Multiple true-false (MTF) items are a widely used supplement to the commonly used single-best answer (Type A) multiple choice format. However, an optimal scoring algorithm for MTF items has not yet been established, as existing studies yielded conflicting results. Therefore, this study analyzes two questions: What is the optimal scoring algorithm…

Background: The effect of note-taking has been well-recognized by EFL educators. However, little empirical research has been done to investigate combined effects of note-taking instruction and note-taking language (whether in L1 or L2) in an acquisition-poor environment, where English is used as an instructional language yet the audience is…

Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz in standard true-false format was completed by 180 sociology students, a revised multiple-choice version by 195 students. The multiple-choice test decreased guessing, had greater internal consistency and reliability, tended to have higher discriminatory power, and identified more specifically misconceptions about…

An alternate-choice test item is a simple declarative sentence, one portion of which is given with two different wordings. For example, "Foundations like Ford and Carnegie tend to be (1) eager (2) hesitant to support innovative solutions to educational problems." The examinee's task is to choose the alternative that makes the sentence…

The congruence among students' predictions of grades before taking short-answer and essay tests, their estimations of grades after taking the tests, and the actual grades was studied for 69 college students. There was a significant, but slight, positive relationship between students' judgments and their actual grades. (SLD)

A correlational analysis was performed to examine the relationship between recognition and recall test formats. A total of 236 college students completed one of four 80-item general knowledge tests; the forms contained 20 items of each of four formats: (1) true; (2) false; (3) multiple-choice; and (4) free response. Ninety-three of the subjects…

The effect on examinee performance of the rule that multiple-choice (MC) test items require the acceptance of 1 choice was examined for 106 dental students presented with choices in MC and multiple true-false formats. MC items force examinees to select one choice, which causes artificial acceptance of correct/incorrect choices. (SLD)

Reports that no significant difference in reliability appeared between a heterogeneous and a homogeneous form of the same general science matching-item test administered to 316 sixth-grade students but that scores on the heterogeneous form of the test were higher, independent of the examinee's sex or intelligence. (SB)

Forty three-option multiple choice (MC) statements on a midterm examination were converted to 120 true-false (TF) statements, identical in content. Test forms (MC and TF) were randomly administered to 50 undergraduates, to investigate the validity and internal consistency reliability of the two forms. A Kuder-Richardson formula 20 reliability was…

Coded, as opposed to free response items, in a multiple choice physiology test had a cueing effect which raised students' scores, especially for lower achievers. Reliability of coded items was also lower. Item format and scoring method had an effect on test results. (GDC)

Several multiple-choice item formats are examined in the current climate of test reform. The reform movement is discussed as it affects use of the following formats: (1) complex multiple-choice; (2) alternate choice; (3) true-false; (4) multiple true-false; and (5) the context dependent item set. (SLD)

The psychometric properties of objective tests administered in two testing conditions were compared, using an experimental take-home testing condition and a traditional in-class testing condition. Subjects were 290 college students in a basic educational psychology course who took a test developed and tested the previous semester. Two equivalent…

The impact of frequency of classroom testing on achievement was studied for nearly 2,000 tenth grade male biology students in Saudi Arabia tested monthly or semimonthly. Students tested more often outperformed others on end-of-semester and delayed recall (three months) tests. (SLD)

Responses to American College Test College Outcome Measures Program (ACT-COMP) items by 481 black and 9,237 white students at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) were analyzed using F. Samejima's graded model to determine the level of differential item functioning (DIF). Students had been tested using Form 8 of the ACT-COMP objective test…

A comparison is presented of alternate-choice and true-false item forms used in an undergraduate natural science course. The alternate-choice item is a modified two-choice multiple-choice item in which the two responses are included within the question stem. This study (1) compared the difficulty level, discrimination level, reliability, and…