A Multiple-choice test on leadership was administered to 98 officer candidates in residence at the officer training school, Lackland Air Force Base. Less than one hour was devoted to instructing the officer candidates on how to take a valid confidence test, and the normal time was then allowed for the students to respond to the 58 test items.…

A potentially valuable measure of overconfidence on probabilistic multiple-choice tests was evaluated. The measure of overconfidence was based on probabilistic responses to nonsense items embedded in a vocabulary test. The test was administered under both confidence response and conventional choice response directions to 208 undergraduate…

An examinee is required to express his confidence in the correctness of each choice of a multiple-choice item in a probabilistic test. For the responses to be valid indicators the confidence expressed in each choice should be determined by an examinees' knowledge. This study assessed the relationship of the certainty of examinees' responses to…

The study was an experimental investigation of the effects of item difficulty and subject ability on subjects answer-changing behaviors. Subjects were administered an achievement test composed of items at three levels of difficulty via slides, followed by a printed copy of the test. Analyses revealed no effects attributable to subject ability.…

This questionnaire assesses drug use and attitudes toward drugs among college students. The 24 multiple choice items deal with personal data, use practices, use history, future use, and drug laws. The instrument is untimed and self-administering. Item response data and findings for a sample of 2,145 students are reported in: "A Survey of Drug Use…

A 30-item multiple-choice word analogy test and a corresponding 30-item picture analogy test (in which the pictures corresponded to the words in the word analogy test) were administered to 289 Civil Service employees. The equivalence of semantic (word) and figural (picture) test presentation of the same items was determined by comparing the…

The results of five studies into the characteristics of wrong answers as a class of divergent behavior are presented. The evidence from these studies, when taken in combination, suggests that the tendency of researchers to ignore wrong answers has been a fundamental procedural error of broad scope and serious consequences. Instead of the straight…

Sample multiple-choice questions are examined for testing for three levels of knowledge in general biology: background or factual, operational, and analytic-synthetic. (ND)

Results of a study investigating the accuracy of absolute minimal performance levels for multiple choice examinations enhanced confidence in the validity of predetermined passing standards for the criterion referenced tests used by the schools of basic medical sciences at the University of Illinois. (JT)

Identifies and describes testing options available to history teachers. Tests discussed include essay, objective, true-false, multiple choice, identification, take-home, oral, and fill-in. Tips are presented to aid teachers in developing tests which are valid, reliable, and fair. Journal availability: see SO 507 033. (DB)

TESTER, a computer program which produces individualized objective tests from a pool of items, is described. Available in both PL/1 and FORTRAN, TESTER may be executed either interactively or in batch. (Author/JKS)

Presents a matrix showing the types, domains, uses, advantages, and disadvantages of teacher-made paper and pencil and performance evaluation instruments, and considers some of the factors involved in deciding which to use. (CMV)

Presents research findings on several aspects of multiple-choice testing: (1) Effect of guessing; (2) Effect of changing the initial response; (3) Effect of item order alteration; (4) Optimum number of chores; (5) Position response set; and (6) Assessment of partial knowledge. (HM)

Reviews differences in responses by 16 year old boys and girls to multiple choice questions in an English language examination. Findings indicate that examiners should base questions equally on life experiences of males and females to avoid giving undue advantage to either sex. (Author/DB)

Describes a study of the accuracy of student responses on objective tests. Investigators examined the frequency of correctness on initial responses versus changed responses, and the relationship to degree of familiarity of the content. Results show that changing test answers tends to produce more right than wrong answers by more students.…