
RESEARCH LIBRARY
RESEARCH LIBRARY
View the latest publications from members of the NBME research team
Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics: Vol 45, Issue 5, 2020
This article describes a method for identifying and reporting unexpectedly high or low subscores by comparing each examinee’s observed subscore with a discrete probability distribution of subscores conditional on the examinee’s overall ability.
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.