DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION

Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, PHILIPPINES

Telefax: 563-7527
Email: education@vsu.edu.ph
Website: www.vsu.edu.ph

Name: Javina Aiesha E. Sivila Date: December 4, 2023

Course & Year: BSED-English III Score:

“Points To Be Stressed in Constructing Quizzes”

After my demo teaching, as expected, we ought to give an assessment. My resource

teacher asked me to make a long quiz--- including the topics she was teaching before mine. I
checked the quizzes, and I was disappointed because a few of them were not able to answer
test II, which was an identification in the form of a crossword puzzle. Additionally, many of
them did not understand the instructions on the essay part--- their opinions were correct but
not related to the topic being asked. Constructing tests, exams, and quizzes is an essential role
for teachers in assessing their student's understanding of the topics discussed and their level
of competence in applying what they learned. Hence, after conducting and checking students'
quizzes (which I constructed), I realized two things: (1) start with the easy questions, and (2)
make essay questions more specific.

Anaya et al. (2021) found that ordering the questions from easiest to most difficult
yields the lowest probability of abandoning the test as well as the highest number of correct
answers. In my quiz, Test I was the easiest because they only had to read the given paragraph
and underline the appropriate conjunctions. Almost all of them got a perfect score. Even
though many of them received poor scores on Test II and III, at least they did not receive a
zero, which will be disappointing for them and me. Therefore, as a future educator, my tests
will follow a certain level of difficulty--- it shall always begin with the easy part.

Barbara Gross Davis in her book Tools for Teaching (1993), stated, "Essay tests let
students display their overall understanding of a topic and demonstrate their ability to think
critically, organize their thoughts, and be creative and original." Yet, essay answers can be
too vague if questions are not specified. In my Test III, I asked my students to choose one of
the five characteristics of Romanticism Literature and discuss them; many of them answered
the celebration of nature and the idealization of women. Most of my students gave me an

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
 DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, PHILIPPINES
Telefax: 563-7527
Email: education@vsu.edu.ph
Website: www.vsu.edu.ph

answer not related to literature, yet it was related to nature and women. I feel that they did not
meet the answers I was expecting. I realized it was my fault because my question was not
specific, although some students understood what I was asking for. Thus, in constructing
essay questions, I need to write them in more specific detail so that it would not lead to
confusion and prevent students from writing everything and anything.

To conclude, constructing tests, quizzes, and exams is not easy for teachers, especially
for beginners like me. It is an essential job of the teacher to construct tests appropriate for her
students. Quizzes should be written comprehensively and thoroughly. It should match
students' cognitive level and begin with the easy part as it progresses to difficulty.
Instructions should be clear, simple, and specific to prevent vague answers, especially during
essay questions.

References:

Anaya, L., Iriberri, N., Rey-Biel, P., & Zamarro, G. (2021, April 28). Understanding
Performance in Test Taking: The Role of Question Difficulty Order.
Www.edworkingpapers.com. https://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai21-
392?fbclid=IwAR3XlVnnEfpefVk6tp5NLoyQKILwejmnInBF-
sTFrKELuVr2kzKym_HiMZw
Meador, D. (2019). How Investing Time in Preparation and Planning Pays Off for Teachers.
ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/power-of-preparation-and-planning-3194263

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.