Writing Better Multiple-Choice Questions

In a series of posts on the Teaching Professor Blog, Dr. Maryellen Weimer took on the challenge of improving college-level multiple choice tests. While multiple choice tests are a convenience for many professors, for instructors of blended and online courses they can be a necessity. The problem is, of course, that many instructors question what multiple choice tests are really testing -- student learning, or student ability to select an answer from a list of choices.

According to Dr. Weimer, not all multiple choice tests are bad tests. The real problem is crafting the right questions. According to the first post in the series, "A number of years ago, a cross-disciplinary faculty cohort reported that a third of their questions measured complex cognitive skills. An analysis showed that only 8.5% of their questions did, with the remaining testing basic comprehension and recall." Improving the quality of the questions, according to Dr. Weimer, can make multiple choice tests efficient and effective. In the second post, she provides some tips for writing good multiple choice questions, including:

• Don't write the entire test in one sitting, or you're likely to end up testing basic recall.
• To avoid confusing phrasing, state the question positively. Avoid negative phrasing that might confuse the reader and obscure the question.
• Make sure the right answer is brief and clear.
• Check for grammatical consistency between the question stem and the answer options. 

For more tips, read the full post from Faculty Focus.