Quality assurance of multiple-choice tests

• Published in: Quality assurance in education Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 398 - 404
• Main Author: Bush, Martin E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01.01.2006; Emerald
• Subjects: Diaphragm (Anatomy); Educational evaluation; Educational Quality; Electronic Learning; Guessing (Tests); Guidelines; Knowledge Level; Multiple Choice Tests; Quality Assurance; Quality Control; Quality of education; Spelling; Statistical Analysis; Test Length; Test Reliability; Test Theory; Tests; Thinking Skills; Writing Instruction; Writing Skills; Scoring procedures (tests); Quality assurance; Education; Assessment
• ISSN: 0968-4883; 1758-7662
• DOI: 10.1108/09684880610703974

Purpose - To provide educationalists with an understanding of the key quality issues relating to multiple-choice tests, and a set of guidelines for the quality assurance of such tests.Design methodology approach - The discussion of quality issues is structured to reflect the order in which those issues naturally arise. It covers the design of individual multiple-choice questions, issues relating to the question bank as a whole, choice of test format, and what can be learned through post-test analysis. The paper offers practical advice, with an emphasis on maximising test reliability.Findings - It is recognised that considerable expertise and effort is required to undertake a thorough post-test statistical analysis, but pre-test quality assurance is relatively straightforward, if labour-intensive. The question of which is best amongst the various alternative test formats is left open.Originality value - The general issue of quality assurance of multiple-choice tests is surely an important one, yet the author is not aware of any other publication that deals directly with this topic.