GUIDELINES FOR CONSTRUCTING
TEST ITEMS
TRUE-FALSE TESTS
 Do not give a hint in the body of the
question.
Example: The Philippines gained its independence
in 1898 and therefore celebrated its centennial year
in 2000. Answer: ____
 Avoid using the words “always”, never,
often and other words that tend to be
either always true or always false
 Avoid trick statements with some minor
misleading word or spelling anomaly,
misplace 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.
 Beware of detectable answer patterns.
Example: Christmas falls on a Sunday because it is
a Sabbath Day. Answer: ___
 Avoid long sentences as these tend to be
true.
 Avoid double negatives. This makes test
item unclear and definitely will confuse
the student.
Example: The changes that takes place in early
childhood are NOT unchangeable.
 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, for
example, “many”, “often”,
“sometimes”, generally”, “frequently”
or “some”. These should be avoided.
Example: Executives usually suffer from
hyperacidity. The statement tends to be correct.
The word “usually leads the answer
MATCHING TYPE TESTS
 Match homogeneous not heterogeneous
items - If you want your students to match
authors with their literary works, in one
column will be authors and in the second
column must be literary works.
 The stem (longer in construction than the
option must be in the first column while
the options (usually shorter) must be in the
second column
 The options must be more in number than
the stems to prevent the students from
arriving at the answer by mere process of
elimination.
 Arrange the options alphabetically or
chronologically, whichever is applicable.
 Like any other test, the direction of the test
must be given. The examinees must know
what to do.
 Keep the question to one page and on the
same page.
SUPPLY TYPE OR
CONSTRUCTEDRESPONSE TYPE
COMPLETION TESTS
 Is another device for testing lower
thinking skills
 Example: The study of life and living
organisms is called ___________.
 This supply type of test will also test
higher order thinking.
 Example: Write an appropriate
synonym for each of the following:
 Metamorphose: ……
 Flourish: ….
SHORT ANSWER, FILL IN THE
BLANK
 Prepare a scoring key that contains all
acceptable answers for each item.
 Avoid open-ended questions
 The blank should be at the end or near the
end of the sentence.
 Ask question on more significant item not
on trivial matter
 The length of the blank must not suggest
the answer.
ESSAY TESTS
 Restricted Essay
 Non-restricted/Extended Essay
RESTRICTED ESSAY
• Examples:
• Write and example ….
• List three reasons …
• Compare and contrast two techniques …
NON-RESTRICTED ESSAY/EXTENDED
ESSAY
• Extended responses can be much longer and
complex than short responses, but students are
encouraged to remain focused and organized.
 Inform students of the grading criteria and
conditions
 Do not give students a choice of essays; have all
respond to the same questions
 Put a time limit on the essay test
 Evaluate all of the students answers to one
question before proceeding to the next question.
 Evaluate answers to essay questions without
knowing the identity of the writer.
 Emphasize higher level thinking skills
MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS
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.
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 b. leaf c. stem
The qualifier “much” is vague and could
have been replaced by more specific like
“90% of the photosynthetic process”. Be
quantitative
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 C.
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?
Do not use negatives or double negatives
as such statements tend to be confusing. It
is best to use simpler sentences rather
sentences that would require expertise in
grammatical construction.
Example: Poor: Which of the following
will not cause inflation in the Philippine
economy? Better:
Poor: What does the statement
“Development patterns acquired during
the formative years are NOT
unchangeable” imply?
Better: ___
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
b. Nick Joaquin
c. Genoveva Edrosa Matute
d. Robert Frost
e. Edgar Allan Poe
The value of the item would be greatly increased if
distracters had all bee Filipino authors.
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
The length, explicitness, or degree of
technicality of alternatives should not be
the determinants of the correctness of the
answer.
Example: If the three angles of two triangles are
congruent then the triangles are:

a. congruent whenever one of the sides of the

triangles is congruent.

b. similar

c. equiangular and therefore, must also be

congruent

d. equilateral if they are equiangular,

Use the “None of the above “option only

when the keyed answer is totally correct.
When the choice of the best response is
intended, “none of the above is not
appropriate

Notes:

 The use of “all of the above” may allow credit

for partial knowledge.

 Better still to use “none of the above and all of

the above sparingly. But best not to use them at all.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

 Teachers have the obligation to provide

their students with the best evaluation
 Tests play an essential role in the life of
the students, parents, teachers and other
educators