Six undergraduate and three graduate classes (300 students) were given multiple-choice tests twice with subsequent evaluation of answer changes. Results indicate that, although instruction leads to a change in attitude in answer changing, the number of changes and overall gain due to changing do not change. (SLD)

When multiple-choice answer sheets are printed in the latent-image format, students may be required to select alternatives until they identify the correct one. This provides immediate feedback and permits use of more complicated test formats, but it also introduces novel ways to cheat and may engender substantial anxiety in test-takers unless…

This study examined characteristics of multiple-choice reading comprehension tasks suspected of influencing their difficulty, through administration of the California Achievement Tests to 158 deaf college students. Problem components evaluated included manifest content, psychologically salient features, and processing demands. Variation in item…

Argues that multiple-choice tests, if correctly constructed, are still effective assessment tools. Focuses on constructing multiple-choice questions that address course content objectives but also require higher order thinking. Lists and defines concepts and curriculum objectives. Includes standard and database multiple-choice questions that offer…

A recent study compared hands-on scientific inquiry assessment to assessments involving lab notebooks, computer simulations, short-answer paper-and-pencil problems, and multiple-choice questions. Creating high quality performance assessments is a costly, time-consuming process requiring considerable scientific and technological know-how. Improved…

Three experiments (initial total sample of 190 college students) examined students' long-term retention of knowledge learned in college courses. Results of all experiments suggest that students remember a great deal of what they learn up to 11 months later and that tutoring has positive effects on recall by tutors. (SLD)

Methods for detecting copying of multiple-choice test responses are reviewed and compared with respect to their effectiveness and the practicality of their application for groups of varying sizes. Reasons why effective detection methods are seldom applied in standardized and classroom testing are discussed. (SLD)

Examines the strategies used in answering a computerized multiple-choice test where all questions on a semantic topic were grouped together or randomly distributed. Findings indicate that students grouped by performance on the test used different strategies in completing the test due to distinct cognitive processes between the groups. (AEF)

Extended matching sets questions (EMSQs) are a form of multiple-choice question (MCQ) consisting of a stem (the question or scenario) with an extended number of possible answers. Although there is no consensus on their absolute format, for the purpose of this paper a multiple-choice question with ten or more alternative answers is considered to be…

This paper reflects on the ongoing debate surrounding the usefulness (or otherwise) of multiple-choice questions (MCQ) as an assessment instrument. The context is a graduate school of business in Australia where an experiment was conducted to investigate the use of assertion-reason questions (ARQ), a sophisticated form of MCQ that aims to…

Science educators face constant tradeoffs between allocating time to important topics and including more topics in the curriculum. We study 3,000 students experiencing 4 increasingly streamlined versions of a computer-enhanced middle school thermodynamics curriculum to investigate the impact of instructional time on knowledge integration.…

The confidence level (information-referenced testing; IRT) design is an attempt to improve upon the multiple choice format by allowing students to express a level of confidence in the answers they choose. In this study, the author evaluated student perceptions of the ease of use and accuracy of and general preference for traditional multiple…

The purpose of this study was to determine the immediate and long-term effectiveness of a university level conceptually-based health-related (CBHR) fitness course on health-related fitness (HRF) knowledge. Two hundred and seventy-seven students served as subjects. Subjects were grouped according to the following criteria. Group 1 represented…

The present study examined how a reader's subject knowledge, the analogy versus nonanalogy difference in text type, and type of test (written recall, sentence completion, and multiple choice) affect first language (L1) and second language (L2) reading comprehension. There were three participant groups: (a) 53 native Costa Ricans enrolled in…

At the end of a lecturing period examinations are used to take a snapshot of the level of knowledge of a student. It is essential that this snapshot be taken at the right moment. Particularly when a student fails, it is important to make sure that it is because his level of knowledge is not adequate, not because, for example, he had a severe…