HINATUAN SOUTHERN COLLEGE

Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur

ASSESSMENT IN LEARNING 1
CHAPTER 5 HANDOUTS – DISTINGUISHING AND CONSTRUCTING PAPER-AND-PENCIL TEST

INTRODUCTION
In this Chapter we are concerned with developing paper-and-pencil tests for assessing the attainment
of educational objectives based on Bloom s taxonomy. Paper-and-pencil test can either be selected response
or constructed-response types. Selected response type includes (a) true-false items, (b) multiple-choice
type items and (c) matching on type. Constructed-response type of test includes (a) enumeration, (b)
completion and (c) essays. The construction of valid test items begins with a Table of Specifications.

A. Planning a Test and Construction of Table of Specifications (TOS)

The important steps in planning for a test are:

1. Identifying test objectives/lesson outcomes

2. Deciding on the type of objective test to be prepared
3. Preparing a Table of Specifications (TOS)
4. Constructing the draft test items
5. Try-out and validation

1. Identifying Test Objectives. An objective test, if it is to be comprehensive, must cover the various
levels of Bloom's taxonomy. Each objective consists of a statement of what is to be achieved preferably by the
students.
Example: We want to construct a test on the topic: "Subject-Verb Agreement in English" for a Grade V
class. The following are typical objectives:
Knowledge/Remembering. The students must be able to identify the subject and the verb in a given
sentence.
Comprehension/Understanding. The students must be able to determine the appropriate form of a
verb to be used given the subject of a sentence.
Application/Applying. The students must be able to write sentences observing rules on subject-verb
agreement.
Analysis/Analyzing. The students must be able to break down a given sentence into its subject and
predicate.
Evaluation/Evaluating. The students must be able to evaluate whether or not a sentence observes
rules on subject-verb agreement.
Synthesis/Creating. The students must be able to formulate rules to be followed regarding subject-
verb agreement.

2. Deciding on the type of objective test. The test objectives guide the kind of objective tests that will
be designed and constructed by the teacher. This means aligning the test with the lesson objective/outcome.
For instance, for the first four (4) levels, we may want to construct a multiple-choice type of test while for
application and judgment, we may opt to give an essay test or a modified essay test. At all times, the test to be
formulated must be aligned with the learning outcome. This is the principle of constructive alignment.

3. Preparing a table of specifications (TOS). A Table of Specifications or TOS is a test map that
guides the teacher in constructing a test. The TOS ensures that there is balance between items that test lower
level thinking skills and those which test higher order thinking skills (or alternatively, a balance between easy
and difficult items) in the test. The simplest TOS consists of four (4) columns: (a) level of objective to be
tested, (b) statement of objective, (c) item numbers where such an objective is being tested and (d)
number of items and percentage out of the total for that particular objective. A prototype table is shown
below:

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 Table of Specifications Prototype
LEVEL OBJECTIVE ITEM NUMBERS NO. %
1. Recalling Identify subject-verb 1,3,5,7,9 5 14.29%
2. Understanding Forming appropriate verb form 2,4,6,8,10 5 14.29%
3. Applying Write sentences observing rules on
11,13,15,17,19 5 14.29%
subject – verb agreement
4. Analyzing Determine subject and predicate 12,14,16,18,20 5 14.29%
5. Evaluating Evaluate whether or not a sentence
observes rules on subject – verb 21,22,23,24,25 5 14.29%
agreement
6. Creating Formulate rules on subject verb
Part II 10 28.57%
agreement
TOTAL 35 100%

In the Table of Specifications, we see that there are five items that deal with knowledge and these
items are items 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. Similarly, from the same table we see that five items present analysis, namely: 12,
14, 16, 18, 20. The first five levels of Bloom's taxonomy are equally represented in the test while synthesis
(tested through essay) is weighted equivalent to ten (10) points or double the weight given to any of the first
four levels. The Table of Specifications guides the teacher in formulating the test.
As we can see, the TOS also ensures that each of the objectives in the hierarchy of educational
objectives is well represented in the test. As such, the resulting test that will be constructed by the teacher will
be more or less comprehensive. Without the Table of Specifications, the tendency for the test maker is to focus
too much on facts and concepts at the Recall level. Constructing test items based on a TOS ensures alignment
of learning outcomes and assessment tasks.

4. Constructing the test items. The actual construction of the test items follows the TOS. As a general
rule, it is advised that the actual number of items to be constructed in the draft should be double the desired
number of items, for instance, if there are five (5) recall level items to be included in the final test form, then at
least ten (10) recall level items should be included in the draft. The subsequent test try-out and item analysis
will most likely eliminate many of the constructed items in the draft (either they are too difficult, too easy or non-
discriminatory), hence it will be necessary to construct more items than will actually be included in the final test
form. Most often, however, the try-out is not done due to lack of time.

