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    MCQ Checklist For Development Test Questions PDF

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    Rehan Asad
    This document provides guidelines for developing multiple choice questions (MCQs) and test items. It outlines the basic steps for developing MCQ items which include starting with an objective or key feature, writing the stem, formulating the correct answer, and developing distractors. The document provides detailed guidelines for writing clear and concise item stems, guidelines for correct or best answers such as avoiding clues to the correct response, and guidelines for developing plausible distractors. It also provides an overview of the steps for writing extended matching items and one-best answer items, with a focus on constructing a clear item stem. Resources for further guidance on developing high-quality test items are referenced.

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    MCQ Checklist For Development Test Questions PDF

    Uploaded by

    Rehan Asad
    293 views3 pages
    This document provides guidelines for developing multiple choice questions (MCQs) and test items. It outlines the basic steps for developing MCQ items which include starting with an objective or key feature, writing the stem, formulating the correct answer, and developing distractors. The document provides detailed guidelines for writing clear and concise item stems, guidelines for correct or best answers such as avoiding clues to the correct response, and guidelines for developing plausible distractors. It also provides an overview of the steps for writing extended matching items and one-best answer items, with a focus on constructing a clear item stem. Resources for further guidance on developing high-quality test items are referenced.

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    MCQ-Checklist-for-Development-Test-Questions.pdf

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    This document provides guidelines for developing multiple choice questions (MCQs) and test items. It outlines the basic steps for developing MCQ items which include starting with an objective or key feature, writing the stem, formulating the correct answer, and developing distractors. The document provides detailed guidelines for writing clear and concise item stems, guidelines for correct or best answers such as avoiding clues to the correct response, and guidelines for developing plausible distractors. It also provides an overview of the steps for writing extended matching items and one-best answer items, with a focus on constructing a clear item stem. Resources for further guidance on developing high-quality test items are referenced.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    293 views3 pages

    MCQ Checklist For Development Test Questions PDF

    Uploaded by

    Rehan Asad
    This document provides guidelines for developing multiple choice questions (MCQs) and test items. It outlines the basic steps for developing MCQ items which include starting with an objective or key feature, writing the stem, formulating the correct answer, and developing distractors. The document provides detailed guidelines for writing clear and concise item stems, guidelines for correct or best answers such as avoiding clues to the correct response, and guidelines for developing plausible distractors. It also provides an overview of the steps for writing extended matching items and one-best answer items, with a focus on constructing a clear item stem. Resources for further guidance on developing high-quality test items are referenced.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
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    The document discusses guidelines for developing test questions including writing stems, answers, and distractors. It also discusses writing extended matching questions.

    The stem should clearly state the task, be concise and avoid negative phrasing. It should include all necessary information to answer without looking at options.

    Distractors should be plausible, reflective of common errors, similar in construction and length, and not mutually exclusive. Irrelevant difficulty should be avoided.

    MCQ - CHECKLIST FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TEST QUESTIONS

    Guidelines for Item Structure


    Follow four basic steps for the development of test items:
    1. Start with the clinical presentation and the objective/key feature.
    2. Write the stem of the item.
    3. Formulate the correct or best answer.
    4. Develop four distractors (for a total of five possible answers.)

    The problem to be solved should be clearly defined in the stem. Candidates should not have to look at the
    options to determine what the item is requesting.

    If the incompletesentence format is used for the stem, the options should flow directly and grammatically
    from the stem.

    Guidelines for Item Stems


    The stem should be written in a clear and concise manner. If a clinical vignette is used, include information
    which is relevant to the case at hand. The stem must include a leadin that states the task required of the
    candidate (e.g.: make a diagnosis, order a test.)

    The question format for the leadin should be the preferred format. If the incompletesentence format is to be
    used at all, use it for very short stems.

    A wellconstructed stem should contain all the necessary content for a competent student to answer the item
    without having to read any of the options. A good test of this rule is to hide all the options and trying to
    answer the item question posed in the stem.

    Avoid using the negative form unless there is some merit from a clinical perspective to be measuring some
    negative aspects.

    Give clear directions as to what the candidate should be doing in order to identify the correct answer. The
    stem should clearly introduce what is expected of the candidate.

    Avoid tricky and overly complex items.


    Guidelines for Correct or Best Answers
    The correct answer should be clearly the only correct one or better than the distractors. If the best answer is
    sought, this should be clearly stated in the stem.

