The standard error of measurement usefully provides confidence limits for scores in a given test, but is it possible to quantify the reliability of a test with just a single number that allows comparison of tests of different format? Reliability coefficients do not do this, being dependent on the spread of examinee attainment. Better in this…

The use of objective tests in higher education, both as an additional dimension to examinations and as part of the teaching and learning process, is considered. Specific concerns are the characteristics, functions, and limitations and the appropriate systems of organization and management of tests. The following types of objective items are…

In this paper 45 item-writing rules for multiple-choice tests presented in textbooks on educational measurement in a previous study are identified. The current study presents a quantitative review of the literature with respect to the empirical and theoretical evaluation of these principles of item-writing. Fifty-six studies that addressed at…

The objectives for this study were to: (1) develop a valid, reliable measure of test-wiseness with equivalent forms for use with students in the health sciences; and (2) determine the level of test-wiseness of entering medical students. The test-wiseness areas included in this study were: similar options, umbrella term, item give-away, convergence…

Despite the popularity of both multiple-choice (MC) and true-false (TF) items, most investigations comparing the two formats have done so to determine the optimum number of choices to be given to students within a given time period. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the reliabilities and the validities of both formats when the items…

The secondary level English proficiency (SLEP) test is a group administered 150 item multiple-test of English language proficiency that includes two subscores and eight different item types. It is designed to assess a foreign student's readiness for English medium instruction at the secondary level. This paper reports on two studies which were…

This fifty item multiple choice test was developed by Portland Public Schools, Maine, to assess middle school students' understanding of the concepts presented in the "Responsibility" unit of the "Law in a Free Society" materials published by the California Bar Association. These materials deal with eight concepts for…

The viewpoint is expressed that adding to test reliability by either selecting a more homogeneous set of items, restricting the range of item difficulty as closely as possible to the most efficient level, or increasing the number of items will not add to test validity and that there is considerable danger that efforts to increase reliability may…

Listening comprehension and reading comprehension editions of an experimental test were devised to provide equivalent measures from which raw scores would be directly comparable. The test was designed for a four-place multiple-choice category format. Forms A and B were administered on a rotation basis for the study. The testing population…

Probabilistic testing involves having the examinee assign probabilities to each of the options of a multiple-choice item. These probabilities reflect the student's perception of the correctness of each option. What is presented in the paper is a rationale for probability testing, the current theoretical and empirical findings, and some suggested…

The problems stated at the outset were: to discover whether information provided by confidence testing would result in a more accurate assessment of student knowledge so more personal individualized instruction could be presented, and whether sufficient precise data could be attained to be of significant aid in curriculum planning. Analysis has…

A study designed to compare the reliabilities of multiple choice and true-false tests that were constructed to measure the same objectives was conducted. The impetus for this study came from the research reported by Ebel (1971) on the same topic. Subjects were selected from six public high schools. Three phases of testing were required for…

Two multiple choice forms of two cloze reading tests were developed from responses to the cloze forms by college undergraduates. These tests were investigated using the original keys, empirical keys, and option weighted keys. Reliability and validity data are reported. (Author/JKS)

A multiple true-false item is one where a testee has to identify statements as true or false within a cluster (of two or more) of such statements. Clusters are then scored as items. This study showed such a procedure to yield less reliable results than traditional true-false items. (JKS)