options in answering
- Establish reasonable time & page limits
- Grade using a scoring scheme
- Rubric
Multiple Choice Test Items
- Hard to write, easy to grade, guessing is
reasonable
- Like alternate choice, items can become tricky
- Use longer stems than choices
- Use only one correct answer
- Use plausible distractors
- Avoid grammatical clues & double negatives
- Avoid negative statements
- If used … emphasize the negative
- Include 4-5 options … Put in logical order
- Avoid “None of the Above” and “All of the Above”
Multiple Choice Test Items
Red pigs with droopy ears are __________
A. Hampshire
B. Yorkshire
C. Duroc
D. Hard of hearing
E. None of the Above
F. All of the Above
Quantitative Item Analysis
• A numerical method for analyzing test
items (usually alternate choice, matching,
or multiple choice)
– Difficulty Index (P) – The proportion of
students who answered the item correctly
– Discrimination Index (D) – Measure of the
extent to which a test item differentiates
between students who do well and those who
do not do well
Quantitative Item Analysis
• The Discrimination Index
– Positive – Those who did well chose the
correct answer more than those who did
poorly
– Negative – Those who did poorly chose the
correct answer more than those who did well
– Zero – No discrimination between those who
did well and poorly
Qualitative Item Analysis
• Are the items based on the objectives?
• Do the distracters distract?
• Is there only one correct answer?
Or do the students have to find the
“MOST” correct answer?