TRUE OR

FALSE

By: Mayleen Luna

 01. True or false overview
Table of content
02. Suggestions on How to Construct
True- False Items

03. Advantages of Using True- False

Items

04. Limitations of True- False

Items
01
TRUE OR FALSE
OVERVIEW
 Essential statement which can be answered by either true
or false, yes or no, right or wrong and the like
 Alternate response type because the student selects one of
two choices
A student who knows nothing of the content of the
examination would have 50% chance of getting the correct
answer by sheer guess work.
A modified true or false test can offset the effect of
guessing by requiring students to explain their answer and
to disregard a correct answer if the explanation is incorrect.
02
Suggestions on How
to Construct
True- False Items
1. Make the statement as simply and clearly as possible.
Poor: Building on Thorndike’s law of effect, Skinner believed that food,
water, and smiling are examples of positive re-inforcers.
Improved: Skinner believed that food, water, and smiling are examples of
positive re-inforcers.
2. Avoid copying statement(s) from books or lectures.
3. Avoid long sentences as these tend to be “true”. Express a single idea
in each statement
Poor: The mean, median, and mode are measures of central tendency,
whereas, the range quartile deviation, mean absolute deviation, variance
and standard deviation are measures of variability.
Improved: The mean and standard deviation are measures of central
tendency.
The mean, median and mode are measures of central tendency.
4. Avoid trick questions
5. Do not limit questions to memorized facts
6. Avoid using negatively worded statements especially double negative
statements.
Poor: Primary process thinking does not involve acting on the first thing that
comes to mind.
Improved:Primary process thinking involves acting on the first thing that comes to
mind.
7. Make careful use of specific determiners.
Example: All the people of Zamboanga speaks Chabacano. (False)
The people of Ilocos Norte generally engage in tobacco farming. (True)
Specific determiners such as generally, usually, sometimes, frequently and often
give clue for true statements while all, never, only, always, and every give clue
for false statements.
8. Do not give a hint in the body of the question.
Poor: The Philippines gained its independence in 1898 and therefore
celebrated its centennial year in 2000.
Improved: The Philippines gained its Independence in 1898.
The Philippines celebrated its centennial year in 2000.
9. Each item should have a unique answer.
Poor: The square root of 25 is 5.
Improved:The positive square root of 25 is 5.
10. With true or false questions, avoid a grossly disproportionate number of
either true or false statements or even patterns in the occurrence of true
and false statements.
11. The first item must always be true.
12. As much as possible, avoid using T or Y for true and F or X for false
statements.
03
Advantages of
Using True-
False Items
1
Easy to prepare than the other selected-response test
items.

2 Applicable to all subject matter areas.

3 Provides versatility in measuring all levels of cognitive

ability.

4 Provides highly reliable test scores

04
Limitations of
True- False Items
1 Encourages guessing on the part of the student.

2 Difficult to avoid ambiguous statements.

3 Can lead to favoring the test of trivial knowledge.

4 Does not discriminate between students of varying

ability as well as the other types do.
THANK YOU!