There are two main categories of test items: subjective or essay items, which allow the
student to organize and present a unique response, and objective items, which ask students to
choose the correct response from a list of alternatives or to provide a word or brief phrase to
complete a question or a statement. Multiple-choice, true-or-false, matching, and completion
are examples of objective items, whereas short essays, extended essays, problem-solving
exercises, and performance test items are examples of subjective items. One or the other item
type may prove more effective and suited for certain educational purposes. Test your
understanding of these two item kinds by responding to the following questions before we
analyze the relative merits of each form of test item.
Essay tests are particularly suitable for when, the test will not be repeated since the test group
is tiny. You want to support and reward the growth of students' writing abilities. Inquiring
into the student's attitudes is more important to you than evaluating their academic
performance. You have more faith in your capacity to read critically and fairly than in your
ability to come up with creative questions for objective tests.
In particular, objective tests are suitable when the test may be repeated because of the size of
the test group. It is imperative to receive highly trustworthy test results as quickly as feasible.
The evaluation process must be completely fair, objective, and free from any factors that
could affect test results (such as exhaustion or a lack of anonymity, for example). Your
confidence in your ability to explain objective test items clearly exceeds your confidence in
your ability to accurately assess essay test solutions. More pressure is placed on quick score
reporting than on quick exam preparation.
You can use an essay test or an objective test to: practically any significant academic
achievement that can be measured by a written exam. Test your knowledge of and
proficiency with the fundamentals. Evaluate your critical thinking skills. Test your problem-
solving skills. Ability to choose pertinent information and ideas and to incorporate them into
the solution of complicated problems is tested.
Along with the advice given above, it's critical to understand that some item types are more
appropriate than others for measuring particular learning objectives. For instance,
performance test items may be better at measuring learning objectives that call for the student
to demonstrate or show, whereas essay test items may be better at measuring learning
objectives that call for the student to explain or describe. You may choose the right sort of
test item for your classroom exam by matching learning objective expectations with specific
item types, which can also increase test validity.