5. Item analysis and try-out. The test draft is tried out to a group of pupils or students. The purpose
of this try-out is to determine the: (a) item characteristics through item analysis, and (b) characteristics
of the test itself-validity, reliability and practicality.

B. Types of Paper-and-Pencil Test

Development of paper-and-pencil tests requires careful planning and expertise in terms of actual test
construction. The more seasoned teachers can produce true-false items that can test even higher order
thinking skills and not just rote memory learning. Essays are easier to construct than the other types of
objective test, but the difficulty in scoring essay examinations teachers from using this particular form of
examination in actual practice.
When to Use Objective Test Items
Objective test items are appropriate when:
1. The group to be tested is LARGE and the test may be REUSED.
2. HIGHLY RELIABLE TEST SCORES must be obtained as efficiently as possible (wide sampling of
content).
3. IMPARTIALITY of evaluation, ABSOLUTE FAIRNESS, and FREEDOM from possible test SCORING
INFLUENCES – fatigue, lack of anonymity are essential.
4. You are more confident of your ability to express objective test items clearly than your ability to
judge essay test answers correctly.
5. There is more PRESSURE FOR SPEEDY REPORTING OF SCORES than for speedy test preparation.

C. Constructing Selected-Response Type

1. True-False Test (Alternate Response Test / Binomial-choice Test)

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 Binomial-choice or alternate response tests are tests that have only two (2) options such as true or
false, right or wrong, yes or no good or better, check or cross out and so on. A student who knows nothing of
the content of the examination would have 50% chance of getting the correct answer by sheer guess work.
Although correction-for-guessing formulas exist, it is best that the teacher ensures that a true-false item is able
to discriminate properly between those who know and those who are just guessing. A modified true-false test
can offset the effect of guessing by requiring students to explain their answer and to disregard a correct
answer if the explanation is incorrect. Here are some rules of thumb in constructing true-false items.
1.1. Advantages of Using True – False Test
1. Widest sampling of content / objectives 4. Highly reliable test scores
2. Scoring efficiency and accuracy 5. Objective measurement
3. Versatility in all levels
1.2. Limitations of True – False Test
1. Extremely high guessing factors 4. Can often include irrelevant clue
2. Lead teacher to write unclear statements 5. Favor testing of trivial knowledge
3. Do not discriminate between students varying ability as well as others

1.3. Suggestions / Guidelines for Constructing True – False Test

Rule 1. Do not give a hint (inadvertently) in the body of the question.
Example:
The Philippines gained its independence in 1898 and therefore celebrated its centennial year in 2000
____.
Obviously, the answer is FALSE because 100 years from 1898 is not 2000 but 1998.

Rule 2. Avoid using the words "always”, "never”, "often” and other words that tend to be either
always true or always false.
Example: Christmas always falls on a Sunday because it is a Sabbath day. _____
Statements that use the word "always" are almost always false. A test-wise student can easily guess
his way through a test like these and get high scores even if he does not know anything about the test.

Rule 3. Avoid long sentences as these tend to be "true." Keep sentences short.
Example: Tests need to be valid, reliable and useful, although, it would require a great amount of time
and effort to ensure that tests possess these test characteristics. _____
Notice that the statement is true. However, we are also not sure which part of the sentence is deemed
true by the student. It is just fortunate that in this case, all parts of the sentence are true and, hence, the entire
sentence is true.
The following example illustrates what can go wrong in long sentences:
Example: Tests need to be valid, reliable and useful since it takes very little amount of time, money and
effort to construct tests with these characteristics. _____
The first part of the sentence is true but the second part is debatable and may, in fact, be false. Thus, a
"true” response is correct and, also, a "false" response is correct.

Rule 4. Avoid trick statements with some minor misleading word or spelling anomaly,
misplaced phrases, etc. A wise student who does not know the subject matter may detect this strategy and
thus get the answer correctly.
Example: The Raven was written by Edgar Allen Poe.
Allen is misspelled and the answer would be false! This is an example of a tricky but utterly useless
item.

Rule 5. Avoid quoting verbatim from reference materials or textbooks. This practice sends the
wrong signal to the students that it is necessary to memorize the textbook word for word and, thus,
acquisition of higher level thinking skills is not given due importance.

