Recent Issues in the Construction and Scoring of Multiple-Choice Items in Examinations

Abstract

Multiple-choice tests are widely attractive assessment techniques that have captured the attention of many standard examination bodies all over the world. They can be used to objectively assess cognitive, analytical and other skills in addition to straightforward factual knowledge. This article discusses the rationale and technical hitches associated with multiple–choice items in the measurement of ability. The paper presents some fundamental rules for constructing multiple-choice items. The paper maintains that many traditional marking schemes, with no adjustment to counter the effects of lucky guesses give rise to artificially high marks. In this article, a number of improved scoring schemes have been proposed for multiple-choice tests, some of which may require the candidates to do more than just select one answer per question. The schemes succinctly presented in this article would arguably be an improvement over the traditional scoring method as they could lead to the detection of partial knowledge of examinee and might have the potential of providing various kinds of examinee feedbacks that may invariably enhance learning.