The author presents a formula for scoring true-false and multiple-choice questions which produces a score directly related to the number of incorrect alternatives the student is able to eliminate on each question.

Leo Nedelsky developed a method for determining absolute grading standards for multiple choice tests. His method required a group of judges to examine each test question and eliminate those responses which the lowest D- student should be able to reject as incorrect. The correct answer probabilities remaining were used in computing an expected test…

This paper outlines a technique for differentially weighting options of a multiple choice test in a fashion that maximizes the item predictive validity. The rule can be applied with different number of categories and the "optimal" number of categories can be determined by significance tests and/or through the R2 criterion. Our theoretical analysis…

This pilot study compared two empirically-derived, option-weighting methods and the resultant effect on the reliability and validity of multiple choice test scores as compared with conventional rights-only scoring. (MM)

The purpose of this article is to discuss some recent developments in the scoring of multiple-choice items from two angles. The first consists of the recent developments in the test instructions of the conventional scoring procedures, and the second consists of a discussion of new scoring methods and formulas. (Author)

For (0, 1) scored multiple-choice tests, a formula giving test reliability as a function of the number of item options is derived, assuming the "knowledge or random guessing model," the parallelism of the new and old tests (apart from the guessing probability), and the assumptions of classical test theory. It is shown that the formula is a more…

The assumption that examinees either know the answer to a test item or else guess at random is usually totally implausible. A different assumption is outlined, under which formula scoring is found to be clearly superior to number right scoring. (Author)

In the past, several latent structure models have been proposed for handling problems associated with measuring the achievement of examinees. Typically, however, these models describe a specific examinee in terms of an item domain or they describe a few items in terms of a population of examinees. In this paper, a model is proposed which allows a…

Admissible probability testing is a way of administering multiple choice tests in which a student states his subjective probability that each alternative answer is correct. His response is then scored by an admissible scoring system designed so that the student will perceive that is is in his interest to report his true subjective probability.…

When multiple-choice tests are scored in the usual manner, giving each correct answer one point, information concerning response patterns is lost. A method for utilizing this information is suggested. An example is presented and compared with two conventional methods of scoring. (Author/JKS)

A rebuttal of Frary's 1969 article in Educational and Psychological Measurement. (MS)

The Serlin-Kaiser procedure is used to complete a principal components solution for scoring weights for all options of a given item. Coefficient alpha is maximized for a given multiple choice test. (Author/GK)

Use of choice-weighted scores as a basis for assigning grades in college courses was investigated. Reliability and validity indices offer little to recommend either type of choice-weighted scoring over number-right scoring. The potential for choice-weighted scoring to enhance the teaching/testing process is discussed. (Author/GK)