    Avoid making the correct answer clearly longer than the other options. If it is longer than the other options, try
    varying the length across all options.

    Avoid clues to the correct answer:


    using textbook wording in the correct answer and not in the distractors
    using specific determiners such as always, never, etc.
    the correct answer contains the exact wording of an important concept mentioned in the stem
    there is no link between the stem and some of the options
    there is lack of parallelism among the options (grammatical, structural, vocabulary, technical jargon)

    Guidelines for Distractors

    Distractors should be consistent with the stem.

    Distractors should be plausible; distractors should be developed with the acceptably competent
    student/clinician in mind. The distractors should include content which is reflective of common
    misconceptions or errors which are not acceptable. If the correct answer is of the besttype, can
    competent students make a case for one or several distractors? If so, reformulate those distractors. Can
    the question be answered by someone who does not know the correct answer?

    Acceptable distractors:
    are homogeneous in content (e.g., all are diagnoses or all are therapies)
    are incorrect or definitely inferior to the correct answer
    do not contain any hints to the correct answer
    would seem plausible and attractive to the uninformed
    are similar to the correct answer in construction and length
    are not mutually exclusive to each other or to information in the stem

    Examples of irrelevant difficulty would include:


    options are long, complicated or double
    numerical data is not stated consistently
    terms in the options are vague (e.g., rarely, usually)
    language in the options is not parallel
    options are in a nonlogical order
    None of the above is used as an option

    General Guidelines

    Keep options homogeneous in content and structure.


    Use as many functional distractors as possible.
    Avoid the use of humor as this can potentially distract students.
    Avoid the use of All of the above and None of the above as options.
    Avoid overlapping content in the correct answer and distractors.

    The Medical Council of Canada has developed a booklet Guidelines for the Development of Multiple
    Choice Questions that will help guide you towards good MCQ development by reviewing basic rules
    pertaining to item development, provide itemwriting techniques, provide examples of good and bad
    questions and explain our classification system.
    Follow this link for a complete copy of this booklet - http://www.mcc.ca/pdf/MCQ_Guidelines_e.pdf.pdf

    Overview of the Steps for Writing Extended-Matching Items


    1.

    2.

    3.
    4.
    5.

    Identify the theme for the set. The theme can be a chief complaint (eg, chest pain, fatigue), a disposition
    situation (eg, admission/discharge from the emergency department), a drug class (eg, antihypertensive
    agents, antibiotics).
    Write the lead-in for the set (eg, For each patient described below, select the most likely diagnosis). The
    lead-in indicates the relationship between the stems and options, clarifying the question posed for
    examinees. It is an essential component of an Extended-Matching set.
    Prepare the list of options. The list of options should be single words or very short phrases. List the
    options in alphabetical order unless there is a logical order.
    Write the items. The items within a set should be similar in structure. Most often, patient vignettes are
    appropriate.
    Review the items. Check to make sure that there is only a single best answer for each question. Also
    make sure that there are at least four reasonable distractors for each item. As a final check, it is
    recommended that you ask a colleague to review the items (without the correct answer indicated). If the
    colleague has difficulty determining the correct answer, modify the option list or the item to eliminate the
    ambiguity.

    Writing One-Best-Answer Items


    Constructing the Stem
    The vast majority of questions should be written with a clinical vignette. The stem should begin with the
    presenting problem of a patient, followed by the history (including duration of signs and symptoms), physical
    findings, results of diagnostic studies, initial treatment, subsequent findings, etc. Vignettes may include only a
    subset of this information, but the information should be provided in this specified order. The stem should consist
    of a single, clearly formulated problem.
    The lead-in of the stem must pose a clear question so that the examinee can pose an answer without looking at
    the options.
    Satisfying the cover-the-options rule is an essential component of a good question.
    Make sure that your stem:
    Focuses on important concepts rather than trivial facts
    Can be answered without looking at the options
    Includes all relevant facts; no additional data should be provided in the options
    Is not tricky or overly complex
    Is not negatively phrased (ie, avoid using except or not in the lead-in)

    NBME (National Board Medical Examiners) has developed a booklet Constructing Written Test
    Questions for the Basic and Clinical Sciences that will help guide you towards good examination
    development by reviewing basic rules pertaining to item development, provide itemwriting techniques,
    provide examples of good and bad questions and explain our classification system.
    Follow this link for a complete copy of this booklet - http://www.nbme.org/publications/item-writingmanual-download.html

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