Objective testing

Porntip Bodeepongse
Subjective VS Objective
The terms refer to the scoring of tests.
Objective tests usually have only one correct
answer (or, at least, a limited number of correct
answers).
They can be scored mechanically.
However, all tests are constructed subjectively
by the tester who decides which areas of
language to test, how to test those areas, and
what kind of items to use for the purpose.
Example of Subjective test:
Oral fluency test:

You went to live in Cairo two years ago.
Someone asks you how long you have
lived there. What would you say?
Students responses
Ive been living in Cairo since 1986.
From 1986.
I came to live here before 1986 and I still
live here.
I have lived in the Cairo city for above two
years.
Since 1986 my home is in Cairo.
I didnt leave Cairo since 1986.
Comments:
The task attempts to stimulate the type of task
students might perform in real life.

But it is more difficult to achieve reliability because
of many different degrees of acceptability and
ways of scoring all the possible responses.

Careful guidelines must be drawn to achieve
consistency in the treatment of the responses.
Criticism: objective tests
Simpler to answer
Objective tests of multiple-choice type
encourage guessing. (4-5 alternatives may
reduce possibility of guessing)
Objective test = poor test if:
poorly written
irrelevant areas and skills emphasised
because they are testable
confined to language usage and neglects
communicative skills

Multiple-choice items
Difficult and time-consuming to construct
Not test language as communication
Appropriate responses to stimuli in everyday
situations are produced, not chosen from
options.
Test knowledge of language points, not ability
to use language
But help student and teacher to identify areas
of difficulty
Multiple-choice items
Is your home still in Cairo?
Yes, Ive been living here.1986.
a. for b. on
c. in d. since
Stem
Multiple-choice items
Is your home still in Cairo?
Yes, Ive been living here.1986.
a. for b. on
c. in d. since

Options/ Responses/ Alternatives
Multiple-choice items
Is your home still in Cairo?
Yes, Ive been living here.1986.
a. for b. on
c. in d. since


Answer/ correct option/ key
Multiple-choice items
Is your home still in Cairo?
Yes, Ive been living here.1986.
a. for b. on
c. in d. since


Answer/ correct option/ key
Distractors
Principles for multiple-choice
test construction
1. Have only one answer that must be
absolutely correct.

Example:
I stayed there John arrived.
a. when b. until
c. before d. as

Principles for multiple-choice
test construction
1. Have only one answer that must be
absolutely correct.

Example:
I stayed there until John.. .
a. had come b. came
c. would come d. has come

2. Test only one feature at a time. Why?
Less confusing for testees.
Help to reinforce a particular teaching point.
However, sometimes word order and sequence of
tenses can be tested simultaneously (impure items).

Example:
I never knew where. .
a. had the boys gone c. have the boys gone
c. the boys have gone d. the boys had gone

3. Each option should be grammatically correct
when placed in the stem, except in the case
of specific grammar test items.

Example:
Someone who designs houses is a.. .
a. designer b. builder
c. architect d. plumber

***Suggest how to adjust this item.
Whats wrong with these
items? (1)
The boys hobbies referred to in the first
paragraph of the passage were .. .

a. camping and fishing
b. tennis and golf
c. cycling long distances
d. fishing, rowing and swimming
e. collecting stamps

C & E are
ungrammatical
answers because
were = plural
Whats wrong with these
items? (2)

John soon returned to. .
a. work
b. the prison
c. home
d. school

C can be ruled out
immediately.
4. Items should be at a level appropriate to
the testees proficiency level.
The context should be at a lower level than the
actual problem to be tested.
Example:
Every year on the 13
th
of April His Majesty
the King . a religious rite, marking
Songkran Day at Amarinvinijchai Throne Hall.
a. proposes b. permits
c. performs d. proclaims
** Items should not contain more difficult semantic
features in the stem.
5. Multiple-choice items should be brief
and as clear as possible.

Example:
[Link] for more than 10 years.
He knows everything about the job hes doing.
a. works b. worked
c. is working d. has worked

6. Items should be arranged in rough order of
increasing difficulty.
It is generally considered important to have
one or two simple items to lead in the
testees, especially if they are not too
familiar with the test formats in the paper.
Areas which are trivial and not worth testing
should be excluded from the test.

The stem
to present the problem clearly and
concisely
not contain extraneous information or
irrelevant clues
convey enough information to indicate
the basis on which the correct option
should be selected.


The stem
The stem may take the following
forms:
an incomplete sentence
a complete statement
a question

Stem: An incomplete sentence
He accused me [Link].
a. speaking
b. saying
c. telling
d. talking

Stem: A complete statement
Everything we wanted was to hand.
a. under control
b. within reach
c. well cared for
d. being prepared

to hand = nearby
Stem: A question
According to the writer, what did Tom
immediately do?
a. He ran home.
b. He met Bob.
c. He began to shout.
d. He phoned the police.

The stem
The stem should contain words or phrases which
otherwise have to be repeated in each option.
Example:
The word astronauts refers to .
a. travellers in an ocean liner
b. travellers in a space ship
c. travellers in a submarine
d. travellers in a balloon.
The stem
Edited:
The word astronauts refers to travellers in
.
a. an ocean liner
b. a space ship
c. a submarine
d. a balloon.
The stem
The stem should allow for the number of
choices which have been decided upon.

Example:
Tom was..the other two boys.
a. taller than Tom
b. smaller than
c. as tall as
The correct answer
should be approximately the same length as
the distractors.
Example:
He began to choke while he was eating fish.
a. die
b. cough and vomit
c. be unable to breathe because of something in
the windpipe
d. grow very angry


The correct answer
Example:
A hitchhiker is .
a. a man who makes ropes
b. a person who travels by asking motorists
to give him free rides
c. an old-fashioned sailor
d. a boy who walks long distances


The distractors
should be attractive and plausible (look right
to the testee who is unsure of the correct
option.
Example:
The present tax reforms have benefited
poor.
a. that b. the
c. a d. an
The distractors
should be grammatically correct when it
stands by itself: otherwise testees will be
exposed to incorrect forms.
Example:
She wants a ______one because this skirt
is too long for her.
A. shortter
B. shorter
C. bigger
D. smaller

Plausible distractors
mistakes in students own written work
their answers in previous tests
teachers experience
contrastive analysis between the native
and target languages

The distractors
should not be too difficult nor demand a higher
proficiency

Example:
You need [Link] enter that military airfield.
a. permutation b. perdition
c. permit d. perspicuity
The distractors
Capital letters are only used in options which
occur at the beginning of a sentence.

Example:
..of petrol has consistently risen.
a. The price b. Price
c. A price d. Prices
Writing the test
It is advisable to give equal marks for each
item.
Correct option should appear in each position
approximately the same number of times in a
test.
If the options have a natural order (e.g.
figures, dates), keep to this order.