Item Analysis

• Refers to the process of examining the

student’s response to each item in the test.
• There are two characteristics of an item:
desirable and undesirable characteristics.
• Desirable items – retained for subsequent use
• Undesirable items – revised or rejected
 Three Criteria in Determining Desirability
and Undesirability of an Item
1. Difficulty of an item
2. Discriminating power of an item
3. Measures of attractiveness
Difficulty and Discrimination
Indices
 Item Difficulty Level: Definition
The number of people who answer a particular
test item correctly

Difficulty Index = The number of students who answer item X correctly

The number of total students who answer item X
Item Difficulty Level: Examples
Number of students who answered each item = 50

Item No. No. Correct Difficulty Difficulty

Answers index Level

1 15 .30 difficult
Moderately
2 25 .50 difficult
3 35 .70 easy

4 45 .90 Very easy

 Level of Difficulty of an Item
Index Range Difficulty level

0.0- 0.20 Very difficult

0.21-0.40 Difficult

0.41-0.60 Moderately difficult

0.61-0.80 Easy

0.81-1.00 Very easy

Get the difficulty index of each item.

Question A B C D
1 0 3 24* 3
2 12* 13 3 2

1. 24/30 = .80 - Easy

2. 12/30 = .40 - Difficult

 There are 50 students who
answered item X, 30 of whom
answered the item correctly.
What is the difficulty index?

Difficulty index = 30/50

= .60 or Moderately
Difficult
 Level of Difficulty of an Item
Index Range Difficulty level

0.0- 0.20 Very difficult

0.21-0.40 Difficult

0.41-0.60 Moderately difficult

0.61-0.80 Easy

0.81-1.00 Very easy

Item Group Answers Difficulty
A B C D Index

H 20 3 14 2 1 .525
1
Moderately
L 20 10 7 3 0 difficult
2 H 20 0 0 18 2
.675
Easy
L 20 0 3 9 8
3 H 20 3 8 4 4
.25
L 20 10 2 4 4 Difficult
4 H 20 3 3 4 10
.35
L 20 2 4 10 4 Difficult
 Level of Difficulty of an Item
Index Range Difficulty level

0.0- 0.20 Very difficult

0.21-0.40 Difficult

0.41-0.60 Moderately difficult

0.61-0.80 Easy

0.81-1.00 Very easy

 Discrimination Index

• It is the difference between the proportion of high

performing students who got the item right and the
proportion of low performing students who got an item
right.

• The high and low performing students usually defined

as the upper 27 % of the students based on the total
examination score and the lower 27% of the students
based on the examination score
 30 students are divided into two groups: 15 students
in the lower group and 15 students in the upper
group. In the upper group, there are 12 students who
answered item X correctly whereas in the lower group
only 6 students answered item X. What is the
discrimination index?

Discrimination index (D) = Pu – PI

Pu = level of difficulty of item X from the upper
group
PI -= level of difficulty of item x from the lower
group

Pu = 12/15 = .80
Pl = 6/15 = .40
D = Pu- Pl
D = .80 - .40
D = .40
 Discrimination index
Discrimination index Item Evaluation

.40 and up Very good item

0.30-0.39 Reasonably good item but

possibly subject to
improvement
0.20-0.29 Marginal item, usually
needing and being subject to
improvement
Below 0.19 Poor item, to be rejected or
improved by revision
Item Group Answers Discrimination
A B C D Index

H 20 3 14 2 1
1 .35
L 20 10 7 3 0
2 H 20 0 0 18 2
.45
L 20 0 3 9 8
3 H 20 3 8 4 4
.30
L 20 10 2 4 4
4 H 20 3 3 4 10
.30
L 20 2 4 10 4
• Discrimination index- is the degree to which
the item discriminates between high
performing and low performing group (upper
and lower 27%)
• Positive discrimination- if the proportion of
students who got an item right in the upper
group is GREATER THAN the lower group.

• Negative discrimination- if the proportion of

students who got an item right in the lower
group is GREATER THAN the upper group.
• Zero discrimination- if the
proportion of students who got
the item right in the upper
performing group and low
performing group are equal.
 Items are Retained if:
• Difficulty Index : .26-.75
• Discrimination index: .20 and above
 Items need to be Revised if:
• Difficulty Index: .26 - .75
• Discrimination index: .19 and below

• Difficulty Index: NOT within .26 -.75

• Discrimination Index : .20 and above
 Items Need to be Discarded/Rejected if:

• Difficulty index: not within .26 -.75

• Discrimination index: .19 and below
 Discrimination index
Discrimination index Item Evaluation

.40 and up Very good item

0.30-0.39 Reasonably good item but

possibly subject to
improvement
0.20-0.29 Marginal item, usually
needing and being subject to
improvement
Below 0.19 Poor item, to be rejected or
improved by revision
MEASURES OF ATTRACTIVENESS
OF DISTRACTERS
In a multiple choice test item with options A-B-C-D and out of 50
examinees:
A. the correct answer, was chosen by 5
B. was chosen by 30
C. was chosen by 13, and
D. was chosen by 2

Which was the MOST effective distracter?

