How to create multiple choice questions

HOW TO CREATE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS JENNIFER ANN MORROW, PH.D.

What is a multiple choice question(MCQ)?
According to Clegg and Cashin (1986), a multiple choice question contains three elements:
Item stem : this is the problem statement. It contains all the information necessary to answer the multiple choice question.
Correct option : this is the correct answer to the multiple choice question.
Distractors : these are the incorrect answers presented as alternatives to the correct answer in a multiple choice question.

Sample Multiple Choice Question
What is the name of the presenter today?
A. Dr. Marrow
B. Dr. Martin
C. Dr. Morrow
D. Dr. Morton
Item stem: “What is the name of the presenter today?”
Correct answer: C. Dr. Morrow
Distractors: A, B, & D

Advantages of MCQs
Easy to score
Can tap in to different cognitive levels (see Bloom’s Taxonomy)
Useful for diagnosing student difficulties (e.g., when you use common errors as distractors)
Provides an excellent basis for post-test discussion (you should discuss why distractors are wrong)
Requires relatively little time to answer

Disadvantages of MCQs
Items are open to misinterpretation by students
It can be time-consuming to construct “good” test items
It is difficult to create questions that tap in to higher levels of learning (i.e., Evaluation)
Creativity cannot easily be tested
Students may find that items are too picky
They encourage guessing

Bloom’s Taxonomy
B.S. Bloom and colleagues (1956) created a taxonomy which divides cognitive objectives into a hierarchy of subdivisions from the easiest to the most complex.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation

Knowledge
This is defined as the remembering of previously learned material. This is the lowest level of learning.These are the easiest types of MCQs to create.
Learning objectives at this level
Know common terms, Know specific facts
Know methods and procedures, Know basic concepts
Know principles
Question verbs: define, list, state, identify, label, name, who? when? where? what?

MCQ: Knowledge
What is the capital of Rhode Island?
Central Falls
Middletown
Portsmouth
Providence

Comprehension
This is defined as the ability to grasp the meaning of material.You can have respondents do the following:Translate material from one form to another, Interpret material, Estimate future trends
Understand facts and principles
Interpret verbal material
Translate verbal material to mathematical formulae
Estimate future consequences applied in data
Question verbs: Explain, predict, interpret, infer, summarize, convert, translate, give example, account for, paraphrase x ?

MCQ: Comprehension
Explain what is meant by the phrase “cogito ergo sum”?
I know, therefore I am
I am, therefore I know
I think, therefore I am
I am, therefore I think

Application
This refers to the ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations. Here you have to apply rules, methods, concepts, principles, laws, and/or theories.
Apply concepts and principles to new situations
Apply laws and theories to practical situations
Solve mathematical problems
Question verbs: How could x be used to y ? How would you show, make use of, modify, demonstrate, solve, or apply x to conditions y ?

MCQ: Application
If you have 8 $100 bills and you spend $200 on shoes and $100 on books what % of the original amount of money do you have left?
24.5%
37.5%
62.5%
86.5%

Analysis
This refers to the ability to break down material into its component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood.
Recognize unstated assumptions
Recognize logical fallacies in reasoning
Distinguish between facts and inferences
Evaluate the relevancy of data
Question verbs: Differentiate, compare / contrast, distinguish x from y, how does x affect or relate to y? why? how? What piece of x is missing / needed?

MCQ: Analysis
Compared to laboratory settings, field settings have more ______ validity and less ______ validity.
internal, external
construct, content
external, internal
content, construct

Synthesis
This refers to the ability to put parts together to form a new whole.
Write a well organized theme
Propose a plan for an experiment
Integrate learning from different areas into a plan for solving a problem
Formulates a new scheme for classifying objects
Question verbs: Design, construct, develop, formulate, imagine, create, change, write a short story and label the following elements:

MCQ: Synthesis
Change the below research scenario to make it a design that will allow you to show cause and effect and be able to generalize to a larger population.
Dr. Smith is conducting a study looking a differences in sense of belonging of first-year students. He is comparing two groups of students: Learning community and Traditional students. Students self-select into the above groups.
Use random assignment to groups
Use random selection of participants
Both A & B
None of the above

Evaluation
This is concerned with the ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose. This is the highest level of learning.
Judge the logical consistency of written material
Judge the value of a work
Judge the adequacy with which conclusions are supported by data
Question verbs: Justify, appraise, evaluate, judge x according to given criteria. Which option would be better/preferable to party y ?

