According to research, many multiple-choice questions are poorly written. Many question authors have misconceptions about multiple-choice questions, which is one of the reasons they are badly constructed. In this article, I’ll go over four of these misconceptions and what’s true.

Misconceptions About Multiple-Choice Questions

There are a lot of misconceptions concerning multiple-choice questions. For example, some question writers wrongly believe that all distractors must be blatantly false to avoid confusing test takers. According to research, we must make them believable rather than incorrect so that they do not aid test takers in guessing and mirror the actual cognitive process we wish to examine.

One of the main reasons question writers frequently write multiple-choice questions incorrectly is that they have misconceptions about how to do it. Consider the following multiple-choice assessment question for workers working in a grocery store with produce:

What does it mean in the produce section to “rotate a display”? (Choose the correct answer.)

1. a) Raise and rotate the display 90 degrees.
2. b) Exchange fruits and vegetables from one end of the store to the other.
3. c) Place the oldest product at the top of the display and fresher produce from stock at the bottom.
4. d) None of the preceding.

You most likely do not perform this assignment, but I’m confident you can find out the correct answer. The answer options make it simple to rule out wrong replies. Even if you’re not particularly informed about this task, A and B are unlikely to be achievable. Many test takers are aware that “none of the above” is rarely the correct response because asking a question with no correct choices wastes testing time. C is the last answer and has the most depth, which is also a hint that it is accurate. That is correct.

What Are the Four Misconceptions?

Misunderstandings result in inaccurate judgments and information. Understanding how to build practical and relevant tests with multiple-choice questions enables us to produce efficient and successful exams that give us useful information. The following are the myths regarding multiple-choice questions (MCQs) that I will address next:

1. Multiple-choice questions are simply ineffective.
2. MCQs only assess content recall.
3. Because MCQs are easy to guess, the outcomes reveal little about what people know and can do.
4. MCQs are generally poorly worded, and the question format is usually useless.

What’s Wrong With Each Misconception?

Instead, let’s talk about why these myths are often false and what is accurate based on study findings.

1. Multiple-choice questions are simply ineffective.

Multiple-choice questions, when carefully constructed, may efficiently and effectively test a wide range of knowledge and skills, including higher-level skills, according to research. As a result, if we learn to write them well, we can assess higher-level thinking skills such as decision-making and problem-solving.

You may believe that efficiency is unimportant, yet cutting costs and assessment time is critical. When an assessment is inefficient, it frequently does not take place. Assume you need to assess if your clients are using your program appropriately regularly, as wrong use typically leads to serious problems. To ensure that clients are using the program correctly, you should meet with them and observe them execute specific tasks to swiftly resolve difficulties.

It would be nice to observe new users see what they grasp and don’t understand. The challenge is that it necessitates a significant amount of staff and client time. As a result, it’s unlikely to happen. However, assessing new user abilities is mission-critical, so there must be a better approach!

Multiple-choice questions’ efficiency also makes it possible to test a representative sample of required knowledge and abilities (Haladyna, 1997). In addition, examining a representative sample of knowledge and abilities aids us in determining the validity of our evaluations. In the end, research demonstrates that well-written and relevant multiple-choice questions are efficient and successful.

2. Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) assess content recall Only

According to Shrock and Coscarelli (1998), the greatest method to enhance multiple-choice question writing is to write them above the memory level, and if we write them correctly, we can evaluate higher-level thinking. Consider two examples of questions we could develop to test recollection and higher-level skills for the multiple-choice assessment of whether consumers are using the program appropriately.

For this content, below is an example of a recall question:

To alter a client profile, which of the following options should you use?

1. a) Finance
2. b) Terms 
3. c) Installation

As an example of a higher-level inquiry for this material, consider the following:

The email address of a vendor contact who submits weekly orders has changed. She sent her new email address using the app message mechanism yesterday. If we do not update her email address as soon as possible, she may: (Select the best answer.)

1. a) Loss of QB-2 access to the product ordering system 
2. b) An unexpected late fee as a result of our delay 
3. c) Errors when using our messaging system

The recall question above is trivial because it does not require very critical knowledge about whether users can use the application properly. According to Shrock and Coscarelli, as well as other scholars, we should not waste time evaluating insignificant topics. The higher-level inquiry is an example of a specific and serious topic that should be evaluated because performing it incorrectly leads to data and organizational issues.

3. MCQs are generally poorly worded, and the question format is usually useless.

Yes, this myth is partially true because multiple-choice questions are frequently constructed poorly! However, they should not be written sloppily. According to research, we should write them in such a way that they are simple to grasp, do not provide any hints, and assess vital knowledge and skills.

4. Because MCQs are easy to guess, the outcomes reveal little about what people know and can do.

Multiple-choice questions are frequently easy to answer. However, this isn’t the fault of multiple-choice questions; it’s the fault of lousy writing. To make things difficult to guess, we must compose them without hints to the correct answer. Multiple-choice questions should not have four common hints, but they commonly do:

• Length of responses

A longer and more detailed answer choice is an indication that the answer is correct. In most cases, well-written multiple-choice questions ensure that all response choices have the same length.

• Grammatical errors

When a response choice does not grammatically follow from the stem, it is a red flag indicating the answer is incorrect. As a result, all answer options must flow grammatically from the stem.

• Stupid or incorrect response selections

When an answer choice is ridiculous or blatantly inaccurate, it is a red flag that the answer choice is incorrect. All answer choices must be realistic to avoid alerting test takers to the fact that specific answers are blatantly erroneous.

Choosing “none of the above” as an answer

Many test takers are aware that “none of the above” is almost right. This is because asking questions that provide no information about what test takers know and can do is a waste of time. We should not choose “none of the above” as an answer.

Consider the multiple-choice question below. Are there any hints to the correct answer?

There is a hint to the correct answer included:

You’re making use of your ceramic wood-burning fire pit outside. What should you do to limit the possibility of flying sparks igniting other fires? (Choose the best solution.)

1. a) Use softer woods rather than harder woods to burn.
2. b) Use water to extinguish the fire.
3. c) Check for any combustible debris, such as dead grass, around the fire pit.

Because it is longer and contains more details, the above example indicates that answer choice C is correct. Here’s how to solve this badly written multiple-choice question:

There is no hint to the correct answer:

You’re making use of your ceramic wood-burning fire pit outside. Which of the following actions should you take to limit the possibility of flying sparks igniting other fires? (Choose the best solution.)

1. a) Use softer woods rather than harder woods to burn.
2. b) Use water to extinguish the fire.
3. d) Remove any flammable materials from the area.

To remove the hint that C is the correct answer because it is longer and more detailed, we rewrite the answer options to be the same length. Answer C is no longer clear as the correct answer.

Make Use of What You’ve Learned to Write Superior MCQs

To enhance multiple-choice questions as an assessment tool, they must be well-written. In this post, I’ve discussed some important methods for writing well-written multiple-choice questions, such as:

• Create questions that are above the memory level to assess critical rather than trivial knowledge. 
• Create questions that require people to make decisions and solve problems as they would in real life.
• Don’t give any clues about length, grammar, ridiculousness, or “none of the above” or “all of the above”!
• Make certain that all of the incorrect answers are realistic.
• Make all of the answer options the same length and depth.
• Teach your question writers how to write questions using evidence-based strategies.