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 Rule 6. Avoid specific determiners or give-away qualifiers. Students quickly learn that strongly
worded statements are more likely to be false than true, for example, statements with "never", "no",
"all", or "always. Moderately worded statements are more likely to be true than false. Statements that
are moderately worded use "many", "often", "sometimes", "generally", "frequently", or "some" usually
should be avoided.
Example: Executives usually suffer from hyperacidity. The statement tends to be correct. The word
"usually" leads to the answer.
Rule 7. With true or false questions, avoid a grossly disproportionate number of either true or
false statements or even patterns in the occurrence of true and false statements.
1. T 6. F 1. T 6. F
2. F 7. F 2. F 7. T
3. F 8. F 3.T 8. F
4. F 9. F 4. F 9. T
5. F 10. F 5. T 10. F

For ease of correction, teachers sometime create a pattern of True or False answers. Students will
sense it and may arrive at a correct answer not because he/she really knows the answer but because he/she
senses the pattern. Do not create pattern of answers like the examples above.

Rule 8. Avoid double negatives. This makes test item unclear and definitely will confuse the
student.
Example: The changes that take place in early childhood are NOT Unchangeable.
The test item simply means "The changes in early childhood are changeable".

2. Multiple Choice Tests

The multiple choice type of test offers the student with more than two (2) options per item to choose
from. Each item in a multiple choice test consists of two parts: (a) the stem (which identifies the question
or problem) and (b) the options. In the set of options, there is a "correct" or "best" option while all the others
are considered "distracters" (also known as jokers / foils). The distracters are chosen in such a way that they
are attractive to those who do not know the answer or who are guessing but at the same time, have no appeal
to those who actually know the answer. It is this feature of multiple choice type tests that allows the teacher
to test higher order thinking skills even if the options are clearly stated. As in true-false items, there are
certain rules of thumb to be followed in constructing multiple choice tests.
2.1. Advantages of Using Multiple Choice Items
Multiple choice items can provide:
1. Versatility in measuring all levels of cognitive ability.
2. Highly reliable test scores
3. Scoring efficiency and accuracy
4. Objective measurement of student achievement or ability
5. A wide sampling of content or objectives
6. A reduced guessing factor when compared to true – false items
7. Different response alternatives which can provide diagnostic feedback.

2.2. Limitations of Multiple Choice Items

1. Difficult and time consuming to construct
2. Lead a teacher to favor simple recall of facts
3. Place a high degree of dependence on student’s reading ability and teacher’s writing activity.

2.3. Guidelines for Constructing Multiple Choice Items

Rule 1. Do not use unfamiliar words, terms and phrases. The ability of the item to discriminate or its
level of difficulty should stem from the subject matter rather than from the wording of the question.
Example: What would be the system reliability of a computer system whose slave and peripherals are
connected in parallel circuits and each one has a known time to failure probability of 0.05?
A student completely unfamiliar with the terms "slave" and "peripherals" may not be able to answer
correctly even if he knew the subject matter of reliability.
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 Rule 2. Do not use modifiers that are vague and whose meanings can differ from one person to
the next such as: much, often, usually, etc.
Example: Much of the process of photosynthesis takes place in the:
a. bark c. stem
b. leaf stem
The qualifier "much'" is unclear and could have been replaced by more specific qualifiers like: "90% of
the photosynthetic process" or some similar phrase that would be more precise. Be quantitative.

Rule 3. Avoid complex or awkward word arrangements. Also, avoid use of negatives in the stem
as this may add unnecessary comprehension difficulties.
Example:
(Poor) As President of the Republic of the Philippines, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino would stand next to
which President of the Philippine Republic subsequent to the 1986 EDSA Revolution?
(Better) Who was the President of the Philippines after Corazon C. Aquino?

Rule 4. Do not use negatives or double negatives as such statements tend to be confusing. It is
best to use simpler sentences rather than sentences that would require expertise in grammatical
construction.
Examples:
(Poor) Which of the following will not cause inflation in the Philippine economy?
(Better) Which of the following will cause inflation in the Philippine economy?

(Poor) What does the statement "Development patterns acquired during the formative years are NOT
unchangeable" imply?
A. C.
B. D.
(Better) What does the statement "Development patterns acquired during the formative years are
changeable" imply?
A. C.
B. D.

Rule 5. Each item stem should be as short as possible; otherwise you risk testing more for
reading and comprehension skills.

Rule 6. Distracters should be equally plausible and attractive.

