ASSESMENT

OF
STUDENT LEARNING
Different
types
SUBMITTED BY:
of a test
SUNNY BALDON
BSE 3 - ENGLISH

SUBMITTED TO:

DR. ANA LIZA P. BORDADO

Instructor
 CONTENTs Multiple choice

Multiple choice questions are composed of one

question (stem) with multiple possible answers
Different types of a test (choices), including the correct answer and several
incorrect answers (distractors). Typically, students
 Multiple choice select the correct answer by circling the associated
number or letter, or filling in the associated circle on
the machine-readable response sheet. A multiple-
 True or false
choice test usually has dozens of questions or
"items." For each
 Matching type question, the test- taker is supposed to select the
"best" choice among a set of four or five options.
 Essays (They are sometime called "selected-response
tests.")

 Oral exams

 Short answer
10 Rules for Writing Multiple Choice Questions test’s validity. If you’re really stuck, get help from your friendly
SME. (BTW, this word can also be spelled as “distracter.”)
Rule #.1
Test comprehension and critical thinking, not just recall Rule #5:
Keep all answer choices the same length
Multiple choice questions are criticized for testing the
superficial recall of knowledge. You can go beyond this by This can be difficult to achieve, but expert test-takers
asking learners to interpret facts, evaluate situations, explain can use answer length as a hint to the correct answer. Often
cause and effect, make inferences, and predict results. the longest answer is the correct one. When I can’t get all four
Rule #.2 answers to the same length, I use two short and two long
Use simple sentence structure and precise wording Rule #6
Avoid double negatives
Write test questions in a simple structure that is easy to No big news here, right? Don’t use combinations of
understand. And try to be as accurate as possible in your these words in the same question: not, no, nor, the -un prefix,
word choices. Words can have many meanings depending on etc. For example, this type of question could confuse test-
colloquial usage and context. takers: ‘Which of the following comments would NOT be
unwelcome in a work situation?’ Flip it around and write it in
Rule #.3 the positive form: ‘Which of the following comments are
Place most of the words in the question stem acceptable in a work situation?’