a. Option A
b. Option C
c. Option D
d. Option B
In a multiple choice test item with options A-B-C-D and out of 50
examinees:
A. the correct answer, was chosen by 5
B. was chosen by 30
C. was chosen by 13, and
D. was chosen by 2

Which was the LEAST effective distracter?

a. Option C
b. Option D
c. Option B
d. Option A
In a multiple choice test item with options A-B-C-D and out of 50
examinees:
A. the correct answer, was chosen by 5
B. was chosen by 30
C. was chosen by 13, and
D. was chosen by 2

Which statement can be TRUE of the test item?

a. The difficulty index of the item must be low.
b. The difficulty index must be high.
c. It cannot be determined.
d. The test item must be reliable.
In a multiple choice test item with options A-B-C-D and out of 50
examinees:
A. the correct answer, was chosen by 5
B. was chosen by 30
C. was chosen by 13, and
D. was chosen by 2

How do you consider Option D?

a. Most effective distracter.
b. Effective distracter
c. Ineffective distracter
d. Attractive option
Situation B. Study the table on item analysis for non-
attractiveness and non-plausibility of distracters on the
results of a try-out test in Science. The letter marked
with an asterisk is the correct answer.

Item No. 1 A B C D*
Upper 27% 3 3 1 8
Lower 27% 5 1 6 3

The table shows that the test items analyzed ______.

a. has a positive discrimination index

b. has a negative discrimination index
c. is easy
d. is difficult
 Item No. 1 A B C D*
Upper 27% 3 3 1 8
Lower 27% 5 1 6 3

Based on the table, which is most effective distracter?

a. Option A
b. Option B
c. Option C
d. Option D
 Item No. 1 A B C D*
Upper 27% 3 3 1 8
Lower 27% 5 1 6 3

What is the difficulty level of the given item?

a. easy
b. moderately difficult
c. difficult
d. very difficult
 Item No. 1 A B C D*
Upper 27% 3 3 1 8
Lower 27% 5 1 6 3

Based on the table, what should you do with the test item?

a. make the item bonus

b. reject the item
c. retain the item
d. revise the item
Situation C.
Given the table on item analysis for non-attractiveness and
non-plausibility of distracters based on the results of a try-out
test in English. The letter mark with an asterisk is the correct
answer.
Item No. 10 A* B C D
Upper 27% 16 3 10 1
Lower 27% 14 6 8 2
Based on the table, which group got more correct answer?

A. Lower Group
B. Upper Group
C. Can’t be determined
D. Either lower group or upper group
 Item No. 10 A* B C D
Upper 27% 16 3 10 1
Lower 27% 14 6 8 2

The table shows that the item analysed has ____.

A. Positive discriminating index.

B. Negative discriminating index.
C. zero discriminating index
D. high reliability index
 Item No. 10 A B C D
Upper 27% 16 3 10 1
Lower 27% 14 6 8 2

Based on the table in Situation C, which is the

most effective distracters?

A. Option A
B. Option B
C. Option C
D. Option D
Item No. 10 A* B C D
Upper 27% 16 3 10 1
Lower 27% 14 6 8 2

Based on the table in the Situation C, which

distracters should be revised?

A. Option A
B. Option B
C. Option C
D. Option D
 Item No. 10 A* B C D
Upper 27% 16 3 10 1
Lower 27% 14 6 8 2

What is the level of difficulty of item 6 in

Situation C?

A. Very Easy
B. Easy
C. Moderately difficult
D. Difficult
Item No. 10 A* B C D
Upper 27% 16 3 10 1
Lower 27% 14 6 8 2

What is the discriminating index of item number 6

in Situation C?

A. 3%
B. 6%
C. 7%
D. 50%
Sample Test Questions
 `
• The difficulty index of a test item is one (1).
What does this mean?
A. The test item is very good, so retain it.
B. The test item is very difficult.
C. The test item is extremely easy.
D. The test item is not valid.
• The discrimination index of a test items is -.35.
What does this mean?
A. More from the upper group got the item
correctly.
B. More from the lower group got the item
correctly.
C. The test is quite reliable.
D. The test item is valid.
• The discrimination index of a test item is +.48.
What does this mean?
A. An equal number from the lower and upper
group got the item correctly.
B. More from the upper group got the item wrongly.
C. More from the lower group got the item
correctly.
D. More from the upper group got the item
correctly.
• A number of test items in a test are said to be non-
discriminating. What conclusion can be drawn?
I. Teaching or learning is very good.
II. An item is so easy that anyone could get it right.
III. An item is so difficult that nobody could get it.

A. I and II
B. II and III
C. II only
D. III only 
• A test item has a difficult index of .51 and a
discrimination index of .25 . What should the
teacher do?
A. Make it a bonus item.
B. Reject the item.
C. Retain the item.
D. Revise the item.
• The difficulty index of a test item is 1 . What
does it mean?
A. Nobody got the item correctly.
B. The test is very difficult.
C. The test is very easy.
D. The test item is a quality item.
• A negative discrimination index means that
__________.
A. more from the lower group answered the test
item correctly
B. more from the upper groups got the item
correctly
C. the test item could not discriminate between the
upper and lower groups
D. the test item has low reliability
When significantly greater number from the
lower group gets a test item correctly, this
implies that the test item:
A. Is not very valid
B. is not highly reliable
C. Is very valid
D. Is highly reliable
Teacher K conducted a test in MAKABAYAN IV. In her item
number 13 it is said to be non discriminating. What can be
said about this item?

