practical discussion to avoid common pitfalls when constructing multiple choice questions items

This paper is an attempt to produce a guide for improving the quality of Multiple Choice Questions [MCQs] used in undergraduate and postgraduate assessment. Multiple Choice Questions type is the most frequently used type of assessment worldwide. Well constructed, context rich MCQs have a high reliability per hour of testing. Avoidance of technical items flaws is essential to improve the validity evidence of MCQs. Technical item flaws are essentially of two types [i] related to testwiseness, [ii] related to irrelevant difficulty. A list of such flaws is presented together with discussion of each flaw and examples to facilitate learning of this paper and to make it learner friendly. This paper was designed to be interactive with self-assessment exercises followed by the key answer with explanations

criteria and analysis of good multiple choice questions in a health professional setting

Assessment of health workers as students and professionals has a profound impact on their learning and is an essential safety valve before certification. It is used for their training, their placement, their certification, and their promotion. The multiple choice question MCQ type of tests represents one of the most important examination tools that is commonly used in this assessment. The MCQs can be reliable, valid, and cost-effective in assessing medical knowledge. This paper portrays the different purposes of assessment in the medical field. The paper discusses in detail the criteria of a good assessment tool. Interpretation of MCQ test results is the final section of the paper