Example:
The short story: May Day's Eve, was written by which Filipino author?
a. Jose Garcia Villa d. Robert Frost
b. Nick Joaquin e. Edgar Allan Poe
c. Genoveva Edrosa Matute
If distracters had all been Filipino authors, the value of the item would be greatly increased. In this
particular instance, only the first three carry the burden of the entire item since the last two can be essentially
disregarded by the students.

Rule 7. All multiple choice options should be grammatically consistent with the stem.
Example: As compared to the autos of the 1960s autos in the 1980s _______.
A. traveling slower B. bigger interiors
C. to use less fuel D. contain more safety measures

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 Option A, B and C are obviously wrong for the language smart because when added to the stem the
sentence is grammatically wrong. D is the only option which when connected to the stem retains the
grammatical accuracy of the sentence, thus obviously is the correct answer.

Rule 8. The length, explicitness, or degree of technicality of alternatives should not be the
determinants of the correctness of the answer. The following is an example of this rule.

Example:
If the three angles of two triangles are congruent, then the triangles are:
a. congruent whenever one of the sides of the triangles are congruent
b. similar
c. equiangular and therefore, must also be congruent
d. equilateral if they are equiangular.
The correct choice, "b," may be obvious from its length and explicitness alone. The other choices are
long and tend to explain why they must be the correct choices forcing the students to think that they are, in
fact, not the correct answers!

Rule 9. Avoid stems that reveal the answer, to another item.

Example:
a. Who will most strongly disagree with the progressivist who claims that the child should be taught only
that which interests him and if he is not interested, wait till the child gets interested?
A. Essentialist B. Empiricist C. Progressivist D. Rationalist

b. Which group will most strongly focus its teaching on the interest of the child?
A. Progressivist B. Essentialist C. Perrenialist D. Reconstructionist

One may arrive at a correct answer (letter b) by looking at item "a," that gives the answer to "b."

Rule 10. Avoid alternatives that are synonymous with others or those that include or overlap
others.
Example:
What causes ice to transform from solid state to liquid state?
a. Change in temperature c. Change in the chemical composition
b. Changes in pressure d. Change in heat levels
The options "a" and "d" are essentially the same. Thus, a student who spots these identical choices
would right away narrow down the field of choices to a, b, and c. The last distracter would play no significant
role in increasing the value of the item. If this happens then the item has two answers, which is not acceptable.

Rule 11) Avoid presenting sequenced items in the same order as in the text.
Rule 12) Avoid use of assumed qualifiers that many examinees may not be aware of.

Rule 13) Avoid use of unnecessary words or phrases which are not relevant to the problem at
hand (unless such discriminating ability is the primary value is particularly damaged if the
unnecessary material is designed to distract or mislead. Such items test the student's intent of the
evaluation). The item's reading comprehension rather than knowledge of the subject matter.
Example: The side opposite the thirty-degree angle in a right triangle is equal to half the length of the
hypotenuse. If the sine of a 30-degree is 0.5 and its hypotenuse is 5, what is the length of the side opposite the
30-degree angle?
a. 2.5 b. 3.5 c. 5.5 d. 1.5

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 The sine of a 30-degree angle is really quite unnecessary since the first sentence already gives the
method for finding the length of the side opposite the thirty-degree angle. This is a case of a teacher who
wants to make sure that no student in his class gets the wrong answer!

Rule 14. Avoid use of non-relevant sources of difficulty such as requiring a complex calculation
when only knowledge of a principle is being tested.
Note in the previous example, knowledge of the sine of the 30-degree angle would have led some
students to use the sine formula for calculation even if a simpler approach would have sufficed.

Rule 15. Pack the question in the stem. Here is an example of a question which has no question.
Avoid it by all means.
Example: The Roman Empire ______________________.
a. had no central government c. had no heroes
b. had no definite territory d. had no common religion

Rule 16. Use the "None of the above" option only when the keyed answer is totally correct.
When choice of the "best response is intended, "none of the above" is not appropriate, since the implication
has already been made that the correct response may be partially inaccurate.
Rule 17. Note that use of "all of the above" may allow credit for partial knowledge. In a multiple
option item, (allowing only one option choice) if a student only knew that two (2) options were correct, he could
then deduce the correctness of "all of the above. " This assumes you are allowed only one correct choice.
Rule 18. Better still use "none of the above" and "all of the above" sparingly but best not to use
them at all.