I. The item is difficult that nobody got the correct answer

II. Teaching or Learning is very good
III. The item is very easy and everybody got it right.

a. I only
b. I and II
c. I and III
d. III only
The discrimination index of a test of the test item is
0.35. What does it mean?

a. More student in the lower group got the item

correctly than those students in the upper group
b. More student in the upper group got the item
correctly than those students in the lower group
c. The number of students in the lower and upper
group who got the item correctly is equal
d. More students from the upper group got the item
correctly.
Which of the following statement best
describe norm-referenced interpretation?

a. BJ performed better in Mathematics than

85% of his class
b. BJ was able to get 60% of the items
correctly
c. BJ got 40 items correctly out of 50 items
d. BJ was able to answer his test in 45
minutes only
Teacher Luis found out that more than the
lower group got item #16 correctly in his
item analysis. This means that the test item
has _______.

a. negative discriminating power

b. low validity
c. positive discriminating power
d. zero discriminating power
Teacher Ryan Christopher gave a
summative test. In which competency
did his students find the greatest
difficulty? In the item with a difficulty
index of ______.

a. 0.09
b. 1.0
c. 0.75
d. 0.45
Teacher Kristy conducted an item analysis
in her Chapter examination, she found out
that the difficulty index of item 20 is 0.45
and the discrimination index is 0.33. What
should the teacher do with this item?

a. reject the item

b. retain the item
c. revise the item
d. make the item bonus
• If the difficulty index of your test item is .98,
what should you do with this item?
A. Revise it.
B. Reject it.
C. Retain it.
D. Reserve it for another group of pupils.
• If the difficulty index of your test item is .10,
what should you do with this item?
A. Retain it.
B. Revise it.
C. Reject it.
D. Reserve it for another group of pupils.
 Difficulty Index

• This refers to the proportion of students in the upper

group and lower group who answered an item
correctly.

PUG PLG
DF
2

P UG = Proportion of the upper group who got an item right

P LG = Proportion of the lower group who got an item right

Eighty students took an examination in Algebra. Six students in
the upper group got the correct answer and 4 students in the
lower group got the correct answer for item number 6. Find the
Difficulty Index.

PUG PLG
DF Number of students who took the exam: 80
2
27% of 80 = 21. 6 or 22, which means that
there are 22 students in the performing group and
another 22 students in the lower performing group.
PUG 6/22 =27%

PLG 4/22 =18%

DF 27% + 18 % = 45 % / 2 = 22.5% or .225 or difficult

• Maximum discrimination- is the sum of the
proportion of the upper and lower groups who
answered the item correctly
• Possible maximum discrimination happens if
the half or less of the sum of the upper and lower
groups answered an item correctly.
Example: Maximum Discrimination
Eighty students took an examination in Algebra. Six students in
the upper group got the correct answer and 4 students in the
lower group got the correct answer for item number 6. Find the
Difficulty Index.

DM = Maximum Discrimination PUG 6/22 =27%

DM = PUG + PLG PLG 4/22 =18%

DM = 27% + 18 % = 45% or .45

 It is the index of
Discriminating discrimination DIVIDED by
Efficiency the maximum
discrimination.

DE = Di
DM
Di (discrimination index) = PUG - PLG

DM = PUG + PLG
 Eighty students took an examination in Algebra. Six students in
the upper group got the correct answer and 4 students in the
lower group got the correct answer for item number 6. Find the
Difficulty Index.

DE = Di Di (discrimination index) = PUG - PLG

DM PUG 6/22 =27%

P 4/22 =18%
LG

Di = 27 % - 18% = 9% or .09
DM = PUG + PLG
DM = 27% + 18 % = 45% or .45 DE = Di
.09/.45 = .20 or 20%
DM
Average item. The item is discriminating at 20 % of the potential of an item of its difficulty
 DETERMINING ITEM DISCRIMINATION
 Determines how well each item discriminates
between high- and low-level examinees.
 The test analyst should separate the highest
and lowest papers in terms of the total score
on the test.
 The discriminating items will be those
answered correctly by more of the high group
than the low group.
 Simpler Method You Can Use!
• Step 1. Separate the highest and the lowest 25 % of
the papers.
• Step 2. For each item; subtract the numbers of
“lows” who answered the item correctly from the
number of “highs” who answered correctly.
• Step 3. Divide the result of step 2 by the number of
papers in each group, “highs” and “lows” to obtain
the “item discrimination index.”
Example:
If one has a sample of 60 completed papers,
he should separate the highest and the lowest 15
papers. Let us then say that the first item was
answered correctly by 10 “highs” and 5 “lows.”
Subtracting 5 from 10, we obtain +5, which,
divided by 15, gives an item discrimination index
of +.3333. Therefore, this item has satisfactory
discriminating power.