Designing Effective Multiple Choice Questions

Designing Multiple Choice Questions: Tips and Strategies

Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are a common and popular method of assessment in various fields, including education, market research, and customer feedback surveys. They consist of a stem that introduces the problem or topic, followed by a series of choices, usually labeled (A), (B), (C), and (D), representing the correct answer and distractors. Here are some strategies and guidelines for designing effective multiple choice questions:

1. General Strategies:

   • Write questions throughout the term: Create new MCQs regularly, ideally after every lesson or topic. This ensures that the questions remain current and relevant.
   • Instruct students to select the "best answer": Encourage students to pick the alternative that fits the question's context best, acknowledging that the distractors may contain elements of truth.
   • Use familiar language: Ensure that the question uses familiar terminology from the course, avoiding unfamiliar expressions or foreign languages, unless testing for language proficiency is part of the goal.
   • Avoid trick questions: Steer clear of questions designed to mislead students, which can cause confusion and frustration.

2. Designing Stems:

   • Express the full problem in the stem: Make sure the question presents a clear and complete problem without relying on the alternatives to make sense.
   • Put all relevant material in the stem: Avoid repeating the same information across alternatives and make sure the stem contains all necessary details.
   • Eliminate excessive wording and irrelevant information from the stem: Focus on essential facts and concepts, avoiding irrelevant details that can confuse students.
   • Present options in a logical order: Arrange alternatives alphabetically or numerically to avoid bias towards certain positions.

3. Developing Alternatives:

   • Limit the number of alternatives: Use between three and five options per question, as more than five can lead to difficulty in developing plausible distractors.
   • Make sure there is only one best answer: Ensure that the correct answer stands out among the options without any ambiguity or confusion.
   • Make the distractors appealing and plausible: The choices should be similar in length and type of language to the correct solution, even if students have little knowledge of the topic.
   • Avoid overlapping choices: Avoid situations where multiple alternatives are simultaneously true or false, which can confuse or mislead students.
   • Consider using single select or multiple choice question formats: Depending on your survey objectives, choose whether respondents should pick one or more than one option from the multiple answer options.

These guidelines aim to create efficient and fair multiple choice questions, ensuring that the assessment accurately represents the student's understanding of the material and reduces chances of guessing.