MCQ: Evaluation
Evaluate the strength of research design described below:
Dr. Arnold randomly assigns 100 students who have elected to be in her study on pilot training. She controls for various confounding variables in her study. She utilizes a pretest- posttest control group design.
Excellent, it has high internal and external validity
Great, it has high internal validity and moderate external validity
Good, it has moderate internal validity and moderate external validity
Poor, it has low levels of both internal and external validity

Rules for Writing MCQs
Haladyna & Downing (1989) developed a set of rules one should follow when constructing MCQs. Some of them are:
Balance the key – this refers to where you place the correct answer in the response choices. You should vary where you place the correct answer.
Avoid the use of “None of the Above” – research has shown that these type of questions are more difficult and less reliable.

Rules for Writing MCQs (cont.)
Avoid complex multiple choice items – you should not have complex response options that combine many smaller items or phrases (e.g., a. 1, 2, 3; b. 1 and 3; c. 2 and 4…).
Keep the length of responses options fairly consistent – all of your response options should be approximately the same length so students can’t easily figure out the correct answer just by looking at the length of the response.

Avoid grammatical clues – don’t use any grammatical clues that will let students know which is the correct answer (e.g., use a/an and not just the one for the correct answer).
Avoid the use of humor when developing options – you should not use humor when constructing your distractors. This eliminates a response right away.

Keep the stem simple – don’t add extra information to the stem to fill up space and/or confuse students.
Avoid using negative phrasing in the stem – don’t use negative phrases such as never, not, etc. in the stem. If you have to use negative phrasing then bold or capitalize the negative word.

Use plausible distractors – all of you options should be logical and related to the material you are trying to test. Don’t put in foolish or nonsense distractors.
Avoid using “All of the Above” – research shows that this type of question is more difficult and less discriminating.
Avoid the option “I don’t know” – research shows that this is not a valid option.

Each item should ask only one question – keep the stem simple. Don’t make it possible for students to correctly check more than one answer.
Use simple terminology or terminology that students should know – spell out acronyms and/or define difficult-to-understand terms.
Underline, italicize, or use bold print to draw attention to important terms – use this especially if you include negative words in the stem.

Additional Tips for Creating MCQs
Limit the number of options – use 3 or 4 options. Avoid using 2 or more than 4.
Don’t lift phrases directly from the text or lecture – this encourages simple recall and not understanding.
Make sure questions are not culturally biased or contain sexist terminology – avoid using phrases that could be construed as racist or sexist (e.g., calling women girls), or which have a cultural bias.

Additional Tips for Creating MCQs
Write the correct answer before creating the distractors .
Include only one correct or best answer – don’t have multiple correct answers that students can choose from.
Put responses vertically below the stem – this makes it easier to read.
Avoid unnecessary repetition in the response options – if every response starts with the phrase “in the” then put “in the” as part of the stem.

MOST IMPORTANT RULE HAVE OTHERS REVIEW YOUR QUESTIONS – IF POSSIBLE GET FEEDBACK FROM MORE THAN ONE PERSON. WORK IN TEAMS AND CRITIQUE EACH OTHERS QUESTIONS

Assignment for 9/22
Create 6 multiple questions based on Dr. Whittecar’s theme readings. Create 2 questions that could be classified as either Knowledge or Comprehension questions, 2 questions that could be classified as Application questions, and 2 questions that could be classified as Analysis, Synthesis, or Evaluation questions.
Bring a typed copy of these to class with you on 9/22.

How to create multiple choice questions

by Jennifer Morrow

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