sample multiple choice questions

sample multiple choice questions

Developing Effective Multiple Choice Questions: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Introduction to Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple choice questions are as essential as possible test questions for everyday use in clinical settings. They can assess, measure, and analyze cognitive learning outcomes and thought processes, question comprehension, short-term memory, and problem-solving abilities in relatively straightforward ways. Acquisition of a body of knowledge may also be determined. The items need to be practical and useful, and should be gathered from a variety of sources to be considered worthwhile. Either the committee members (faculty or educators) or literature (books, published articles, question banks) can be the sources of these items. Multiple choice items should be reviewed carefully for the soundness and appropriateness of the content. First, the committee members who develop questions possess the expertise of the domain. Second, items need to be ranked by relevance. Finally, it is suggested that committee members have a balanced team of content writing and content reviewing expertise. When writing exam questions, committing time to good quality question creation is essential. This chapter outlines the processes of selecting the specific answer and distractor choices, construction question guidelines, formatting the questions, and number of questions.

2. Key Principles for Writing Quality Multiple Choice Questions

Research has revealed that item-writing flaws are much more common in MCQs than in other item types. In fact, more than half of the item-writing problems identified by review of vital-signs-quality-ratings are MCQ items. This proneness to poor test items is one of the principal reasons why much assessment literature on item-writing faults is focused on MCQs. Item-writing flaws increase the burden involved with writing multiple choice questions. Since quality is not, and should not be, assessed as an afterthought, it is important to avoid reduced effectiveness simply to ease the burden. To succeed in precluding these concerns, it is crucial to appreciate, understand, and address the hurdles that may arise in crafting quality test items, avoid common item-writing mistakes, and embrace the basic principles of effective multiple choice items. These common item-writing flaws are the focus of this section.

Despite the potential problems associated with multiple-choice testing, research has shown that well-crafted multiple-choice questions are surprisingly powerful in achieving their pedagogical objectives. Well-crafted MCQs are those questions that measure the targeted objectives and offer all students an equal opportunity to respond correctly. Effective multiple choice questions clearly define what the test-taker is expected to answer, reward examinees with the correct knowledge, and nothing else. It is the clarity and precision of tests that set them apart. At the same time, the development of quality multiple choice questions or items is far from an easy or trivial task. There is a tendency for faculty to equate the simplicity in writing and scoring MCQs with the simplicity in developing quality MCQs. However, complexity is involved in achieving both goals. Quality questions must measure the true education purpose and, equally important, must be supported by a fine-tuning process to yield data on the true standing of students being tested.

3. Common Mistakes to Avoid in Multiple Choice Question Design

So, let’s get started with the most common multiple-choice question failings. They can be grouped into a logical pattern composed of three primary areas: the stem (the basic question itself), the options (the possible answers), and the context of the question. A question can have more than one of these problems at a time. Mentally testing your own questions and testing the questions of others is the first step in the process of making your business more user-friendly for the client. So, let’s get to work on rewriting the user’s manual.

Since multiple choice questions are one of the most common methods teachers use to evaluate student learning, let’s be sure that the ones we use are well designed. As such, this article is intended to provide practical advice and tips that can help teachers, and possibly teacher education students, develop their questioning skills. Whether in elementary or higher education, many commonly made mistakes interfere with the validity and reliability of multiple choice questions. This article is composed of four parts. We will begin with a discussion of common mistakes made in traditional multiple choice question design. This first part will detail mistakes that occur at the stem, the options, definiteness, and context of the questions. The second part of this article will lay out the correct steps in both designing and verifying the effectiveness of multiple choice questions. A step-by-step process will be outlined. The third part will center on tips and suggestions that come from the experience of leading multiple choice workshops and consulting with well over a thousand teachers over the past twenty-five years. In the final part, a sampling of the best references in the field will be provided and a summary handed out for future reference.

4. Strategies for Enhancing the Validity and Reliability of Multiple Choice Questions

Developing good multiple-choice questions is an art. Such questions are both a science and an expedient. They are a science because extensive research has gone into their production and subsequent use. By mentioning rules of thumb and age-old traditions that help to make the creation of multiple choice questions effective, we have tried to communicate some of this art as well. Whether the questions look simple and straightforward, rest on a wobbly pile of questions. That is, it is important to select wise choices to make the multiple choice item itself a reliable and valid test of meaningful analysis, so requiring the asker of the questions to apply wise judgment in constructing their questions effectively, given the context in which they are to be used.

Clearly written statements, as well as other common representations such as charts, tables, and graphs, are a variety of means that are useful in delivering questions for multiple choice items. The use of such aids is particularly effective when a sizable number of choices is required. The downside to using aids is that item length may be increased, and material which causes ambiguity or focuses on a minor detail may have irrelevant effects on the measurement. On the other hand, a set of questions can be provided which covers the essential points with a basic test of understanding at a detailed level. Where efficiency is important, the trade-off between using charts and tables to reduce the number of questions should always be considered.

5. Innovative Approaches and Technologies for Creating Engaging Multiple Choice Questions

Many innovative approaches and technologies are available for creating a more engaging MCQ. In this chapter, I propose ideas for creating a more engaging multiple-choice questionnaire for our learners. I only propose changes to the presentation and user interface. We do not need to change the content. The innovative approaches and technologies for creating engaging multiple-choice questions (MCQ) include personalized learning, multimedia, rich interactive tasks, scenario-based MCQs, Q&A forums, and Q&A gameshow.

In this chapter, I propose ideas for creating a more engaging multiple-choice questionnaire for our learners. I base my approach on the simple idea that higher rewards will result in more user engagement. I only propose changes to the presentation and user interface. The content of your MCQ—coverage of DE concepts—should already result in user engagement. We do not need to change the content. Our objective is to increase both the initial and continuing user engagement. These more engaging MCQs should induce more learning.