Writing

MULTIPLE
CHOICE AND
MATCHING
TYPE

At the end of the session, the participants

will be able to:

1. explain the different guidelines in

constructing matching type and multiple
choice
2. give the strengths and limitations of
these types of test
3. construct test items along these types
of test

HAVE A FEEL IN ITS PREPARATION10 minutes

1) Group the class into six.

2) The first three groups will write test items using

multiple choice. The topic for the first three groups
is on Validity. Prepare three test items based on
the topic.

3) The last three groups will write test items using

Matching Type. The topic is on the K to 12
Classroom Assessment. Write 5 items.
4) Post the outputs on the wall for the application
later.

EXPRESS THE EMOTIONS.

What can you say about the
activity?
How did your group come up
with the desired output?
Did you find any burden in doing
the activity? How did you resolve
it, if any.

CHECK IT OUT

ARE YOU IN THE

RIGHT DIRECTION?

Kinds of Objective Type Test

A. Multiple-choice Test
Is used to measure knowledge
outcomes and other types of learning
outcomes such as comprehension and
applications.
Multiple choice item consist of three
parts: the stem, the keyed option and
the incorrect options or alternatives.

ANATOMY OF THE MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEM

General Guidelines in Constructing Multiplechoice Test

1. Make a test item that is practical or with
real-world application to the students.
2. Use diagrams or drawing when asking
question about application, analysis or
evaluation.
3. When ask to interpret or evaluate about
quotations, present actual quotation
from secondary sources like published
books or newspapers.

4. Use tables, figures, or charts when

asking question to interpret.
5. Use pictures if possible when students
are required to apply concepts and
principles.
6. List the choices/options vertically not
horizontally.
7. Avoid trivial questions.
8. Use only one correct answer or best
answer format.

9. Use three to five options to discourage

guessing
10. Be sure that distracters are plausible
and effective.
11. Increase the similarity of the options
to increase the difficulty of the item.
12. Do not use none of the above
options when asking for best answer.
13. Avoid using all of the above options.

Guidelines in Constructing the Stem

1. The stem should be written in
question form or completion form.
2. Do not live the blank at the
beginning or at the middle of the
stem when using completion form of
a multiple-choice type of test.
3. The stem should pose the problem
completely.

4. The stem should be clear and

concise.
5. Avoid excessive and meaningless
use of words in the stem.
6. State the stem in positive form.
7. Avoid grammatical clues in the
correct answer.

Guidelines in Constructing Options

1. There should be one correct answer
in each item.
2. List options in vertical order not a
horizontal order beneath the stem.
3. Arrange the options in vertical order
and use capital letters to indicate
each option such as A, B, C, D, E.
4. No overlapping options; keep it
independent.

5. All options must be homogenous in

content to increase the difficulty of
an item.
6. As much as possible the length of
the options must be the same or
equal.
7. Avoid using the phrase all of the
above.
8. Avoid using the phrase non of the
above or I dont know.

Guidelines in Constructing the Distracters

1. The distracters should be plausible.
2. The distracters should be equally
popular to all examinees.
3. Avoid using ineffective distracters.
4. Each distracters should be chosen by
at least 5% of the examinees but not
more than the key answer.
5. Revise distracters that are over
attractive to the teachers.

Example of Multiple-choice Items

1. Knowledge Level
- The students are required only to recall.

Which of the following is one

of the major approaches to
psychology?
a. psychoanalysis
b. structuralism
c. psychiatry
d. New Age Movement
1.

2. Sensation, perception, and memory

are of particular
interest to which group of
contemporary psychologists?
a. psychoanalysts
b. behaviorists
c. humanistic psychologists
d. cognitive psychologists

2. Comprehension Level
- the students are required to
describe.

1. Using operational definitions answers

which question?
a. who
b. why
c. what
d. how

2. Why did John B. Watson reject the structuralist

study of mental events?
a. He believed that structuralism relied too
heavily on scientific methods.
b. He rejected the concept that psychologists
should study observable behavior.
c. He believed that scientists should focus on
what is objectively observable.
d. He actually embraced both structuralism and
functionalism.

