Multiple-Choice Item Checklist
Whole Item
* The item must reflect an important curricular objective
* The item should focus on a single problem.
* The sentence structure and vocabulary should be clear and simple
- Unnessary wording and details must be eliminated from both the stem
and alternatives
- key words from a reading passage or data set should not be repeated
in the stem or in an alternative
* avoid asking opinion type questions
Checklist For Stem
* self-contained
* gramatically correct within itself and in its relationship to each of
the alternatives
* should not provide grammatical clues to any alternative
* key words from the stem should not be repeated in an alternative
* negatively worded stems should be avoided
* use "Of the following" only in "best answer" questions
* specify criteria for "best answer" questions
Checklist For Alternatives
* always use the same number of alternatives
* NEVER use "all of the above" or "none of the above"
* avoid "both a and b" etc
* words common to all the alternatives should be placed in the stem
* all distractors should be plausible
* all distractors must remain consistent regardless of higher levels of
learning
* keyed answer must be only correct or clearly the best answer
* avoid overlapping distractors,
* alternatives must be grammatically consistent with the stem, and parallel
in form
* avoid stating the correct answer in greater length
* avoid stating the correct answer in textbook language or stereotyped phraseology
* in science or math, must have correct number of significant digits
* avoid absolute terms like "always" or "never"
* avoid saying UNTRUE things in alternatives (ideal to aim for)
Keying the Item
* vary the distribution of the keyed alternative in random manner
- same number of a's, b's, c's & d's as correct answer
* pyramiding alternatives: distractors should be arranged in ascending or
descending order
- dates in chronological order
- lines from a passage in order they appear in passage
- numbers in order
- alphabetize
- or by length
* Ensure that every item is independent of every other item
* Each multiple choice item should be worth same number of marks