The document discusses objective and subjective testing. It defines objective testing as having a single correct answer, while subjective testing may have multiple correct answers or ways to express the answer. It notes that all tests require subjective judgment in scoring. The document provides examples of objective and subjective questions and discusses best practices for constructing objective multiple choice questions, including writing clear stems, answer options, and plausible distractors.

1. OBJECTIVE
TESTING
Prepared by :
ALEXIS JOHN B.
BENEDICTO
Bachelor of Secondary Education (Major in English)
Publication Adviser “The Herald” , Former Editor in
Chief of the Clarion, Most outstanding Student Teacher,
Most outstanding English Teacher, Journalism
Awardees, Most Promising Photojournalist, Champion
in Editorial Cartooning (teachers category), English
Coordinator, Back to back Champion Coach in the
Division and Regional English Language Festival
(Editorial Writing) Artist, Singer, Dancer

2. What’s the difference?
Objective assessment is a form of questioning which has a single
correct answer.
Subjective assessment is a form of questioning which may have
more than one correct answer (or more than one way of
expressing the correct answer). There are various types of
objective and subjective questions. Objective question types
include true/false answers, multiple choice, multiple-response
and matching questions. Subjective questions include
extended-response questions and essays. Objective
assessment is well suited to the increasingly popular
computerized or online assessment format.
Subjectivity can be a personal expression of assessment of
expressing a CORRECT answer.
Subjective assessment is a form of questioning which may have
more than one correct answer and/or more than one way of
expressing the correct answer, whereas opinion might in
addition to- also consist of unsubstantiated information, in

3. Objective and Subjective Testing
 are terms used to refer to the scoring of tests.
 all tests items no matter how they are devised,
required candidates to exercise a subjective
judgment. (Ex. An Essay Test)
 furthermore, all tests constructed subjectively by
The tester, who decides which areas of language
to test, how to test those particular areas, and
what kind of items to use for this purpose.
 thus, it is only the scoring of a test that can be
described as Objective. This means that a testee
will occur the same mark no manner which
examiner marks the test.

4. Subjective or Objective?
1. You went to live in Cairo two years ago.
Someone asks you how long you have lived
there?

5.  The item is largely subjective since the response
maybe whatever students wish to say. Some answers
will be better than others, thus perhaps causing a
problem in the scoring of the item. How for instance
ought each of the following answers to be marked?
Ans. 1: I’ve been living in Cairo since 1986
Ans. 2: I didn’t leave Cairo since 1986
Ans. 3: I have lived in the Cairo for about two years.
Ans. 4: From 1986
Ans. 5: I came to live here before 1986 and I still live
here.
Ans. 6: Since 1986 my home is in Cairo.

6. It is difficult to achieve reliability because there are so
many different degrees of acceptability and ways of
scoring all the possible responses.
Example: Complete the sentences by putting the best
word by each blank.
1. ‘Is your home still in Cairo?’
‘Yes, I’ve been living here_____1986.
a. for b. on c. in d. at e. since

7. Objective Test
 frequently criticised on the grounds that they are
simpler than subjective tests.
 another criticism is that objective tests of the
multiple choice type encourage guessing.
 An objective test will be a very poor test if:
-the test items are poorly written;
-irrelevant areas and skills are emphasized in the
tests simply because they are ‘testable’; and
-it is confined to languages-based usage and
neglects the communicative skills involved.

8. It should never be claimed that objective tests can do
those tasks which they are not intended to do. As already
indicated, they can never test the ability to communicate
in the target language, nor can they never evaluate
actual performance.
A GOOD CLASSROOM TEST WILL USUALLY CONTAIN BOTH
SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE TEST ITEMS.

9. Multiple-Choice Items: General
 One of the most widely used types of items in
objective tests.
 One of the most difficult and time consuming
types of items to construct, numerous poor
multiple choice now abound.
 The chief criticism of the multiple-choice item,
however is that frequently it does not lend itself to
the testing of language as communication.

10. Before Constructing any test items
the test writer must:
 Determine the actual areas to be covered by
multiple-choice items and the number of items to
be included in the test.
 The test must be long enough to allow for a
reliable assessment of a testee’s performance
and short enough to be practicable.
 The number of items included in a test will vary
according to the level of difficulty, the natures of
the area being tested, and purpose of the test.

11. STEM- initial part of each multiple-choice item.
OPTIONS/RESPONSES/ALTERNATIVES- the choices
from which the students selects their answers.
Two Types of Option:
1. answer, correct option or key
2. distractors- to distract the majority of poor students
from the correct option

12. General Principle in Constructing a
Multiple-Choice Test
1. Each multiple-choice item should have only one answer.
2. Only one feature at a time should be tested: it is usually
less confusing for the testees and it helps to reinforce a
particular teaching point. Impure items word order and
sequence of tenses are tested simultaneously.
3. Each option should be grammatically correct when
placed in the stem, except of course in the case of
specific grammar test item items.
4. All multiple choice items should be at a level appropriate
to the proficiency level of the testees.

13. 5. Multiple-Choice items should be as brief and as clear
as possible.
6. In many tests, items are arranged in rough order of
increasing difficulty.

14. Multiple-Choice Items: The Stem, The
Correct Option, The Distractors

15. The Stem
1. The primary purpose of the stem is to present the
problem clearly and concisely.
2. The stem may take the following forms.
a. an incomplete statement
b. a complete statement
c. a question
3. The stem should usually contain those words or phrases
which would otherwise have to be repeated in each
option.
4. The stem should allow for the number of choices which
have been decided upon.

16. The Correct
For normal purposes of testing, this should be
clearly the correct or best option: thus, it is most
important that each item should be checked by
another person.
Note: The correct option should be approximately
the same length as the distractors.

17. The Distractor
Plausible Distractors are best based on:
a. mistakes in the students’ own written work.
b. their answers in previous tests,
c. the teacher’s experience, and
d. a contrastive analysis between the native and
target languages.

18. Rememaber:
1. Distractors should be reasonably attractive and
plausible.
2. For most purposes, each distractor should be
grammatically correct when it stands by itself:
otherwise testees will be exposed to incorrect forms.
3. Distractors should not be too difficult nor demand a
higher proficiency in language than the correct
option.
4. Capitals are only used in options which occur at the
beginning of a sentence.