The Relationship between the Distribution of Item Difficulties and Test Reliability.

Feldt, Leonard S.

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Peer reviewed

ERIC Number: EJ466279

Record Type: Journal

Publication Date: 1993

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ISSN: ISSN-0895-7347

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The Relationship between the Distribution of Item Difficulties and Test Reliability.

Feldt, Leonard S.

Applied Measurement in Education, v6 n1 p37-48 1993

The recommendation that the reliability of multiple-choice tests will be enhanced if the distribution of item difficulties is concentrated at approximately 0.50 is reinforced and extended in this article by viewing the 0/1 item scoring as a dichotomization of an underlying normally distributed ability score. (SLD)

Descriptors: Ability, Difficulty Level, Guessing (Tests), Mathematical Models, Multiple Choice Tests, Scoring, Statistical Distributions, Test Construction, Test Items, Test Reliability

Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative; Journal Articles

Education Level: N/A

Audience: N/A

Language: English

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