Servillano T. Marquez Jr., Ph.D.

Suggestions for Writing Multiple-Choice Items

1. The stem of the item should clearly formulate a problem. Include as much of the item as possible, keeping the response options as short as possible. However, include only the material needed to make the problem clear and specific. Be concise dont add extraneous information.

Suggestions for Writing Multiple-Choice Items

2. Be sure that there is one and only one correct or clearly best answer.

Suggestions for Writing Multiple-Choice Items

3. Be sure wrong answer choices (distractors) are plausible. Eliminate unintentional grammatical clues, and keep the length and form of all the answer choices equal. Rotate the position of the correct answer from item to item randomly.

Suggestions for Writing Multiple-Choice Items

4. Use negative questions or statements only if the knowledge being tested requires it. In most cases it is more important for the student to know what specific item of information is rather than what it is not.

Suggestions for Writing Multiple-Choice Items

5. Include from three to five options (two of four
distractors plus one correct answer) to optimize testing for knowledge rather than encouraging guessing. It is not necessary to provide additional distractors for an item imply to maintain the same number of distractors for each item. This usually leads to poorly constructed distractors that add nothing to test validity and reliability.

Suggestions for Writing Multiple-Choice Items

6. To increase the difficulty of a multiple-choice item, increase the similarity of content among the options.

Suggestions for Writing Multiple-Choice Items

7. Use the option none of the above sparingly and only when the keyed answer can be classified unequivocally as right or wrong. Dont use this option when asking for a best answer.

Suggestions for Writing Multiple-Choice Items

8. Avoid using all of the above. It is usually the correct answer and makes the item too easy for students with partial information.

How to Answer MultipleChoice Questions

How To Do It

How To Do It
Here are some tips for answering multiplechoice questions. When you are taking a multiple-choice test, the first thing you need to do is read the question CAREFULLY. Make sure you understand what kind of information you are looking for. If you know the answer right away, you should mark the correct answer and move on to the next question. If you don't know the answer, you might be able to figure it out. The first thing to do is to cross out answers you know are wrong. If you end up with two answers left and you aren't sure which is correct, you should probably take a guess. You are just as likely to guess the right answer as the wrong one.

Now You Try

The steps below analyze the multiple choice question. Directions: Use the map below to answer the question.

1. The best title for this map would be: A. North America B. The Atlantic and Pacific Oceans C. Continents and Oceans of the World D. Rivers in the United States

Step 1:
The first thing I will do is to read the question carefully. It asks for the best title for this map. A map title tells the general topic of the map, so I need to look closely to find the answer that best describes this map.

Step 2:
I don't know the right answer, so I will try out all the answers. North America: The map shows North America, but it also shows other continents. I can cross out this answer. B. The Atlantic and Pacific Oceans: I see both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on the map, but I'm not sure if this is the best answer. I'll keep this answer as a possibility. C. Continents and Oceans of the World: I know this map shows the outlines of continents and oceans, so this is a better answer than Answer B. Still, I need to check if the last answer is better. D. Rivers in the United States: I do not see any rivers in the United States marked on the map. I can cross out this answer.
A.

Now You Try

Now I see that both Answer B and Answer C are possibilities, but Answer C is better. I will choose Continents and Oceans of the World as my answer.

Taking Multiple Choice Exams

Studying for a multiple choice exam requires a special method of preparation distinctly different from an essay exam. Multiple choice exams ask a student to recognize a correct answer among a set of options that include 3 or 4 wrong answers (called distractors ), rather than asking the student to produce a correct answer entirely from his/her own mind.

For many reasons, students commonly consider multiple choice exams easier than essay exams. Perhaps the most obvious reasons are that: The correct answer is guaranteed to be among the possible responses. A student can score points with a lucky guess. Many multiple choice exams tend to emphasize basic definitions or simple comparisons, rather than asking students to analyze new information or apply theories to new situations. Because multiple choice exams usually contain many more questions than essay exams, each question has a lower point value and thus offers less risk.

Despite these factors, however, multiple choice exams can actually be very difficult .

Consider that:

Because multiple choice exams contain many questions, they force students to be familiar with a much broader range of material than essay exams do. Multiple choice exams also usually expect students to have a greater familiarity with details such as specific dates, names, or vocabulary than most essay exams do. Students cannot easily "bluff" on a multiple choice exam. Finally, because it is much more difficult for a teacher to write good multiple choice questions than to design essay questions, students often face higher risks due to unintended ambiguity.

To prepare for a multiple choice exam, consider the following steps:

Begin studying early Multiple choice exams tend to focus on details, and you cannot retain many details effectively in short-term memory. If you learn a little bit each day and allow plenty of time for repeated reviews, you will build a much more reliable long-term memory.

Make sure that you identify and understand thoroughly everything that your instructor emphasized in class. Pay particular attention to fundamental terms and concepts that describe important events or features, or that tie related ideas and observations together. These are the items that most commonly appear on multiple choice exams.

As you study your class notes and your assigned readings, make lists and tables. Concentrate on understanding multi-step processes, and on ideas, events, or objects that form natural sequences or groupings. Look for similarities and differences that might be used to distinguish correct choices from distracters on an exam.

