Test Construction

Designing
Multiple-Choice
Question
A multiple-choice question
Has two parts, namely
the stem and the Alternatives (choices)
alternatives are possible answers
where one (1) is the key
Stem can be further or the best answer and
classified into main the others are the
stem and leading stem distractors

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Suggestions for designing
MCQs
(Multiple-Choice Questions)
Three Sections:
1.General Strategies
2.Designing Stems
3.Designing Alternatives

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General Strategies
▪ Write questions throughout the term
▪ Instruct learners to select the “best answer” rather
than the “correct answer”
▪ Use familiar language
▪ Avoid giving verbal association clues from the
stem in the key.
▪ Avoid negative wording. If negative wording is
used, be sure to UPPER CASE, BOLD or
UNDERLINE them. 5
Designing stems

▪ Make the leading stem as a motivation and

express the full problem in the main stem.
▪ Put all relevant information or materials in the
stem.
▪ Eliminate excessive wording and irrelevant
information from the stem

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Designing alternatives
▪ Limit the number of alternatives
▪ Make sure there is only one (1) “best answer”
▪ Make the distractors appealing and plausible
▪ Make alternatives gramatically consistent with the stem
▪ Place alternatives in meaningful order
▪ Randomly distribute the correct responses
▪ Avoid using “all of the above” or “none of the above”
▪ Avoid questions of the form “Which of the following
statements is correct/not correct?”
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 TQ
Construction
R – remembering
U – understanding
A – applying
A – analyzing
E – evaluating
C - creating 8
REMEMBERING

- To retrieve, recall, or - cite, define, describe, identify,

recognize relevant knowledge label, list, match, name,
from long-term memory (dates outline, quote, outline, recall,
of important events, report, reproduce, retrieve,
compoments of a cell, etc) show, state, tabulate and tell

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Example:
1. Heterogeneous mixtures are not uniform in proportion where combined
substances are not evenly spread or mixed. Which of the following is an example
of a heterogeneous mixture?
A. Fruit salad
B. Paint
C. Softdrinks
D. Soy sauce

2. This factor affecting solubility depends on how fast or slow the mixture was
stirred. What factor of solubility it is?
A. Size of solute
B. Manner of stirring
C. Amount of solute or solvent
D. Nature of solute or solvent

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UNDERSTANDING
- Demonstrate comprehension
through one or more forms of
explanation (classify things or
compare two or more situations)
- abstract, arrange, categorize,
compare, conclude, contrast,
defend, discuss, translate,
transform, explain, exemplify,
associate, restate, rearrange,
distinguish and rephrase
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Example:
1. Combining two or more substances will form a mixture. Which of the following
substances will form a heterogeneous mixture when combined?
A. Oil and sand
B. Tap water and Salt
B. Calamansi juice and sugar
D. Hot water and powdered milk

2. Digestive System is the one responsible for getting nutrients from food. Which
shows the correct order of food travelling through the digestive system after it is
swallowed?
A. stomach, esophagus, large intestine, small intestine
B. small intestine, large intestine, esophagus, stomach
C. esophagus, stomach, large intestine, small intestine
D. esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine

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APPLYING

- Use the information or a skill in a - apply, calculate, carry out,

new situation especially in real life complete, generalize, transfer,
situation. illustrate, demonnstrate,
dramatize, manipulate, predict,
modify and experiment

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Example:
1. Heart is very important organ of the body and it should be taken cared. Which of the
following learners shows that they take good care of their hearts?
A. Treshia always eat fatty foods.
B. Mae eats proper diet of fruits and vegetable every day.
C. Jane keeps on eating junk food and drinking softdrinks.
D. Alexa sleeps only three hours every night because of using social
media.
2. Julio was asked to apply what he learned in his science class about how temperature
will affect the solubility of substances. If you are Julio what will you do?
A. You will put the chocolate powder and sugar directly to the cold water
and stir it until it will dissolve.
B. You will put the chocolate powder and sugar in the cold water, leave it
and wait for it to be dissolved.
C. You will make it sure that the chocolate powder and sugar has greater
in amount than the amount of water.
D. You will let the chocolate powder and sugar be dissolved first in
lukewarm water before adding cold water and ice.
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EVALUATING

- Make judgments based on - apraise, argue, assess,

criteria or standards criticize, critique, decide,
judge, validate, support,
review, recommend, evaluate,
convince, conclude and
consider

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Example:
1. Gemmare mixed chocolate powder, washed sugar, and hot water. Is she making
a uniform mixture?
A. No, because Gemmare is making a hot chocolate drink.
B. No, because the components of the mixture will mix together.
C. Yes, because the components of the mixture has only one phase.
D. Yes, because the components of the mixture can easily be identified.

2. Bats can fly and they have mammary glands. Will you classify bats as a part of
the group birds?
A. Yes, because bats will fly only at night.
B. Yes, because bats will lay hard shelled eggs.
C. No, because bats can fly and not all birds can fly.
D. No, because the bats feed their youngs with milk.

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CREATING
- Put elements together to form a
new coherent or functional whole;
reorganize elements into a new
pattern or structure; form or create
a concept from a given details
- assemble, create, construct,
build, collect, combine,
compose, design, develop,
formulate, devise, plan,
prepare, produce, invent and
specify
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Example:
1. In a science TV show, you see dolphins giving birth to a young baby dolphin
alive. It was also shown that every now and then, dolphins go above the surface of
the water to breathe. What concept can you formulate base on what you’ve seen?
A. Dolphins are mammals living in the ocean.
B. Dolphins are reptiles living in the ocean.
C. Dolphins are weird fishes in the ocean.
D. Dolphins are birds living in the ocean.
2. Jenith observed that when she mixed powdered coffee and hot water, the
mixture turns brownish and she can’t identify the coffee from the water. But, when
she mixed sand and hot water, she can still see the sand separately from the
water. What idea will Jenith create from her experiment?
A. Heterogeneous : one phase
B. Uniform mixture : one phase
C. Non-uniform mixture: one phase
D. Homogeneous : two or more phases
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