When running out of time on a multiple-choice test, some examinees are likely to respond rapidly to the remaining unanswered items in an attempt to get some items right by chance. Because these responses will tend to be incorrect, the presence of "rapid-guessing behavior" could cause these items to appear to be more difficult than they…

This paper describes a process used to assess the technical competency of non-direct line candidates for managerial positions in computer specialties. The Training and Experience (T&E) qualifying test, a multi-method approach combining task-based, computer scorable evaluations of training and experience with multiple-choice batteries, was used as…

Using multiple choice tests and a statistical method designed to identify flagrant cheaters, the authors undertook to determine (1) the magnitude of cheating on take-home and open-book exams; (2) whether the amount of cheating varied according to three types of examinations (closed-book, open-book or take-home); and (3) if cheating was affected by…

Some of the pitfalls in the construction of multiple choice tests are discussed and examples of invalid questions given. (RM)

Describes the development of multiple-choice test item bank for grade ten science by the Australian Council for Educational Research. Other item banks are also being developed at the grade ten level in mathematics and social science. (RH)

This study of survey research experts was conducted to determine desirable characteristics of mail questionnaires. The 82-item Likert-scale instrument used in the study covered general appearance, instructions, choice of items, choice of response options, wording, order of items, and item format. The instrument was administered to: 8 subjects who…

Research has shown that multiple-choice questions formed by transforming or paraphrasing a reading passage provide a measure of student comprehension. It is argued that similar transformation and paraphrasing of lesson questions is an appropriate way to form parallel multiple-choice items to be used as a posttest measure of student comprehension.…

This paper discusses the development and use of "item shells" in constructing multiple-choice tests. An item shell is a "hollow" item that contains the syntactic structure and context of an item without specific content. Item shells are empirically developed from successfully used items selected from an existing item pool. Use…

Students in an introductory college course (n=275) responded to equivalent 20-item halves of a test under number-right and formula-scoring instructions. Formula scores of those who omitted items overaged about one point lower than their comparable (formula adjusted) scores on the test half administered under number-right instructions. In contrast,…

This paper reviews the research literature regarding the importance of Witkin's theory of psychological differentiation, particularly the research on measures of field independence using perceptual disembedding tasks. The first phase of development of a multiple-choice perceptual disembedding measure, the Finding Embedded Figures Test, is…

The Alberta Canada Social Studies examination for grade 12 contains 70 multiple choice questions and two essay questions. The multiple choice questions cover political ideologies, economics, world geography, world history, and current events. The questions are often related to political cartoons, charts, maps or a series of quotations reproduced…

Specific steps for applying the Angoff method are described. In the Angoff method, judges are asked to estimate the probabilities of minimally competent candidates' answering multiple choice test items correctly. Initial information must be obtained for designing the standard-setting process, beginning with the purpose of the examination and any…

In this practical, easy-to-use guide, suggestions are made for setting educational objectives and preparing a teacher-made test. Specific suggestions are made for selecting items for essay tests, multiple choice tests, completion tests, matching tests, and true-false tests. (BW)

The test scores of some examinees on a multiple-choice test may not provide adequate measures of their abilities. The goal of appropriateness measurement is to identify such individuals. Earlier theoretical and experimental work considered examinees answering all, or almost all, test items. This article reports research that extends…

A new item type was developed, incorporating features of "ill-structured" problems in a multiple-choice format. The problems are similar to previously developed scientific thinking tasks in requiring the examinee to go beyond the information provided; they resemble a variant of the logical reasoning item type, but demand somewhat more structuring…