Guidelines for Constructing Objective Tests

1. Download the test for this activity by clicking on the link below.

2. Take the test, then, identify its errors.

3. Read the material presented in this web page. After reading the material, you will be presented with a second activity, that is a continuation of this activity.

4. Participate in a threaded discussion about the errors in this test.

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Advantages

• A lot of vocabulary can be assessed in a minimal time
• Construction is relatively easy

Disadvantages

• The understanding assessed is likely to be trivial (recall/knowledge level)
• Difficult to avoid ambiguity in constructing questions
• Scoring requires careful reading for unanticipated but correct answers

Do's

1. Leave only important terms blank.
2. Keep items brief.
3. Limit the number of blanks per statement to one, at the most two for older students.
4. Limit the response called for to single words or very brief phrases.
5. Try to put the blanks near the end of the statement (or better yet, see 9 and 4 below).
6. Try to ensure that only one term fits each blank.
7. Indicate the units if the answer called for involves a numerical measure.
8. Give students credit for unanticipated yet correct responses.
9. Number the blanks and provide lines down the right-hand side of the page, all of the same length, for students to write their answers. (If you're left-handed, put them on the left.)

Don'ts

1. Lift statements directly from the book.
2. Use "a" or "an" before a blank; make it "a/an" if needed to make it grammatical.
3. Count a misspelled or non-grammatical answer entirely wrong. Let students know in advance that spelling and grammar count.
4. Provide lines in the statement, e.g., "water and alcohols are ____________ molecules." Instead, use numbered blanks that are all of the same length, e.g., "water and alcohols are examples of –1– molecules" and "water in its gaseous state is called –2– ."

Advantages

• Many topics can be covered in the time available for students to respond.
• These questions are quickly and easily scored.

Disadvantages

• The understanding assessed is likely to be trivial (recall/knowledge level).
• It is difficult to avoid ambiguity in constructing these questions.
• The odds of guessing a correct answer are 50:50.
• Better students tend to read too much into the questions.

Do's

1. Use a single point that determines the truth of the statement. An example violation: The cm is larger than the mm and the mm is larger than the dm.
2. Take care with grammar and spelling.
3. Use a single clause, simply and directly stated; if two clauses are used, the main clause should be true and the subordinate clause true or false. An example violation: Lilies are considered annuals because their bulbs live from year to year.
4. Have approximately half of the statements true and half false. It is easier to start with all true statements, then go back and change some to false statements.
5. Use a random pattern in the sequence of answers, e.g., ttfft is okay, tftft is not.

Don'ts

1. Use tricky questions.
2. Use unnecessary words and complicated content.
3. Use statements directly from the text. Rephrase them so students must at least have comprehended the material as opposed to recognizing it.
4. Avoid negatives; this means not just words like not or none, but negative prefixes and suffixes as well. Double negatives are never grammatical.
5. Avoid specific determiners. Statements with words such as generally, may, most, often, should, and usually are generally true. Statements with words such as all, alone, only, no, none, never, and always are generally false.

Advantages

• A large number of related ideas cans be addressed in a short period of time.
• Answers are easily and quickly scored.

Disadvantages

• Such questions are restricted to recognition of simple understandings.
• Clues are difficult to avoid.
• A common error is lack of consistency of relationship throughout the question.

Do's

1. Make certain that the relationship between the stems and the responses is the same throughout the question. For example, all of the items might be things OR events, but a combination of things and events is inappropriate. (Warning: this is more difficult than it appears!)
2. State the specific relationship between the stems and responses in the directions to the question. Check that it fits each stem and its response. If it doesn't, rework the question.
3. Put the stems ("question") column on the left and number them.
4. Put the blanks for students to record their answers next to the stems (or on an answer sheet).
5. Put the responses (answers) column on the right and letter them (capital letters).
6. Order the responses in some logical fashion, e.g., alphabetically, sequentially.
7. Make the stems longer than the responses.
8. Use between five and ten stems.
9. Provide more responses than needed (about 40-50% more than stimuli).

Don'ts

1. Split a matching question between pages.
2. Fail to check that directions state a relationship and that it is correct across the entire question.
3. Provide more than one correct response for a single stem, unless you've been very clear with the directions and have taught students to do this kind of question in advance.
4. Change the grammar across stems and responses, e.g., between plural and singular.

Advantages

• A large number of ideas can be addressed in a short period of response time.
• These questions are easily and quickly scored.
• Questions can elicit responses from all cognitive levels, from knowledge to evaluation.
• Questions can be improved over time by analyzing them in light of student performance.

Disadvantages

• It is time-consuming to write good items, especially those at higher cognitive levels.
• Test-wise and English fluent students tend to be favored.

Do's

1. Use the same number of distractors (wrong answers) for every question.
2. Use plausible distractors that are related to the stem and are similar in character; tricky, cute, and 'throw-away' ones are anathema.
3. Have all distractors (and the correct answer) about the same length.
4. Use correct grammar; if the stem is an incomplete sentence, each distractor should be grammatically consistent with it and complete the sentence.
5. Put all of the distractors in a single column, not side by side or in two columns.
6. Use reasonable vocabulary and avoid wordiness and ambiguity.
7. State the authority to be used in items calling for judgment.
8. Vary the position of the correct answer (the tendency is to make it B or C).
9. Examine questions carefully for subtle clues in word choice or phrasing.

Don'ts

1. Use specific determiners in distractors such as all, none, only, and alone because they usually indicate an incorrect answer. Likewise, avoid generally, often, usually, most, and may because they often indicate the correct answer.
2. Avoid negatives, including less obvious ones, such as without, because they can confuse or be missed by students; highlight the negative word if you find you must use one.
3. Provide clues in the stem, such as “a” or “an” at the end; put these articles with the distractors.
4. Avoid using "all of the above" and "none of the above." If you do use them, make them as frequently the incorrect answers as they are the correct answers.

1. If you didn't look at the sample test at the top of the page, view the test now (pop-up), or download the test in .pdf format. Read the questions carefully. Then, using what you have learned, rewrite the following questions so that they meet the guidlines detailed in the sections above:

• question 3 – matching *
• question 5 – completion
• question 7 – multiple choice
• question 8 – true/false
• question 10 – essay

*you may have to radically alter question 3 to fit the guidelines.

2. Format your rewritten questions into a test and post your results on blackboard. Discuss the posted tests with your classmates and select the test with the best formatting.