Students know more than they think they know, so guessing gives better scores even when there's a penalty for errors. (JM)

This study compared the item difficulty, item discrimination, and test reliability of three forms of multiple-choice items: (1) one correct answer; (2) "none of the above" as a foil; and (3) "none of the above" as the correct answer. Twelve items in the three formats were administered in a college statistics examination. (BS)

To test further for efficacy of three-option achievement items, parallel three- and five-option item tests were distributed randomly to college students. Results showed no differences in mean item difficulty, mean discrimination or total test score, but a substantial reduction in time spent on three-option items. (Author/BS)

Test performances of sophomore medical students on a pretest and final exam (under guessing and no-guessing instructions) were compared. Discouraging random guessing produced test information with improved test reliability and less distortion of item difficulty. More able examinees were less compliant than less able examinees. (Author/RH)

The effects of statistical and cognitive difficulty ordering of test items, gender, and explicit labeling of item type on college students' test performance were assessed. A total of 137 male and 265 female undergraduates were administered two 40-item multiple choice tests. Results indicate significant effects for gender and use of labels, but…

Israeli student attitudes toward teacher-made essay versus multiple-choice exams were compared using 174 junior high school students initially and then partially replicated with 101 seventh and eighth grade students. The significance of the results for test construction are discussed, and suggestions are made regarding applications of test…

A computer program simulated guessing on multiple-choice test items and calculated deviation IQ's from observed scores which contained a guessing component. Extensive variability in deviation IQ's due entirely to chance was found. (Author/LMO)

Students were allowed to offset a poor examination grade by taking a second, equivalent exam. The repeat exam provided immediate reward for using the initial exam as a study guide. Students who took two or three repeat exams scored higher on the final exam than those who took fewer repeats. There was no "curving" of the exam scores. (Author/JDH)

A procedure for determining the reliability of an examinee knowing k out of n possible multiple choice items given his or her performance on those items is presented. Also, a scoring procedure for determining which items an examinee knows is presented. (Author/JKS)

In this study posttest performance resulting from total feedback, partial feedback, and no feedback in a multiple-choice test was compared. (RC)

Multiple choice tests are widely viewed as the most effective and objective means of assessment. Item development is the central component of creating an effective test, but test developers often do not have the background in item development. This document describes recall, application, and analysis, the three cognitive levels of test items. It…

Some examples of how students read test items are presented. The results of interviews with students who have taken a multiple-choice test indicate that they do not always solve problems on the test the way we think they do. (JP)

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether a "natural" four-alternative multiple choice item represents the same psychological task as a five-choice item rescored as a four-choice item. (Author)

Evidence from the present study indicates that the delay-retention effect is due primarily to the forgetting of interference-producing errors during the delay interval and, secondarily, to the increased time a subject spends studying the feedback after a delay. (Authors)

Critical evaluation of testing programs as a language barrier in English courses in African educational systems. (RS)