If you’re using a question stem, rather than an entire Rule #.7

question, ensure that most of the words are in the stem. This Mix up the order of the correct answers
way, the answer options can be short, making them less
confusing and more legible. Make sure that most of your correct answers aren’t in
the “b” and “c” positions, which can often happen. Keep
Rule #4 correct answers in random positions and don’t let them fall
Make all distractors plausible into a pattern that can be detected. When your test is written,
go through and reorder where the correct answers are placed,
All of the wrong answer choices should be completely if necessary.
reasonable. This can be very hard to accomplish, but avoid
throwing in those give-away distractors as it detracts from the Rule #.8
Keep the number of options consistent
 Advantages
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  Quick and easy to score, by hand or electronically
‘c’ in the next? It’s something of a user interface issue. Making  Can be written so that they test a wide range of higher-
the number of options consistent from question to question order thinking skills
helps learners know what to expect. Research doesn’t seem  Can cover lots of content areas on a single exam and
to agree on whether 3 or 4 or 5 options is best. Personally, I still be answered in a class period
like to use 4 options. It feels fair. Disadvantages
 Often test literacy skills: “if the student reads the
question carefully, the answer is easy to recognize
Rule #9 even if the student knows little about the subject” (p.
Avoid tricking test-takers 194)
 Provide unprepared students the opportunity to guess,
As faulty as they are, tests exist to measure and with guesses that are right, they get credit for
knowledge. Never use questions or answer options that could things they don’t know
trick a learner. If a question or its options can be interpreted in  Expose students to misinformation that can influence
two ways or if the difference between options is too subtle, subsequent thinking about the content
then find a way to rewrite it.  Take time and skill to construct (especially good
question.
Rule #.10 To make your good exams better, and to make your
Use ‘All of the Above’ and ‘None of the Above’ with better exams the best, try to avoid these exam writing
caution mistakes.
I hate this rule because when you run out of
distracters, All of the Above and None of the Above can come
in handy. But they may not promote good instruction. Here’s 1. Poorly Written Stems
why. All of the Above can be an obvious give-away answer
when it’s not used consistently. Also, the All of the  A stem is the section of a multiple-choice item that
Above option can encourage guessing if the learner thinks poses the problem that the students must answer.
one or two answers are correct. In addition, the downside Stems can be in the form of a question or an
to None of the Above is that you can’t tell if the learner really incomplete sentence. Poorly written stems fail to state
knew the correct answer. clearly the problem when they are vague, full of
irrelevant data, or negatively written.
 c. Homogenous samples.
a. Avoid vague stems by stating the problem in d. Independent samples.
the stem:  Good Example
Poor Example  When analyzing your students’ pretest and posttest
California: scores to determine if your teaching has had a
a. Contains the tallest mountain in the United States. significant effect, an appropriate statistic to use is the t-
b. Has an eagle on its state flag. test for:
c. Is the second largest state in terms of area. *a. Dependent samples.
*d. Was the location of the Gold Rush of 1849. b. Heterogenous samples.
Good Example c. Homogenous samples.
What is the main reason so many people moved to California d. Independent samples.
in 1849?  c. Avoid negatively worded stems by
a. California land was fertile, plentiful, and inexpensive. stating the stem in a positive form:
*b. Gold was discovered in central California.  Poor Example
c. The east was preparing for a civil war.  A nurse is assessing a client who has pneumonia.
d. They wanted to establish religious settlements. Which of these assessment findings indicates that the
client does NOT need to be suctioned?
b. Avoid wordy stems by removing irrelevant a. Diminished breath sounds.
data: *b. Absence of adventitious breath sounds.
Poor Example c. Inability to cough up sputum.
 Suppose you are a mathematics professor who wants d. Wheezing following bronchodilator therapy.
to determine whether or not your teaching of a unit on  Good Example
probability has had a significant effect on your  Which of these assessment findings, if identified in a
students. You decide to analyze their scores from a client who has pneumonia, indicates that the client
test they took before the instruction and their scores needs suctioned?
from another exam taken after the instruction. Which a. Absence of adventitious breath sounds.
of the following t-tests is appropriate to use in this b. Respiratory rate of 18 breaths per minute.
situation? *c. Inability to cough up sputum.
 *a. Dependent samples. d. Wheezing prior to bronchodilator therapy.
b. Heterogenous samples.  Note: Test Writing experts believe that negatively
worded stems confuse students.
 2. Poorly Written Alternatives b. The location of the tallest mountain in the United
States.
 The alternatives in a multiple-choice item consist of the
c. The state with a beaver on its flag.
answer and distractors that are inferior or incorrect.
d. The “Treasure State.”
Faculty often find coming up with enough distractors to
 Good Example
be the toughest part of exam writing. Common
 Idaho is widely known for its:
mistakes in writing exam alternatives have to do with
a. Apples.
how the various alternatives relate. They should be
b. Corn.
mutually exclusive, homogenous, plausible and
*c. Potatoes.
consistently phrased.
d. Wheat
 Note: The good example tests students’ knowledge of
 a. Avoid Overlapping Alternatives Idaho’s agriculture. The poor example is confusing
 Poor Example because students are unsure if they are answering a
 What is the average effective radiation dose from chest question on Idaho’s agriculture, geography, flag or
CT? nickname.
a. 1-8 mSv 
b. 8-16 mSv
c. 16-24 mSv
 c. Avoid implausible alternatives:
d. 24-32 mSv  Poor Example
 Good Example  Which of the following artists is known for painting the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
 What is the average effective radiation dose from chest
a. Warhol.
CT?
b. Flintstone.
a. 1-7 mSv
*c. Michelangelo.
b. 8-15 mSv
d. Santa Claus.
c. 16-24 mSv
d. 24-32 mSv  Good Example
  Which of the following artists is known for painting the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
 b. Avoid Dissimilar Alternatives a. Botticelli.
 Poor Example b. da Vinci.
 Idaho is widely known as: *c. Michelangelo.
*a. The largest producer of potatoes in the United d. Raphael.
States.
 d. Avoid inconsistent phrasing of
alternatives: True or false
 Poor Example
 The term operant conditioning refers to the learning True/false questions are only composed of a
situation in which: statement. Students respond to the questions by
a. A familiar response is associated with a new indicating whether the statement is true or false. For
stimulus.
example: True/false questions have only two
b. Individual associations are linked together in
sequence. possible answers (Answer: True). A true or false
*c. A response of the learner is instrumental in leading question consists of a statement that requires
to a subsequent reinforcing event.
d. Verbal responses are made to verbal stimuli. a true or false response. There are other variations
 Good Example of the True or False format as well, such as: “yes” or
 The term operant conditioning refers to the learning
situation in which:
“no”, “correct” or “incorrect”, and “agree” or
a. A familiar response is associated with a new “disagree”
stimulus. Like multiple choice questions, true/false questions,
b. Individual associations are linked together in are most often used to assess familiarity with course
sequence. content and to check for popular misconceptions. It
*c. The learner’s response leads to reinforcement. Allow students to respond quickly so exams can use
d. Verbal responses are made to verbal stimuli.
a large number of them to test knowledge of a broad
 Note: The length of answer in the poor example is
longer than the distractors. Some students are keen at range of content and are easy and quick to grade but
spotting these changes. Also, the language in the poor time consuming to create.
example is from the textbook, but the distractors are in True/false questions provide students with a 50%
the instructor’s own words. The good example makes chance of guessing the right answer. For this reason,
the phrasing consistent in length and uses the multiple choice questions are often used instead of
instructor’s language.
true/false questions.
For writing good true/false items, 5 Rules for Writing True or False
Avoid
 Negatives and double-negatives Rule #. 1
 Long / complex sentences The item should include only one central significant
 Trivial material idea.
 Broad generalizations
 Ambiguous or indefinite terms Rule #. 2
Do use The statement must be precise that it can be judged as
 Your own words unequivocally true or false
 The same number of true and false statements (50 /
50) or slightly more false statements than true (60/40) – Rule #. 3
students are more likely to answer true The item should use sparingly negative statement and
 One central idea in each item must avoid double negatives. POOR