Rule 19. Having compound response choices may purposefully increase difficulty of an item.
The difficulty in a multiple choice item may be controlled by varying the homogeneity or degree of similarity of
responses The more homogeneous, the more difficult the item because they all look like the correct answer
Example: (Less Homogeneous)
Thailand is located in:
a. Southeast Asia d. East Africa
b. Eastern Europe e. Central America
c. South America

(More Homogeneous)
Thailand is located next to:
a. Laos and Kampuchea d. Laos and China
b. India and China e. India and Malaya
c. China and Malaya

3. Matching Type
The matching type items may be considered modified multiple choice type items where the choices
progressively reduce as one successfully matches the items on the left with the items on the right. In general,
matching items consists of a column of stimuli (description / premises) presented on the left side of the exam
page and a column of responses (answers) placed on the right side of the page. Students are required to
match the response associated with a given stimulus. Unfortunately, matching type items often test lower order
skills (Knowledge level) and are unable to test higher order thinking skills such as application and judgment
skills.
There are two types of Matching type of test:
a) Perfect Matching Type – the answer cannot be repeated
b) Imperfect Matching Type – the answer can be repeated.

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 Below are examples of Perfect and Imperfect Matching type of test.

Perfect Matching Type (Example)

Directions: On the line to the left of each compound in Column A, write the letter of the hero being
presented in Column B. Use each hero only once.
Column A (Stimuli / Description) Column B (Responses / Answers)
_____1. First President of the republic A. Mabini
_____2. National Hero B. Rizal
_____3. Brain of Katipunan C. Lapu-Lapu
_____4. The Great Painter D. Aguinaldo
_____5. Defended Limasawa Island E. Juan Luna
F. Antonio Luna

Imperfect Matching Type of Test (Example)

Directions: On the line to the left of each compound in Column A, write the letter of the author being
presented in Column B. You can repeat the author as your answer, if needed.
Column A Column B
_____1. The Alhambra A. Cooper
_____2. The Pioneers B. Dana
_____3. The Guardian Angel C. Emerson
_____4. Two Years Before the Mast D. Holmes
_____5. Moby Dick E. Irving
_____6. The World in a Man of War F. James
_____7. The Last of the Mohicans G. Melville
_____8. The American Scholar H. Twain (S. Clemens)
_____9. The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table I. Wharton
_____10. Tom Sawyer
<

3.1. Advantages of Using Matching Test Items

1. Requires short period of reading and response time, allowing the teacher to cover more content.
2. Provide objective measurement of student achievement or ability
3. Provide high reliable test scores
4. Provide scoring efficiency and accuracy
3.2. Disadvantages of Using Matching Test Items
1. Have difficulty measuring lower level objectives requiring more than simple recall or information.
2. Are difficult to construct due to the problem of selecting a common set of stimuli and responses.

3.3. Suggestions / Guidelines for Constructing Matching Type of Test

Here are some guidelines to observe in the formulation of good matching type of test.
Rule 1. Include directions which clearly state the basis for matching the stimuli with the
responses. Explain whether or not the response can be used more than once and indicate where to answer.
Example:
Poor: Directions: Match the following

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 Better: Directions: On the line to the left of each compound in Column A, write the letter of the
compound’s formula presented in Column B. Use each formula only once.

Rule 2. Use only homogeneous material in matching items.

Example:
Poor: Directions: Match the following
_____1. Water A. NaCl
_____2. Discovered Radium B. Fermi
_____3. Salt C. NH3
_____4. Year of the 1st nuclear fission by man D. 1942
_____5. Ammonia E. Curie

Better: Directions: Directions: On the line to the left of each compound in Column A, write the letter of
the compound’s formula presented in Column B. Use each formula only once.
Column A Column B
_____1. Water A. NaCl
_____2. Ammonia B. H2SO4
_____3. Salt C. H2O
_____4. Sulfuric acid D. H2HCl
_____5. Carbon dioxide E. NaCl
F. CO2

Rule 3. Arrange the list of responses in some systematic order if possible – chronological,
alphabetical.
Example: Directions: On the line to the left of each definition in Column I, write the letter of the defense
mechanism in Column II that is described. Use each defense mechanism only once.
Column A Column B
WRONG (X) CORRECT (/)
_____1. Hunting for reason to support beliefs A. Rationalization A. Denial of Reality
_____2. Accepting the values and norms of others B. Identification B. Identification
as one’s own even if they are contrary to previously held values
_____3. Attributing to other’s own unacceptable C. Projection C. Introjection
impulse and thoughts and desires D. Introjection D. Projection
_____4. Ignoring disagreeable situations, thoughts and desires E. Denial of Reality E. Rationalization

Rule 4. Avoid grammatical clues or other clues to the correct response. A linguistically intelligent
student can easily find the answers even without studying.
Example: Poor: Directions: Match the following in order to complete the sentences on the left.
_____1. Igneous rocks are formed A. a hardness of 7
_____2. The formation of coal requires B. with crystalline rock
_____3. A geode is filled C. a metamorphic rock
_____4. Feldspar is classified as of molten D. through the solid formation

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 F. a hardness of 1
Better: Avoid sentence completion due to grammatical rules.

