Showing 1 - 2 of 2 Research Library Publications

An Experimental Comparison of Multiple-Choice and Short-Answer Questions on a High-Stakes Test for Medical Students

Posted: | Janet Mee, Ravi Pandian, Justin Wolczynski, Amy Morales, Miguel Paniagua, Polina Harik, Peter Baldwin, Brian E. Clauser

Advances in Health Sciences Education

 

Recent advancements enable replacing MCQs with SAQs in high-stakes assessments, but prior research often used small samples under low stakes and lacked time data. This study assesses difficulty, discrimination, and time in a large-scale high-stakes context

Category:Assessment-Oriented Research, Links to Outcomes, General Measurement

The Optimal Number of Options for Multiple-Choice Questions on High-Stakes Tests: Application of a Revised Index for Detecting Nonfunctional Distractors

Posted: | M.R. Raymond, C. Stevens, S.D. Bucak

Adv in Health Sci Educ 24, 141–150 (2019)

 

Research suggests that the three-option format is optimal for multiple choice questions (MCQs). This conclusion is supported by numerous studies showing that most distractors (i.e., incorrect answers) are selected by so few examinees that they are essentially nonfunctional. However, nearly all studies have defined a distractor as nonfunctional if it is selected by fewer than 5% of examinees.

Category:Assessment-Oriented Research, General Measurement