Crafting Effective Multiple Choice Questions A Professional Development Tutorial for Faculty and T.A.’s

Common Pitfalls Associated with Multiple Choice Tests Common Pitfalls Cheating Open to misinterpretation as students can read into questions Takes more time to read and answer. Stressful for some students Denies ability for student demonstration of knowledge beyond option ranges Difficult to phrase questions Takes a long time to craft effective questions Myth that it tests only lower level thinking skills Ability to guess answers without knowing content

So Why Use Multiple Choice Then? Advantages of Multiple Choice Tests Grading time drastically reduced Tests all levels of learning if constructed well Illustrates immediately the questions most missed by students Easy to administer and score More questions can be asked then can in essay structured tests Tests a more comprehensive sample of content material Allows for effective post-test discussion on why questions are right and why distracters are wrong

Use Multiple Choice Questions to… Test range of learning and content Test the variety levels of learning in regards to Bloom’s Taxonomy. When you have large class sizes to cater to. When you have ample time to craft a test. When you have little time to grade a test. If it is appropriate that students do not need to formulate their own answer to a question.

Before Crafting a Multiple Choice Exam Think About… Language Audience Objectives Content Know your students’ strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. Make sure you are an expert on the subject matter of the test. Are you aware of all facts and common fallacies? Use words your students are familiar with. Develop your objectives. Determine the concepts to be tested. Make sure your test reflects the amount of time you spent covering each concept.

Keep in Mind…  Successful teachers plan their curriculum in ways that strike balances between objectives and the different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.  The key to a good test are questions that accurately discriminate between those who know the material, and those who do not.

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