Notes:
1. Keep matching items brief, limiting the list of stimuli to under 10.
2. Include more responses than stimuli to help prevent answering through the process of elimination.
3. When possible, reduce the amount of reading time by including only short phrases or single words in
the response list.

D. Constructing Supply Type or Constructed- Response Type

Another useful device for testing lower order thinking skills is the supply type of tests. Like the multiple
choice test, the items in this kind of test consist of a stem and a blank where the students would write the
correct answer.
Example: The study of life and living organisms is called _____.
Supply type tests depend heavily on the way the stems are constructed. These tests allow for one and
only one answer and, hence, often test only the students' recall of knowledge.

D1. Completion Type of Test

It is, however, possible to construct supply type of tests that will test higher order thinking as the
following example shows:
Example: Write an appropriate synonym for each of the following. Each blank corresponds to a letter:
Metamorphose: _ _ _ _ _ _
Flourish: _ _ _ _
The appropriate synonym for the first is CHANGE with six (6) letters while the appropriate synonym for
the second is GROW with four (4) letters. Notice that these questions require not only mere recall of words but
also understanding of these words.
Another example of a completion type of text that measures higher order - thinking skill is given below:
Example: Write G if the item on the left is greater than the item on the right; L if the item on the left is
less than the item on the right; E if the item on the left equals the item on the right and D if the relationship
cannot be determined.
A B
1. Square root of 9 _______________ a. -3
2. Square of 25 _______________ b. 615
3. 36 inches _______________ c. 3 meters
4. 4 feet _______________ d. 48 inches
5. 1 kilogram _______________ e. pound

D1.1. Advantages of Using Completion Items

Completion items can:
1. Provide a wide sampling of content
2. Efficiently measure lower levels of cognitive ability
3. Minimize guessing as compared to multiple choice or true – false items
4. Usually provide an objective measure of student achievement or ability
D1.2. Limitations of Using Completion Items
Completion items:
1. Are difficult to construct so that the desired response is clearly indicated
2. Have difficulty in measuring learning objectives requiring more than simple recall of information
3. Can often include irrelevant clues than do other item types
4. Are more time consuming to score when compared to multiple choice or true – false items
5. Are more difficult to score since more than one answer may be have to be considered correct if
the item was not properly prepared.
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D1.3. Suggestions / Guidelines for the Formulation of a Completion Type of Test
The following guidelines can help you formulate a completion type of test, the fill-in-the blank type.
Rule 1. AVOID over mutilated sentences like this test item. Give enough clue to the student.
Avoid that one like the example below.
Example:
The _____ produced by the _____ is used by the green _____ to change the _____ and into _____.
This process is called _____.

Rule 2. Be sure there is ONLY ONE CORRECT response. This item below is open-ended, hence no
good test item.
Example: Ernest Hemingway wrote __________.
If you are a fan of Ernest Hemingway’s works, I am sure that you can answer a lot of works Hemingway
wrote.

Rule 3. The blank should be at the end or near the end of the sentence. The question must first be
asked before an answer is expected. Like the matching type of test, the stem (where the question is packed)
must be in the first column.

Rule 4. Ask question on more significant item not on trivial (unimportant) matter. Avoid that one
like the example below.
Example: Jose Rizal was born on June __, 1861.
There are other more significant items to ask other than specific birthdates.

Rule 5. The length of the blanks must not suggest the answer. So better to make the blanks
uniform in size.
Poor: In Greek Mythology, Vulcan was the son of (Jupiter and Juno).
Better: In Greek Mythology, Vulcan was the son of _____ and _____.

D2. Short Answer Items

Instead of supplying words to complete statements, relatively short answers are constructed as direct
answers to questions. See the Table below for the item structure.
Stimulus - An interrogative statement Response – Short phrases or statement
(Direct question)

Illustrative Items Expected Response

What is a four – sided polygon called? Quadrilateral
During what period was Noli Me Tangere written by Spanish
Dr. Jose Rizal?
How much does a book reader gain for a book he 45 pesos
sells for 150 pesos if he gets 30% more than what he
pays for it?

