An interactive ppt presentation with TurningPoint slides included that provide an overview of best practices when designing multiple choice questions.

1. Designing Multiple
Choice Items
Dr. Tina Rooks
Turning Technologies

2. Anatomy of Multiple Choice
CCSSO NSA Conference / Elliott 2009
2

3. Advantages of Multiple Choice Items
• allow more adequate
sampling of content.
• tend to more effectively
structure the problem to be
addressed
• items can be more
efficiently and reliably
scored than supply items
• different response
alternatives can provide
diagnostic feedback (item
analysis)
• items can be constructed to
address various levels of
cognitive complexity

4. What is the average response time for
a multiple choice question?
30
seconds
60-90
seconds
2m
inutes
5m
inutes
25% 25%25%25%A. 30 seconds
B. 60-90 seconds
C. 2 minutes
D. 5 minutes

5. Procedural Rules
• Use either the best answer or the
correct answer format avoid multiple
correct answer.
• Use good grammar, punctuation, and
spelling consistently.
• Minimize the time required to read
each question.
• Avoid trick questions.
• Use the active voice.
• The ideal question will be answered
correctly by 60-65% of the tested
population.
• Have your questions peer-reviewed.
• Include diagrams, pictures and quotes
when possible.
• Use letters in front of number choices.

6. The Stem
• State the stem in either question
form or completion form
• The blank in completion questions
should always be at the end
• Stem directions should clearly
indicate to students exactly what is
being asked.
• Avoid Negatively phrased Stems
• Include the central idea and most of
the phrasing in the stem.
• Avoid giving clues such as linking
the stem to the answer
• Avoid excessive verbiage

7. Distracter Development Rules
• Use plausible distracters.
• Incorporate common errors.
• Avoid technical phrases.
• Use familiar yet incorrect
phrases.
• Use true statements that do
not correctly answer the
question.
• Avoid the use of humor
• Distractors that are not
chosen by any examinees
should be replaced.

8. Example of Meaningful
Distracters
• A cart of mass 10 kg is traveling at a speed of 4
m/s. How much kinetic energy does it have?
• A) 160 joules
• B) 80 joules
• C) 40 joules
• D) 20 joules
Forgot to multiply by 1/2
Forgot to square velocity
Used formula for momentum instead of KE
Correct answer KE = ½ m v2

9. Practice
User your clicker and vote on
the following test items

10. Select the best designed question
50%50%
1.
2.

11. Read the sample question.
Select if you believe it is well written.
33%
33%
33%
Yes No Abstain
A. Yes
B. No
C. Abstain

12. Issues
– Negative stem can be confusing.
– Options address two concepts: misfeasance and
nonfeasance rather than a single concept.
– Option e can not be correct because options a and d and b
and c contradict each other, so one has to be false.
– Option d is much longer than the others. The highlighting
of “PROPERLY” also draws attention to it.
– Multiple correct answers (a, b, and d). Changing the stem
to TRUE would solve this problem.

13. Read the sample question.
Select if you believe it is well written.
33%
33%
33%
Yes No Abstain
A. Yes
B. No
C. Abstain

14. Issues
– Stem should define what is meant by “good” in this
context.
– Option a provides an opinion without source of the opinion
– Option b is not very plausible with the qualifier “good” in
stem.
– Option c provides no basis for comparison.
– Option d does not grammatically follow stem.
– Option e is unclear in this context. Can multiple choice
items as a collective test a wide range of content, or can a
good item test a wide range of content?

15. Read the sample question.
Select if you believe it is well written.
50%50%
Yes No
1. Yes
2. No

16. Read the sample question.
Select if you believe it is well written.
33%
33%
33%
Yes No Abstain
A. Yes
B. No
C. Abstain

17. Issues
• The distractors should appear as similar as possible to the
correct answer in terms of grammar, length, and complexity.
• There is a common tendency to make the correct answer
substantially longer than the distractors.

18. Select the best designed question
50%50%
1.
2.

19. Read the sample item. Is this a well designed item?
50%50%
Yes No
1. Yes
2. No

20. Read the sample item. Is this a well designed item?
50%50%
Yes No
1. Yes
2. No

21. Read the sample item. Is this a well designed item?
50%50%
Yes No
1. Yes
2. No