Advantages Rule #. 4
The statements are to be short and use simple
 Time-efficient administration and scoring:
language structure.
 Easy to write.
 Easy to score. Rule #. 5
 Scoring is objective. Avoid extraneous clues to the answer: a) Verbal clues
 More information is sampled from a great deal of such as “always”, “never”, “none”, “usually”, “may”
content. etc. must not be present in the statements. b) Length
 Effective when assessing misconceptions, cause-effect and complexity in the statements should not provide a
relations. clue
Disadvantage
 Measures only low level of learning - remembering and
understanding.
 Need a larger number of items to distinguish stronger
and weaker knowledge levels.
 Students have a 50 percent chance of being correct.
 Encourages guessing since there are only two
alternatives.
True / False Test Example

Enter answer of T or F for each question of this Matching Type

astronomy quiz.
Students respond to matching questions by pairing
1. The earth is the fourth planet from the each of a set of stems (e.g., definitions) with one of the
sun. choices provided on the exam. These questions are often
used to assess recognition and recall and so are most often
True used in courses where acquisition of detailed knowledge is an
False important goal. They are generally quick and easy to create
and mark, but students require more time to respond to these
2. The planet Venus has no moons. questions than a similar number of multiple choice or
True true/false items. Matching type of test -measures the ability to
identify the relationship between a set of similar items, each of
False
which has two components, such as words and their
definitions, symbols and their meanings, dates and events,
3.Jupiter is composed mostly of iron.
causes and effects, people and their accomplishments,
True problems and solutions.
False

4 The sun is a star of average size.

True
False

5 A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun passes

True
False
 Disadvantages of Matching Questions:

Match each question type with one attribute: May overestimate learning due to the influence of
guessing. May limit assessment to lower levels of
understanding.
1. Multiple Choice, Only two possible answers
2. True/False, Equal number of stems and choices
3. Matching, Only one correct answer but at least three
choices

Tips for creating Matching Questions

Writing good matching type items:
 Keep clues (left side) short. This allows users
Avoid to quickly view all options quickly.
 Long stems and options
 Use more matches (right side) than there are
 Heterogeneous content (e.g., dates mixed with people)
 Implausible responses
clues, for more of a challenge.
 Add clues (left side) in a logical order. Assists
Do use with finding answers more quickly.
 Short responses 10-15 items on only one page  Don't use too many items per question. You're
 Clear directions testing the material, not search ability.
 Logically ordered choices (chronological, alphabetical,  Add clear instructions
etc.)
 Keep matches (right side) plausible
 Use less matching options for younger Test
Advantages of Matching Questions: takers
 Shuffle matches and clues
Provide objective measurement of student knowledge.
Allow the comparison of related ideas, concepts or
theories.
Rules for Constructing Matching Type Rule
ESSAYS
Rule #.1
Check your objectives to make sure this type of Essay questions provide a complex prompt that
question is appropriate. requires written responses, which can vary in length
from a couple of paragraphs to many pages. Like short
Rule #.2
answer questions, they provide students with an
Give clear directions or instructions.
opportunity to explain their understanding and
Rule #.3 demonstrate creativity, but make it hard for students to
Use numbers to identify items in column A, capital arrive at an acceptable answer by bluffing. They can be
letters to identify response in column B or vice versa. constructed reasonably quickly and easily but marking
these questions can be time-consuming and grader
Rule #.4 agreement can be difficult.
Include more responses than premises or allow
responses to be used more than once or vice versa. Essay questions differ from short answer questions in that the
essay questions are less structured. This openness allows
Rule #.5
students to demonstrate that they can integrate the course
Arrange items in column B in logical order or vice
versa. material in creative ways. As a result, essays are a favored
approach to test higher levels of cognition including analysis,
Rule #.6 synthesis and evaluation. However, the requirement that the
Put the items with more words in column A. students provide most of the structure increases the amount
of work required to respond effectively. Students often take
Rule #.7
longer to compose a five-paragraph essay than they would
Keep the two sets of items homogeneous.
take to compose five one paragraph answers to short answer
Rule #.8 questions. This increased workload limits the number of essay
Avoid using pattern in the correct answers. questions that can be posted on a single exam and thus can
restrict the overall scope of an exam to a few topics or areas.
To ensure that this doesn’t cause students to panic or blank  Encourage use of subjective criteria when assessing
out, consider giving the option of answering one of two or answers
more questions.  If used in class, necessitate quick composition without
time for planning or revision, which can result in poor-
for writing essay, quality writing

