Objective test items

1 Briefly discuss the mistakes made by evaluators when

phrasing true-false items.

• Evaluators use ambiguous statements.

• They construct long statements that confuse learners.
• They use double-negative statements which are difficult to
interpret.
• Evaluators use absolutes like never, only, always, etc.
• The use of double barreled statements is also another
mistake.
• They do not emphasize negative statements.
• Generally, evaluators do not reduce the effect of guessing.

2 Briefly discuss the mistakes made by evaluators when

phrasing matching items.

• Evaluators keep the column of long descriptions on the right.

• They use heterogeneous lists or items.
• Their lists of descriptions and options have equal number of
items.
• Their lists of descriptions and options are numbered the same
way.
• They use more than one correct response for one option.

3 Briefly discuss the mistakes made by evaluators when

phrasing multiple- choice items.

• Evaluators are not concise with the stem.

• They give multiple defensible options.
• Their distracters are not plausible.
• They give grammatical clues e.g. is, a, an, etc.
• Their clues are not of the same length.
• Evaluators repeat words that are in stem.
• When clues involve dates, they are not in chronological order.
• They include heterogeneous clues.
• They use terms like ‘all of the above’, ‘none of the above’.

4 Briefly discuss the mistakes made by evaluators when

phrasing completion items.

• They use more than one blank.

• They are not specific.
 • They use more than one answer questions.
• They do not omit only the key item.

5 Briefly discuss approaches that can be followed when phrasing

higher level multiple-choice items.
Including the responses given in question 3 above, phrasing
higher level multiple-choice items involve three main
categories:

• The use of pictorial, graphical or tabular stimuli.

• The use of analogies that demonstrate relationships among
terms.
• The application of previously learned principles or
procedures to novel situations.