Results of 96 theoretical/empirical studies were reviewed to see if they support a taxonomy of 43 rules for writing multiple-choice test items. The taxonomy is the result of an analysis of 46 textbooks dealing with multiple-choice item writing. For nearly half of the rules, no research was found. (SLD)

This book explains writing effective multiple-choice test items and studying responses to items to evaluate and improve them, two topics that are very important in the development of many cognitive tests. The chapters are: (1) "Providing a Context for Multiple-Choice Testing"; (2) "Constructed-Response and Multiple-Choice Item Formats"; (3)…

Two item-writing rules were tested: phrasing stems as questions versus partial sentences; and using the "none-of-the-above" option instead of a specific content option. Results with 228 college students do not support the use of either stem type and provide limited evidence to caution against the "none-of-the-above" option.…