3. Application Level
- the students are asked to apply.
Explaining a student's poor
performance on an exam to the unfair
difficulty level of the questions refers
to what kind of cause?
a. immediate, external cause
b. immediate, internal cause
c. developmental cause
d. necessary and sufficient cause
e. weak cause
1.

2. A researcher shows erotic films to one group

of subjects and violent films to another group
of subjects. The researcher then assesses
the cooperativeness of each group of
subjects. The independent variable in this
study is
a. the level of cooperativeness.
b. the type of film seen.
c. the level of sexual arousal in subjects.
d. the level of aggressiveness in subjects.

4. Analysis Level
- the students are required to
distinguish.
What is the statistical test used
when you test the mean
difference between pre-test and
post-test?
A.Analysis of variance
B.T-test
C.Correlation
D.Regression analysis

Advantage of Multiple-choice Test

1. Measure learning outcomes from the
knowledge to evaluation level.
2. Scoring is highly objective, easy and reliable.
3. Scores are more reliable than subjective type
of test.
4. Measures board samples of content within a
short span of time.
5. Distracters can provide diagnostic information.
6. Item analysis can reveal the difficulty of an
item and can discriminate the good and poor
performing students.

Disadvantage of Multiple-choice Test

1. Time consuming to construct a good item.
2. Difficult to find effective and plausible
distracters.
3. Scores can be influence by the reading
ability of the examinees.
4. In some cases, there is more than one
justifiable correct answer.
5. Ineffective in assessing the problem solving
skills of the students.
6. Not applicable when assessing the students
ability to organize and express ideas.

B. Matching Type Test

Matching Type Test has two column,
the column A which contains the
description and must be place at the
left side while column B contains
options and placed at the right side.

Guidelines in constructing Matching Type of

Test
1. The description and options must be short
and homogenous.
2. The description must be written at the left
side and marked it with Column A and the
options must be written at the right side
and marked it with Column B to save time
for the examinees.
3. There should be more options than
descriptions or indicate in the directions
that each option may be used more than
once to decrease the chance of guessing.

4. Matching directions should specify

the basis for matching.
5. Avoid too many correct answers.
6. When using names, always include
the complete name (first and
surname) to avoid ambiguities.
7. Use numbers for the descriptions and
letters for the options to avoid
confusions to the students that have a
reading problem.
8. Arrange the options into a
chronological order or alphabetical

9. The descriptions and options must

be written in the same page.
10. A minimum of three items and a
maximum of seven items for
elementary level and a maximum of
seventeen items for secondary and
tertiary levels.

Advantage of Matching Type Test

1. It is simpler to construct than a multiplechoice type of test.
2. It reduces the effect of guessing compared
to the multiple-choice and true or false
type of test.
3. It is appropriate to assess the association
between facts.
4. Provides easy, accurate, efficient,
objective and reliable test scores.
5. More content can be covered in the given
set of test.

Column A
_ 1. Cognitive
Development Theory
_ 2. Psychosocial
Development Theory
_ 3. Moral
Development Theory
_ 4. Psychosexual
Stages of
Development
_5.Hierarchy of needs

Column B
A. Sigmund Freud
B. Jean Piaget
C. Lawrence Kohlberg
D. Abraham Maslow
E. Eric Ericson

Now I Know !!!

1) Each group has to check their
prepared items during the activity if
there are guidelines being violated.
2) State the violations and re-write the
test items.
3) Present the corrected outputs in class.

Food for thought

WHEN YOU WAKE UP, YOU ONLY

HAVE TWO CHOICES GO BACK TO

SLEEP OR WAKE UP AND CHASE
THOSE DREAMS.
-Nikita Ruth C. Diaz, RN