Report on multiple-choice questions (MCQ)

Fatima Muthana Hatem

Fourth stage,section B

:Supervised By

Batool Assim Hameed

2024
Introduction:

Multiple-choice questions (MCQ) are an assessment tool widely used in the educational and
training field. These questions allow teachers and coaches to effectively and quickly assess the
level of understanding of materials and concepts by students and trainees. In this report, we will
explore the importance of MCQ, its benefits, challenges, as well as effective question design
methods and how to better use them in the educational process. According to (Najat Al-jobouri
2014 :62) : “The multiple-choice test is generally recognized as the most widely applicable type of
objective tests” .
What are multiple choice questions?
As a member of the closed-ended family of questions, multiple choice questions are among the
most commonly used and popular survey question types.
They allow your respondents to select one or more options from a list of answers that
you define. They’re intuitive, easy to use in different ways, help produce easy-to-
analyse data and provide mutually exclusive choices.According to (Designing Multiple-
Choice Questions – Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, n.d.)“A multiple-
choice question (MCQ) is composed of two parts: a stem that identifies the question or
problem, and a set of alternatives or possible answers that contain a key that is the
best answer to the question, and several distractors that are plausible but incorrect
answers to the question."

Multiple choice (MC),[1] objective response or MCQ (for multiple choice question) is a
form of an objective assessment in which respondents are asked to select only correct
answers from the choices offered as a list. The multiple choice format is most
frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections, when a
person chooses between multiple candidates, parties, or policies. (Multiple Choice,
2024)

Structure:
Multiple choice items consist of a stem and several alternative answers. . The stem is
the opening — an issue to be tackled, an inquiry posed, or a fragmented assertion to be
finished. The choices are the potential responses that the examinee can browse, with
the right response called the key and the inaccurate responses called distractors.[ 3]
Only one response might be keyed as right. This differentiations with various reaction
things wherein more than one response might be keyed as right. Normally, a right
response procures a set number of focuses toward the all out mark, and an inaccurate
response doesn't acquire anything. Notwithstanding, tests may likewise grant
incomplete credit for unanswered inquiries or punish understudies for mistaken replies,
to put speculating down. For instance, the SAT Subject tests eliminate a quarter point
from the test taker's score for an erroneous response. For cutting edge things, for
example, an applied information thing, the stem can comprise of numerous parts. The
stem can incorporate expanded or subordinate material, for example, a vignette, a
contextual investigation, a diagram, a table, or a definite depiction which has numerous
components to it. Anything might be incorporated for however long guaranteeing the
highest level of legitimacy and validness to the item is fundamental. The stem closes
with a lead being referred to making sense of how the respondent should reply. In a
clinical numerous decision things, a lead being referred to may inquire "What is the
most probable finding?" or on the other hand "What microbe is the most probable
reason?" regarding a contextual investigation that was recently introduced. The things
of a different decision test are frequently casually alluded to as "questions," however
this is a misnomer on the grounds that numerous things are not expressed as
questions. For instance, they can be introduced as inadequate explanations,
relationships, or numerical conditions. In this way, the more broad term "thing" is a
more fitting mark. Things are put away in a thing bank. Multiple Choice (2024)

Advantages of multiple-choice questions:

- MCQs offer flexibility as they can be integrated into various stages of a lesson and
utilized for both formative and summative assessments, inside or outside the
classroom. They cater to different levels of cognitive skills, from factual recall to higher-
order thinking, when crafted carefully.
- They aid in retrieval practice, especially for younger or struggling students, by
offering visible answer options, thereby enhancing confidence and motivation.
Additionally, MCQs can be scaffolded to accommodate diverse learning needs.
- MCQs allow for efficient time utilization during lessons, leaving ample room for
valuable feedback and discussions. Their quick response nature enables testing a wide
range of content, essential for comprehensive assessment within a content-heavy
curriculum.
- They facilitate responsive teaching by addressing potential misconceptions and
guiding instructional adjustments based on student performance.
- MCQs ensure objective grading and scoring, eliminating the need for subjective
review. Digital tools enable instant feedback, while self or peer assessment options
further reduce workload.
- Moreover, well-constructed MCQ quizzes can be reused for regular and spaced
retrieval practice, offering a sustainable workload solution.
- Versatile across ages and subjects, MCQs promote consistency in content assessment.
They can be adapted to different delivery methods, ensuring flexibility while
maintaining the integrity of assessment content. Jones (2022)

Drawbacks of multiple-choice questions:

- Poorly designed MCQs may not promote meaningful retrieval but rather encourage
shallow recognition or process of elimination. Crafting plausible distractors requires
effort and time, often posing a challenge for educators. Collaborative efforts within
departments or phases can alleviate this burden, as can leveraging existing quizzes
from other educators.
- While MCQs serve both formative and summative assessments, using them for high-
stakes evaluations may undermine their role as low-stakes retrieval tasks, potentially
impacting students' perception of the assessment's significance. Clear communication
from teachers regarding the purpose of MCQs is essential.
- Guesswork is a concern for some educators, as it's difficult to discern whether
students arrived at correct answers through genuine recall or mere chance.
Encouraging elaboration and follow-up questioning can address this issue to some
extent.
- Certain online quizzing tools incorporate timers and reward speed, inadvertently
promoting hasty responses and potential errors. Students with learning challenges or
language barriers may require more time for comprehension and response, rendering
timers counterproductive.
- Students' tendency to prioritize viewing scores over reflecting on their answers
impedes their ability to identify and address knowledge gaps, hindering the learning
process. Encouraging self-assessment and reflection is crucial for continuous
improvement.
- MCQs offer no partial credit, disregarding partial knowledge or related concepts
students may possess. This lack of flexibility can be frustrating and may not accurately
reflect students' understanding.
- While MCQs support retrieval practice, they should not be relied upon exclusively.
Incorporating opportunities for free recall and elaboration alongside MCQs ensures a
comprehensive approach to reinforcing learning. Jones (2022)

How it works?!

Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) streamline the evaluation process by providing a

standardized assessment of key lesson concepts and facilitating efficient data analysis.
For educators, grading is expedited through software programs or automated
machines, thanks to the predetermined point allocation for each question, enabling
comprehensive coverage of topics within the assessment.

From a student's standpoint, MCQs demand reasoned decision-making amid the

presence of plausible but incorrect options, fostering critical thinking and strategic
elimination. Regular, brief testing intervals bolster memory retention and long-term
learning outcomes, challenging the misconception that MCQs are inherently easy.
Deliberately crafted options ensure that guessing is not a viable strategy, underscoring
the importance of genuine understanding.

Despite their advantages, MCQs necessitate meticulous question design to accurately

assess conceptual mastery, as a single error can compromise validity. In subjects like
Mathematics, where multiple solutions may exist, predefined options may inadvertently
exclude valid responses, potentially causing confusion. Nonetheless, when employed
judiciously, MCQs serve a valuable role in the examination process, benefiting both
students and educators alike.
(Jain, 2021).

When to use
MCQ tests are useful for assessing lower-order cognitive processes, such as the recall of factual
information, although this is often at the expense of higher-level critical and creative reasoning
processes. Use MCQ tests when, for example, you want to:

 assess lower-order cognition such as the recall of discrete facts, particularly if they will be
essential to higher-order learning later in the course
 gather information about students' pre-course understanding, knowledge gaps and
misconceptions, to help plan learning and teaching approaches.
 provide students with an accessible way to review course material, check that they
understand key concepts and obtain timely feedback to help them manage their own
learning
 test students' broad knowledge of the curriculum and learning outcomes.
 (Assessing by Multiple Choice Questions | UNSW Teaching Staff Gateway, n.d.)

Challenges:
Despite their efficiency in administration and grading, MCQ tests demand significant upfront effort
to ensure validity, relevance, fairness, and mitigation of cultural, gender, or racial biases. Crafting
questions resistant to mere guesswork poses a notable challenge, especially when assessing
higher-order cognitive skills like synthesis and problem-solving.

The summative use of MCQ tests may inadvertently promote surface-level learning strategies,
compounded by the standardized nature of assessments that often lack nuanced, critical feedback.

Moreover, students with reading or English-language challenges may face disadvantages

irrespective of their content comprehension, highlighting potential accessibility issues inherent in
MCQ assessments.

Constructing an MCQ

Constructing an MCQ test requires meticulous attention to detail and a significant investment of
time, particularly during the design, review, and validation phases. Creating MCQ tests for high-
stakes assessments is a specialized task, necessitating expertise in assessment design.
Instead of starting from scratch, leveraging existing validated tests may prove more efficient.
Incorporating such tests into courses requiring multiple assessments can streamline the process.
While developing a new test may be warranted in certain situations, collaborative efforts within
departments or disciplinary groups, or even across institutions, can enhance the test's longevity
and effectiveness. Building a repository of MCQs facilitates benchmarking and ensures ongoing
assessment quality.
By establishing a comprehensive multiple-choice question bank, educators can contribute to long-
term improvements in course quality and assessment standards.
(Assessing by Multiple Choice Questions | UNSW Teaching Staff Gateway, n.d.)

Conclusion:
Multiple choice questions (MCQ) are an effective way to assess students ' understanding and
knowledge retrieval. These questions are characterized by their effectiveness in providing a
standard and quick assessment, paying attention to diversity and fairness in design. However,
challenges such as careful design and the need to avoid inactivity in choices, along with promoting
deep understanding rather than superficial responsiveness, pose confrontations for teachers and
students alike. Providing a balance of diverse questions and joint cooperation can contribute to
enhancing the quality of assessment and improving the learning experience for everyone.
(Assessing by Multiple Choice Questions | UNSW Teaching Staff Gateway, n.d.)

Examples of multiple tests :

1. The measure of location which is the most likely to be influenced by extreme values in the data
set is the
1. range
2. median
3. mode
4. mean

2. If two events are independent, then

1. they must be mutually exclusive
2. the sum of their probabilities must be equal to one
3. their intersection must be zero
4. None of these alternatives is correct.

3. Two events, A and B, are mutually exclusive and each have a nonzero probability. If event A is
known to occur, the probability of the occurrence of event B is
1. one
2. any positive value
1. zero
2. any value between 0 to 1

4. A numerical description of the outcome of an experiment is called a

1. descriptive statistic
2. probability function
3. variance
4. random variable
5. In the textile industry, a manufacturer is interested in the number of blemishes or flaws
occurring in each 100 feet of material. The probability distribution that has the greatest chance of
applying to this situation is the
1. normal distribution
2. binomial distribution
3. Poisson distribution
4. uniform distributionl