Procedural Principles: 

• Use either the best answer or the correct answer format.
  • The best answer format refers to a list of options that can all be correct in the sense that each has an advantage, but one of them is the best.
  • Correct answer format refers to one and only one right answer.
• Format the items vertically, not horizontally (i.e., list the choices vertically)
• Allow time for editing and other types of item revisions.
• Use good grammar, punctuation, and spelling consistently.
• Minimize the time required to read each item.
• Avoid trick items.
• Use the active voice.
• The ideal question will be answered by 60-65% of the tested population.
• Have your questions peer-reviewed.
• Avoid giving unintended cues – such as making the correct answer longer in length than the distractors.

Content-related Principles:

• Base each item on an educational or instructional objective of the course, not trivial information.
  • Test for important or significant information.
  • Focus on a single problem or idea for each test item.
  • Keep the vocabulary consistent with the examinees’ level of understanding.
  • Avoid cueing one item with another; keep items independent of one another.
  • Use the author’s examples as a basis for developing your items.
  • Avoid overly specific knowledge when developing items.
  • Avoid textbook, verbatim phrasing when developing the items.
  • Avoid items based on opinions.
  • Use multiple-choice to measure higher-level thinking.
  • Be sensitive to cultural and gender issues.
  • Use case-based questions that use a common text to which a set of questions refers.
• Stem Construction Rules:
  • State the stem in either question form or completion form.
  • When using a completion form, don’t leave a blank for completion in the beginning or middle of the stem.
  • Ensure that the directions in the stem are clear, and that wording lets the examinee know exactly what is being asked.
  • Avoid window dressing (excessive verbiage) in the stem.
  • Word the stem positively; avoid negative phrasing such as “not” or “except.” If this cannot be avoided, the negative words should always be highlighted by underlining or capitalization: Which of the following is NOT an example ……
  • Include the central idea and most of the phrasing in the stem.
  • Avoid giving clues such as linking the stem to the answer (…. Is an example of an: test-wise students will know the correct answer should start with a vowel)

General Option Development Rules: 

• Place options in logical or numerical order.
• Use letters in front of options rather than numbers; numerical answers in numbered items may be confusing to students.
• Keep options independent; options should not be overlapping.
• Keep all options homogeneous in content.
• Keep the length of options fairly consistent.
• Avoid, or use sparingly, the phrase all of the above.
• Avoid, or use sparingly, the phrase none of the above.
• Avoid the use of the phrase I don’t know.
• Phrase options positively, not negatively.
• Avoid distractors that can clue test-wise examinees; for example, absurd options, formal prompts, or semantic (overly specific or overly general) clues.
• Avoid giving clues through the use of faulty grammatical construction.
• Avoid specific determinants, such as never and always.
• Position the correct option so that it appears about the same number of times in each possible position for a set of items.
• Make sure that there is one and only one correct option.
• Distractor (incorrect options) Development Rules:
  • Use plausible distractors.
  • Incorporate common errors of students in distractors.
  • Avoid technically phrased distractors.
  • Use familiar yet incorrect phrases as distractors.
  • Use true statements that do not correctly answer the item.
  • Avoid the use of humor when developing options.
  • Distractors that are not chosen by any examinees should be replaced.
• Suggestions for Writing Good Multiple Choice Items:
  • Present practical or real-world situations to the students.
  • Present the student with a diagram of equipment and ask for an application, analysis, or evaluation.
  • Present actual quotations are taken from newspapers or other published sources and ask for the interpretation or evaluation of these quotations.
  • Use pictorial materials that require students to apply principles and concepts.
  • Use charts, tables, or figures that require interpretation.

References

Zimarro, David (2010). “Writing Good Multiple-Choice Exams.” Center for Teaching and Learning, the University of Texas at Austin. Downloaded 10.3.12 from http://ctl.utexas.edu/assets/Evaluation–Assessment/Writing-Good-Multiple-Choice-Exams-04-28-10.pdf.