With end of semester finals looming, many of you are likely preparing final tests for your courses. With that in mind, here is a resource that highlights several points to keep in mind when creating multiple-choice questions. I don’t often have an opportunity to use multiple-choice tests in my courses, but on the rare occasion that I have had to sit down to create the questions, I have often found the task more challenging than one might expect.
What is interesting about the article “Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Multiple-Choice Questions” is that it explains mistakes we might be making when writing multiple-choice questions. For example, apparently the most common location for the right answer in a multiple-choice question is option C or D. Also, the author suggests that there is also such a thing as the “too long to be wrong” type of answer, and if you have ever had to write a multiple-choice test for a subject you didn’t know well, you might have employed some of these strategies to determine which answer is the right one.
To find out more, read the entire article here: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational-assessment/seven-mistakes-avoid-writing-multiple-choice-questions/
And if you’re interested in taking part in a brief tutorial on writing multiple choice questions, try this link through the University of Victoria: https://hotpot.uvic.ca/howto/mcquestion.htm
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