Designing effective

examinations and
tests
Effective Exams and Tests

Effective examinations and tests have the following characteristics

• They are reliable: Reliability is demonstrated when an exam produces data that is consistent over
time (Banta and Palomba, 2015). Tests that are too long, have confusing directions, and/or have
an unclear scoring protocol are all examples of unreliable assessments.
• They are valid:Validity is achieved when a test measures exactly what it was created to measure
(Banta and Palomba, 2015). An exam has major problems with validity when its items are not
connected to course learning outcomes or produces unexpected results. For instance, if all high-
performing students in a class respond to a test question incorrectly, the item is most likely
invalid.
• They are free from bias: There are two types of bias when it comes to testing. Both forms have
to do with validity. Construct validity bias refers to whether the exam measures what it was
intended to measure. Content validity bias refers to whether the test items are comparatively
more challenging for one group of students than for others.
Types of Examinations
There are numerous types of exam items that can be used to assess
student comprehension and competence. When deciding which
type of exam item to use instructors should consider what skills,
concepts, or knowledge they want students to demonstrate.  Each
type of exam item offers advantages and disadvantages, and both
should be weighed before deciding on which item type to use to
best measure student learning.
• Multiple choice
• True/False
• Essay
• Fill-in-the-blanks
• Computational
General strategies
• Connect individual test items to course learning outcomes/objectives. A test
blueprint can help with this. 
• What skills do you want students to demonstrate?
• How long do students have to take the exam? This will determine how many items
the exam should have.
• Will students have the resources they need to complete the test?
• The school’s policy for the types of exams administered?
• What is the purpose of the exam? Are there other ways that students can demonstrate
their learning?
• Use Bloom’s Taxonomy in designing your exams. Your exams should be balanced
and not skew too much towards the lower or higher forms of questioning
 Test Blueprint Template

Topic or Remember Understand Apply Analyze and Create

Objective Evaluate
Obj. 1

Obj. 2
Obj. 3

Obj. 4

Obj. 5
Tips for writing good MCQs
Avoid Do use
In the stem: In the stem:
•Long / complex sentences •Your own words – not statements straight out of the
•Trivial statements textbook
•Negatives and double-negatives •Single, clearly formulated problems
•Ambiguity or indefinite terms, absolute statements, In the choices:
and broad generalization •Plausible and homogeneous distractors
•Extraneous material •Statements based on common student
•Item characteristics that provide a clue to the answer misconceptions
misconceptions •True statements that do not answer the questions
In the choices: •Short options – and all same length
•Statements too close to the correct answer •Correct options evenly distributed over A, B, C, etc.
•Completely implausible responses •Alternatives that are in logical or numerical then ‘C’ is
•‘All of the above,’ ‘none of the above’ also true) order
•Overlapping responses (e.g., if ‘A’ is true) •At least 3 alternatives
Tips for writing True/false questions

Avoid
•Negatives and double-negatives
•Long / complex sentences
•Trivial material
•Broad generalizations
•Ambiguous or indefinite terms
Do use
•Your own words
•The same number of true and false
statements (50 / 50) or slightly more
false statements than true (60/40) –
students are more likely to answer true
•One central idea in each item
 Tips for writing good matching questions

Avoid Do use
•Long stems and options •Short responses 10-15 items on only one page
•Heterogeneous content (e.g., dates mixed with •Clear directions
people) •Logically ordered choices (chronological,
•Implausible responses alphabetical, etc.)
 Tips for writing good fill-in-the-blanks/short
answer questions

Type of question Avoid Do use

All short-answer •Trivia •Your own words
•Long / complex sentences •Specific problems
•Direct questions

Fill-in-the-blank •Taking out so many words •Prompts that omit only

that the sentence is one or two key words at
meaningless the end of the sentence
Tips for writing good essay questions
Avoid
•Complex, ambiguous wording
•Questions that are too broad to allow
time for an in-depth response
Do use
•Your own words
•Words like ‘compare’ or ‘contrast’ at the
beginning of the question
•Clear and unambiguous wording
•A breakdown of marks to make
expectations clear
•Time limits for thinking and writing
Effective computational questions should

Be solvable using knowledge of the key concepts and techniques from

the course. Before the exam solve them yourself or get a teaching
assistant to attempt the questions.

Indicate the mark breakdown to reinforce the expectations developed

in in-class examples for the amount of detail, etc. required for the
solution.
Takeaways
• When creating multiple-choice exams, avoid answer choices such as “all of the above” or
“none of the above.” These response choices can be leading as students may deduce
information too quickly to properly eliminate incorrect answers.
• Use a parallel form and length for alternatives when writing multiple-choice questions.
• When creating essay tests, use language that reflects higher-order levels of learning (e.g.,
analyze, evaluate, justify, etc.).
• Keep test instructions clear, simple, and unambiguous.
• Keep the length of the test reasonable given the timeframe students have to take it.
Remember that you are a content expert, and your students are – in many cases – novices.
What might take you 30 minutes to complete will most likely take them longer.
• Make the grading process clear for students on the exam so that students know how they
are being assessed before you grade it
Lets take a look at the
question papers