Here are the ten rules  about

testing. If you

have any others

Rule #1: Test knowledge <\/h2>

comprehension, not <\/h2>

 

just recall<\/h2>

 

Multiple choice questions are criticized for testing the superficial

recall of knowledge. You can go beyond this by asking learners to

interpret facts, evaluate situations, explain cause and effect, make

inferences, and predict results.

Rule #2: Use simple sentence <\/h2>

structure and <\/h2>

precise wording<\/h2>

Write test questions in a simple structure that is easy to

understand. And try to be as accurate as possible in your word

choices. Words can have many meanings depending on colloquial

usage and context.

Rule #3: Place most of the words <\/h2>

in the <\/h2>

 

question stem<\/h2>

If you’re using a question stem, rather than an entire question,

ensure that most of the words are in the stem. This way, the

answer options can be short, making them less confusing and

more legible.

Rule #4: Make all distractors <\/h2>

plausible<\/h2>

All of the wrong answer choices should be completely reasonable.

This can be very hard to accomplish, but avoid throwing in those

give-away distractors as it detracts from the test’s validity. If

you’re really stuck, get help from your friendly this word

Rule #5: Keep all answer choices <\/h2>

the same <\/h2>

length<\/h2>

This can be difficult to achieve, but expert test-takers can use

answer length as a hint to the correct answer. Often the longest

answer is the correct one. When I can’t get all four answers to

the same length, I use two short and two long.

Rule #6: Avoid double negatives<\/h2>

No big news here, right? Don’t use combinations of these words

in the same question: not, no, nor, the -un prefix, etc. For

example, this type of question could confuse test-takers: ‘Which

of the following comments would NOT be unwelcome in a work

situation?’ Flip it around and write it in the positive form: ‘Which

of the following comments are acceptable in a work situation?’

Rule #7: Mix up the order of the <\/h2>

correct <\/h2>

1. answers<\/h2>

Make sure that most of your correct answers aren’t in the “b” and

“c” positions, which can often happen. Keep correct answers in

random positions and don’t let them fall into a pattern that can be

detected. When your test is written, go through and reorder

where the correct answers are placed, if necessary.

Rule #8: Keep the number of <\/h2>

options <\/h2>

consistent<\/h2>

Did you ever have to convince a SME that he or she can’t have

answer choices that go to ‘h’ in one question and ‘c’ in the next?

It’s something of a user interface issue. Making the number of

options consistent from question to question helps learners know

what to expect. Research doesn’t seem to agree on whether 3 or

4 or 5 options is best. Personally, I like to use 4 options. It feels

fair.

Rule #9: Avoid tricking test-takers<\/h2>

As faulty as they are, tests exist to measure knowledge. Never use

questions or answer options that could trick a learner. If a

question or its options can be interpreted in two ways or if the

difference between options is too subtle, then find a way to

rewrite it.

Rule #10: Use ‘All of the Above’ <\/h2>

and ‘None of <\/h2>

the Above’ with caution<\/h2>

I hate this rule because when you run out of distractors, All of the

Above and None of the Above can come in handy. But they may

not promote good instruction. Here’s why. All of the Above can be

an obvious give-away answer when it’s not used consistently.

Also, the All of the Above option can encourage guessing if the

learner thinks one or two answers are correct. In addition, the

downside to None of the Above is that you can’t tell if the learner

really knew the correct answer.

 

Shamansourian