Similar to completion type, the short answer items can assess learners’ declarative and procedural
knowledge that require such thinking processes as remembering, comprehending, and applying. Writing short-
answer items similarly follow the guidelines in writing completion items. Here are those given by McMillan
(2007) and they are quite self-explanatory.
Rule 1. State the item so that only one answer is correct.
Rule 2. State the item so that the required answer is brief. Requiring a long response would not
be necessary and it can limit the number of items students can answer within the allotted
period of time.

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 Rule 3. Do not use questions verbatim from textbooks and other instructional materials. This
will give undue disadvantage to students not familiar with the materials since it can become a
memory test instead of comprehension
Rule 4. Designate units required for the answer. This frequently occurs when the when the
constructed response requires a definite unit to be considered correct. Without designating the
unit, a response may be rendering wrong because of differing mindset.

Example:
(Poor) How much does the food caterer charge? _____

This could be answered in different ways like cost per head, per dish, per plate or as a
full package.

(Better) How much does the food caterer charge per head? _____

Rule 5. State the item directly with words students understand. This is true for all types of tests.
Validity of classroom-based test is a risk when students cannot answer correctly, not because
they do not know, but could be due to the messy wording of the question.

Example:
(Poor) As viewed by creatures from the earth, when does the blood moon appear
in the evening?

(Better) When does a blood moon appear?

The two supply types, completion and short answer items, share common points:
 Appropriate for assessing learning outcomes involving knowledge and simple understanding,
 Capable of assessing both declarative and procedural knowledge.
 Both are easy and simple to construct
 Both are objectively scored since a key to correction can be prepared in advance
 Both need ample number of items to assess a learning outcome. A single completion or short answer
item is not sufficient to test mastery of a competency.

D3. Essays (Non – Objective Supply Type)

Essays, classified as non-objective tests, allow for the assessment of higher order thinking skills.
Such tests require students to organize their thoughts on a subject matter in coherent sentences in order to
inform an audience. In essay tests, students are required to write one or more paragraphs on a specific topic.
Essay questions can be used to measure attainment of a variety of objectives.

 Comparing - State a set of principles that can

- Describe the similarities and explain the following events.
differences between...
- Compare the following methods for...  Inferring
- In the light of the facts presented,
 Relating cause-and-effect what is most likely to happen when...
- What are the major causes of...? - How Would Senator X be most likely
- What would be the most likely to react to the bomb explosion after
effects of...? the bar examination last September?
 Classifying
 Justifying - Group the following items according
- Which of the following alternatives to…
would you favor and why? - What do the following items have in
- Explain why you agree or disagree common?
with the following statement.
 Applying
 Summarizing - Using the principles of _____ as
- State the points included in... guide, describe how you would solve
- Briefly summarize the contents of ... the following problem situation.
- Describe a situation that illustrates
 Generalizing the principle of
- Formulate several valid
generalizations from the following  Analyzing
data. - Describe the reasoning errors in the
following paragraphs.
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 - List and describe the main
characteristics of...
 Creating
- Make up a story describing what
would happen if...
 Evaluating - Design a plan to prove that ...
- Describe the strengths and - Write a well-organized report that
weaknesses of the following. shows.
- Using the criteria developed in class,
write an evaluation of ...

When to Use Essay Tests

Essays are appropriate when:
1. The group to be tested is SMALL and the test is NOT TO BE USED again
2. You wish to encourage and reward the development of student’s SKILL IN WRITING
3. You are more interested in exploring the student’s ATTITUDES than measuring his / her
academic achievement
4. You are more confident of your ability as a critical and fair reader than as an imaginative writer
of good objective items.

D3.1. Types of Essay

1. Restricted Essay / Non-extended Essay – The question or directive given suggests a specification in
constructing the response. It can be in terms of limited coverage of content, specified length of response,
expected form of response, or definite perspective or mind-set to be used.
Illustrative Items Description of Expected Response
1. (Restricted Content)
What is a famous tourism spot in the island of Luzon Tourism spot to be described should be one found in
and why is it popular? Luzon. Outside of Luzon will not be considered.
2. (Restricted Length)
On a half sheet of paper, describe the benefits that Length of discourse should not exceed the half sheet
could be derived from Samahang Kabataan as an of a writing pad.
organization.
3. (Restricted Form)
Prepare a 2 – tier outline of an advocacy plan for Response should be in a two-tier outline form.
community involvement in waste reduction and
disposal.
4. (Restricted Perspective)
Describe the origin of man according to the theory of Response is acceptable when the explanation
evolution. adheres to the theory of evolution, Explanations
based on other theories will not be considered.

