Testing tips and techniques for designing multiple choice items

TESTING TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR DESIGNING MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS Start with Test SpecificationsAddresses curriculum objectives in terms of performance (can do)Outline of the testSkills and topics to be includedItem types and tasksElicitation and response formats for items Number of items in each sectionTime allocation and plan for scoringAdvantages of Multiple Choice ItemsGood discrimination among levels of abilityHigh reliabilityValid indicators of overall language abilityHighly practical: convenient administerWell-established producers to analyze itemsWriting ability does not affect performanceCost-effective format – easy scoring and gradingFamiliarity of students with MCQsDisadvantages of Multiple Choice ItemsTendency to treat words as independent linguistic unitsDifficulty in constructionField-testing, analysis, refinement required25% chance of guessing correctlyItems may test knowledge of distractersWrong answer may result from lack of understanding of syntax (English)Permits only limited sampling of total knowledgeTests only recognition knowledgeRestrict what can be testedWashback may be harmfulCheating may be facilitated Terminology 	Every multiple choice item has a stem, which presents a stimulus and several options or alternatives to choose from. One of these options, the key, is the correct response. The others serve as distractorsTEST TASKSGRAMMARSelected-response tasksLimited production tasksExtended-production tasks Multiple-choiceTrue/falseMatchingDiscrimination activitiesWord list activitiesGrammatically judgment activitiesNoticing activities Gap –fillingClozeShort answerDictationInformation tranferDialogue completion Essays, summariesDialogues, interviewsRole-plays, simulationsStories, reportsInformation-gapProblems-solvingDecision making VOCABULARYMatching itemsMatching formatBlank-filling/ completionMultiple-choice matchingSentence-writingREADING AND LISTENINGClozeMultiple ChoiceShort AnswerEditingSequencingInformation TransferThank you for your attention.