If your textbook highlights new vocabulary or key definitions, be sure that you understand them. Sometimes new words and concepts are collected at the end of a chapter. Check to be sure that you have not left any out by mistake. Do not simply memorize the book's definitions. Most instructors will rephrase things in their own words as they write exam questions, so you must be sure that you really know what the definitions mean.

Brainstorm possible questions with several other students who are also taking the course. Practice on sample questions, if you have access to a study guide or old exams.

Answering Multiple Choice Questions

There are many strategies for maximizing your success on multiple choice exams. The best way to improve your chances, of course, is to study carefully before the exam. There is no good substitute for knowing the right answer. Even a well-prepared student can make silly mistakes on a multiple choice exam, however, or can fall prey to distracters that look very similar to the correct answer.

Here are a few tips to help reduce these perils:

Before you begin taking the exam, enter all pieces of required information on your answer sheet
- If you are so eager to start that you forget to enter your name and ID number, your results may never be scored. Remember: your instructor will not be able to identify you by handwriting or similar text clues.

- Always cover up the possible responses with a piece of paper or with your hand while you read the stem, or body of the question.

Try to anticipate the correct response before you are distracted by seeing the options that your instructor has provided. Then, uncover the responses.

- If you see the response that you anticipated, circle it and then check to be sure that none of the other responses is better. - If you do not see a response that you expected, then consider some of the following strategies to eliminate responses that are probably wrong.

None of these strategies is infallible. A smart instructor will avoid writing questions for which these strategies work, but you can always hope for a lapse of attention.

1. Responses that use absolute words, such as "always" or "never" are less likely to be correct than ones that use conditional words like "usually" or "probably." 2. "Funny" responses are usually wrong.
3. "All of the above" is often a correct response. If you can verify that more than one of the other responses is probably correct, then choose "all of the above."

4. "None of the above" is usually an incorrect response, but this is less reliable than the "all of the above" rule. Be very careful not to be trapped by double negatives. 5. Look for grammatical clues. If the stem ends with the indefinite article "an," for example, then the correct response probably begins with a vowel.

6. The longest response is often the correct one, because the instructor tends to load it with qualifying adjectives or phrases.
7. Look for verbal associations. A response that repeats key words that are in the stem is likely to be correct. 8. If all else fails, choose response (b) or (c). Many instructors subconsciously feel that the correct answer is "hidden" better if it is surrounded by distracters. Response (a) is usually least likely to be the correct one.

If you cannot answer a question within a minute or less, skip it and plan to come back later. Transfer all responses to the answer sheet at the same time, once you have marked all questions on your exam. (If you try to do several things at once, you increase the probability of making a mistake. Saving the relatively mindless job of filling in bubbles until the last step reduces the probability of making silly errors.) Be sure that you have filled the appropriate bubbles carefully IN PENCIL.

Our instructor will probably never take a close look at your answer sheet, so if you fail to fill in bubbles completely or if you make stray marks, only the computer will notice, and you will be penalized. Erase any accidental marks completely. Take the time to check your work before you hand in the answer sheet. Unlike an essay exam, on which you may later appeal a grade on the grounds that the instructor misunderstood your response, a multiple choice exam offers you no opportunity for "partial credit." If you filled the wrong bubble, your answer is 100% wrong.

Multiple choice questions usually include a phrase or stem followed by three to five options:

Test strategies:
Read the directions carefully Know if each question has one or more correct option Know if you are penalized for guessing Know how much time is allowed (this governs your strategy) Preview the test Read through the test quickly and answer the easiest questions first Mark those you think you know in some way that is appropriate Read through the test a second time and answer more difficult questions You may pick up cues for answers from the first reading, or become more comfortable in the testing situation If time allows, review both questions and answers It is possible you mis-read questions the first time

Answering options Improve your odds, think critically: Cover the options, read the stem, and try to answer Select the option that most closely matches your answer
Read the stem with each option Treat each option as a true-false question, and choose the "most true"

Strategies to answer difficult questions:

Eliminate options you know to be incorrect If allowed, mark words or alternatives in questions that eliminate the option Give each option of a question the "true-false test:" This may reduce your selection to the best answer Question options that grammatically don't fit with the stem Question options that are totally unfamiliar to you Question options that contain negative or absolute words. Try substituting a qualified term for the absolute one, like frequently for always; or typical for every to see if you can eliminate it "All of the above:" If you know two of three options seem correct, "all of the above" is a strong possibility

Number answers: toss out the high and low and consider the middle range numbers "Look alike options" probably one is correct; choose the best but eliminate choices that mean basically the same thing, and thus cancel each other out Double negatives: Create the equivalent positive statement and consider Echo options: If two options are opposite each other, chances are one of them is correct Favor options that contain qualifiers The result is longer, more inclusive items that better fill the role of the answer If two alternatives seem correct, compare them for differences, then refer to the stem to find your best answer

Guessing:

Guessing:
Always guess when there is no penalty for guessing or you can eliminate options Don't guess if you are penalized for guessing and if you have no basis for your choice Use hints from questions you know to answer questions you do not. Change your first answers when you are sure of the correction, or other cues in the test cue you to change.

1.

Christopher Columbus came to America in a:

car b. boat c. airplane d. balloon
a.

2. In what year did humans first set foot on the moon?

a. 1975 b. 1957

c. 1969
d. 1963

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.