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Writing Effective Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple choice questions consist of a stem and 2 or more response options, with only one correct answer. Effective stems clearly present a problem or incomplete statement without irrelevant details. Response options should be plausible, distinct, similar in format and length, and avoid clues to the correct answer. "All of the above" and "none of the above" should not be used as options. Options should be logically ordered and varied in number as long as they are plausible distractors for test-takers who have and have not mastered the objective. Complex options combining elements should also be avoided.

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Jomar Barruga San Diego
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40 views20 pages

Writing Effective Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple choice questions consist of a stem and 2 or more response options, with only one correct answer. Effective stems clearly present a problem or incomplete statement without irrelevant details. Response options should be plausible, distinct, similar in format and length, and avoid clues to the correct answer. "All of the above" and "none of the above" should not be used as options. Options should be logically ordered and varied in number as long as they are plausible distractors for test-takers who have and have not mastered the objective. Complex options combining elements should also be avoided.

Uploaded by

Jomar Barruga San Diego
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Multple - choice

format
Multiple Choice Format
◦  or objective response is a form of an objective assessment
in which respondents are asked to select only correct
answers from the choices offered as a list
◦  usually consist of a question or statement to which you
respond by selecting the best answer from among a
number of choices.
◦ is most frequently used in educational testing
Parts
◦ the stem, which asks the question, poses a problem, or
presents an incomplete sentence;
◦ the correct response;
◦ and four alternative responses which are incorrect, these
are often called "distracters."
WRITING GOOD
MULTIPLE-CHOICE
QUESTIONS
Constructing an Effective Stem
1. The stem should be meaningful by itself and should present a
definite problem.
Constructing an Effective Stem
2. The stem should not contain irrelevant material, which
can decrease the reliability and the validity of the test scores
(Haldyna and Downing 1989).
Constructing an Effective Stem
3. The stem should be negatively stated only when significant
learning outcomes require it.
Constructing an Effective Stem
4. The stem should be a question or a partial sentence.
Constructing Effective Alternatives
1. All alternatives should be plausible.
Constructing Effective Alternatives
2. Alternatives should be stated clearly and concisely
Constructing Effective Alternatives
3. Alternatives should
be mutually exclusive.
Alternatives with
overlapping content
may be considered
“trick” items.
Constructing Effective Alternatives
4. Alternatives should be homogenous in content. 
Constructing Effective Alternatives
◦ 5. Alternatives should be free from clues about which response
is correct. Sophisticated test-takers are alert to inadvertent clues to
the correct answer, such differences in grammar, length, formatting,
and language choice in the alternatives. It’s therefore important that
alternatives
◦ have grammar consistent with the stem.
◦ are parallel in form.
◦ are similar in length.
◦ use similar language
Constructing Effective Alternatives
6. The alternatives “all of the above” and “none of the above”
should not be used. When “all of the above” is used as an answer,
test-takers who can identify more than one alternative as correct can
select the correct answer even if unsure about other alternative(s).
When “none of the above” is used as an alternative, test-takers who
can eliminate a single option can thereby eliminate a second option.
In either case, students can use partial knowledge to arrive at a
correct answer.
Constructing Effective Alternatives
7. The alternatives should be presented in a logical order (e.g.,
alphabetical or numerical) to avoid a bias toward certain positions.
Constructing Effective Alternatives
8. The number of alternatives can vary among items as long as
all alternatives are plausible. 
Plausible alternatives serve as functional distractors, which are those
chosen by students that have not achieved the objective but ignored
by students that have achieved the objective. There is little difference
in difficulty, discrimination, and test score reliability among items
containing two, three, and four distractors.
Additional Guidelines
1. Avoid complex multiple choice items,
in which some or all of the alternatives
consist of different
Combinations of options. As
with “all of the above”
answers, a sophisticated
test-taker can use partial
knowledge to achieve
a correct answer.
Additional Guidelines
2. Keep the specific content of items independent of one
another. Savvy test-takers can use information in one question
to answer another question, reducing the validity of the test.

Common questions

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Functional distractors serve to distinguish between examinees who have truly mastered the content and those who have not. They appear plausible and are likely to be chosen by students lacking understanding, thus increasing the discriminative power of the question .

Avoiding irrelevant material in the stem focuses the question on the intended subject matter, enhancing the assessment's validity and the reliability of test scores. It ensures that students are evaluated on their grasp of the specific content rather than their ability to filter unnecessary information .

Constructing a meaningful stem is significant because it presents a definite problem that the examinee needs to solve, thus assessing the intended learning outcome. A meaningful stem ensures that the question is self-contained and comprehensible without additional context, increasing the test's reliability and validity .

Using 'all of the above' and 'none of the above' allows test-takers to leverage partial knowledge to guess the correct answer. If test-takers recognize one option as correct, they might choose 'all of the above,' or eliminate an option with 'none of the above.' This reduces the need for comprehensive knowledge and skews the evaluation of true understanding .

Alternatives should be mutually exclusive to prevent confusion and ensure that test-takers can select only one correct answer. Overlapping alternatives may be perceived as trick questions and can mislead examinees, compromising the test's fairness and validity .

Logical ordering, such as alphabetical or numerical arrangement, minimizes positional bias by ensuring that answer choices are not subconsciously favored or disregarded due to their position. This practice enhances the question's fair assessment of knowledge without external influences .

Sophisticated test-takers identify clues through discrepancies in grammar, length, formatting, and language choice among alternatives. To prevent this, alternatives should have consistent grammar with the stem, be parallel in form, similar in length, and use similar language, thereby eliminating inadvertent clues .

Homogeneity among alternatives ensures that each option is a comparable counterpart to the correct answer, which prevents unintentional cues that could bias the test-taker's choice. This format maintains fairness and prevents test-takers from identifying the correct option based on content differences .

Maintaining content independence among questions prevents test-takers from deducing answers based on information gleaned from other items. This practice upholds the integrity of the test by ensuring that each question independently assesses knowledge without leveraging unintended clues from the test design .

Sophisticated test-takers can exploit complex multiple-choice items that include combinations of options, as they may require less comprehensive knowledge to discern the correct answer from partial clues. These should be avoided to maintain test integrity and ensure that responses reflect overall understanding rather than strategic guessing .

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