Avoid
 Complex, ambiguous wording Rules for Essay type
 Questions that are too broad to allow time for an in-
depth response
Rule #.1
Do use Do not give too many lengthy questions.
 Your own words Rule #.2
 Words like ‘compare’ or ‘contrast’ at the beginning of The limits of areas and the behavior which you want
the question should be clearly mentioned
 Clear and unambiguous wording Rule #.3
 A breakdown of marks to make expectations clear According to the level of student, difficulty and
 Time limits for thinking and writing complexity items has to be selected

Advantages Rule #.4

Avoid phrases e.g. ‘Discuss briefly’
Rule #.5
 Offer students an opportunity to demonstrate Restrict the use of essay questions to those learning
knowledge, skills, and abilities in a variety of ways outcomes that cannot be satisfactorily measured by
 Can be used to develop student writing skills, objective items.
particularly the ability to formulate arguments Rule #.6
supported with reasoning and evidence State the question clearly and precisely and make clear
what information the answer should contain.
Disadvantages Rule #.7
Avoid the use of optional questions. If students answer
 Require extensive time to grade different questions it is obvious that they are taking
 different tests and so the common basis for evaluating
their achievement is lost.

SHORT ANSWER TEST Types of question

A short answer is a response made up of a subject and All short answer
an auxiliary verb or modal. A short answer is generally Avoid:
regarded as more polite than just an abrupt "yes" or "no."  Trivia
Conventionally, the verb in a short answer is in the same  Long / complex sentences
tense as the verb in the question. Short-answer questions are
open-ended questions that require students to create an Do use
answer. They are commonly used in examinations to assess  Your own words
the basic knowledge and understanding (low cognitive levels)  Specific problems
of a topic before more in-depth assessment questions are
 Direct questions
asked on the topic. Short answer questions can also be used
to test higher thinking skills, including analysis or
Fill-in-the-blank
evaluation. short answer questions make it difficult for
Avoid:
students to guess the answer. Short answer questions provide
 Taking out so many words that the sentence is
students with more flexibility to explain their understanding
meaningless
and demonstrate creativity than they would have with multiple
choice questions; this also means that scoring is relatively
Do use:
laborious and can be quite subjective.
 Prompts that omit only one or two key words at the
end of the sentence

Advantages
 Quick and easy to grade
 Quick and easy to write

Disadvantages
  Encourage students to memorize terms and details, so
that their understanding of the content remains
superficial

Rules for short answer

References
Rules #.1
Make sure that the answer will require only a few https://www.educationcorner.com/oral-tests.html
words.
Rules #.2 http://radiographics.rsna.org/content/26/2/543.full.pdf+
If a list is expected, limit the number of items to be html
listed to 6 or so.
Rules #.3 (http://testing.byu.edu/handbooks/betteritems.pdf
Write the stem in your own words; that is, don't use
wording directly from a text or reading assignments. http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/statistics-2/essay-test-types-
Rule #.4 advantages-and-limitations-statistics/92656
Make the stem complete enough so that the meaning is
clear. http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/statistics-2/essay-test-types-
Rule #.5 advantages-and-limitations-statistics/92656
When the stem is an incomplete statement, place the
"blank" for the correct choice at the end of the https://www.questionpro.com/article/multiple-choice-questions.html
statement.
Rule #.6 https://study.com/academy/lesson/characteristics-of-good-bad-
When a negative item is used, emphasize the negative multiple-choice-questions.html
word or phrase, that is, underline, capitalize, or italicize,
for example, "DOES NOT."