2. Non-restricted /Extended Essay – The question or directive does not suggest any form of restriction in the
construction of response. The students are free to organize and expound on their ideas freely.
Illustrative Items Description of Expected Response
1. Explain how the prevailing socio – economic Student is free to focus on any socio – economic
issues affect the lives of the people in our country issue and choose which aspect of the people’s lives
today. he want to describe.
2. What evidences of climate change do you now Students vary in their choice of evidence and in their
observe and what ways can man mitigate their approach to address them.
negative effects?
3. Are you in favor of constitutional change to Students clearly express their arguments in support
institute political reforms? Support your answer. of the side they take.

D3.2. Advantages of Using Essay Items

1. Essay items are easier and less time consuming to construct than the most item types
2. Provide a means for testing students’ ability to compose an answer and present it in a logical
manner
3. Can efficiently measure higher order cognitive objectives – analysis, synthesis, evaluation
D3.3. Limitations of Using Essay Items
1. Essay items cannot measure a large amount of content or objectives
2. Generally, provide a low test scorer reliability
3. Require an extensive amount of teacher’s time to read and grade

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 4. Generally, do not provide an objective measure of student achievement or ability

D3.4. Suggestions / Guidelines for the Formulation and Scoring of Essay Tests
Rule 1: Phrase the direction in such a way that students are guided on the key concepts to be
included. Specify how the students should respond.
Example:
Using details and information from the article (Hundred Islands), summarize the main points of the
article. For a complete and correct response, consider these points:
 its history (10 pts)
 its interesting features (10 pts)
 why it is a landmark (5 pts)

Non-example
Using details and information from the article (Hundred Islands) summarize the main points of the
article. Source: https:/fcit.usf.edu/assessment/constructed/constructb.html

Rule 2: Inform the students on the criteria to be used for grading their essays. This rule allows
the students to focus on relevant and substantive materials rather than on minor and unnecessary
facts and bits of information.
Example: Write an essay on the topic: "Plant Photosynthesis" using the keywords indicated. You will be
graded according to the following criteria: (a) coherence, (b) accuracy of statements, (c) use of keywords, (d)
clarity and (e) extra points for innovative presentation of ideas.
Rule 3: Put a time limit on the essay test.
Rule 4: Decide on your essay grading system prior to getting the essays of your students.
Rule 5: Evaluate all of the students answers to one question before proceeding to the next
question.
Scoring or grading essay tests question by question, rather than student by student, makes it possible
to maintain a more uniform standard for judging the answers to each question. This procedure also helps offset
the halo effect in grading. When all of the answers on one paper are read together, the grader's impression of
the paper as a whole is apt to influence the grades he assigns to the individual answers. Grading question by
question, of course, prevents the formation of this overall impression of a student's paper. Each answer is
more apt to be judged on its own merits when it is read and compared with other answers to the same
question, than when it is read and compared with other answers by the same student.

Rule 6: Evaluate answers to essay questions without knowing the identity of the writer:
This is another attempt to control personal bias during scoring. Answers to essay questions should be
evaluated in terms of what is written, not in terms of what is known about the writers from other contacts with
them. The best way to prevent our prior knowledge from influencing our judgment is to evaluate each answer
without knowing the identity of the writer. This can be done by having the students write their names on the
back of the paper or by using code numbers in place of names.

Rule 7: Whenever possible, have two or more persons grade each answer.
The best way to check on the reliability of the scoring of essay answers is to obtain two or more
independent judgments. Although this may not be a feasible practice for routine classroom testing, it might be
done periodically with a fellow teacher (one who is equally competent in the area). Obtaining two or more
independent ratings becomes especially vital where the results are to be used for important and irreversible
decisions, such as in the selection of students for further training or for special awards. Here the pooled ratings
of several competent persons may be needed to attain level of reliability that is commensurate with the
significance of the decision being made. Some teachers use the cumulative criteria i.e. adding the weights
given to each criterion, as basis for grading while others use the reverse. In the latter method, each student
begins with a score of 100. Points are then deducted every time a teacher encounters a mistake or when a
criterion is missed by the student in his essay.

Rule 8: Do not provide optional questions. It is difficult to construct questions of equal difficulty, and
so teacher cannot have valid comparison of students' achievement.
Rule 9: Provide information about the value/weight of the question and how it will be scored.
Rule 10: Emphasize higher level thinking skills.
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 Example:
Scientists have found that oceans can influence the temperature of nearby landmasses. Coastal
landmasses tend to have more moderate temperatures in summer and winter than inland landmasses of the
same latitude.
Non Example:
Considering the influence of ocean temperatures, explain why inland temperatures vary in summer and
winter to a greater degree than coastal temperatures. List three coastal land masses.

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