Writing test questions

[JenniferDZ]

I don't know if this is the right thread or not, but I figured somebody in this one would know something about writing test questions. I'm editing an on-line medical assistant training course, and they need me to write test questions for the final and mid-term. I am getting some slowly, but is there any specific trick for picking out good question material?

I am not supposed to use "K" questions (a, b, c, ab&c, none of the above), no true and false, and no negative questions (e.g., which of the choices is NOT part of this process). Some of the questions can be direct fact questions, but they would like a lot of "application" type questions.

I'm struggling through, but I'd appreciate any words of wisdom from all you wise people!

Thanks,
Jennifer Della'Zanna

[Tish Davidson]

I had to write chapter review questions for a high school bio textbook I worked on last year. According to the publisher, I was a champion question writer, but those questions were all short answer or paragraph answer, not multiple choice. It sounds like yours might be multiple choice.

These web sites about how to write better test questions might help you:

http://www.indiana.edu/~best/write_better_tests.shtml#II-1

http://www.oir.uiuc.edu/dme/exams/ITQ.html

http://www.jmu.edu/assessment/resources/ItemWriting_MC.htm

If you look at table 1 on the first website, it lists various skills to test: knowledge (recall) comprehension, applications, synthesis of information, etc. The guidance I was given for writing test questions was to have one or two recall questions, and then pick several that showed the student could synthesize, apply and evaluate information. I found it helpful to have think of questions in those terms. (the website has some examples)

My own bias is to try to make the students think. For example, on chapter that discussed feedback mechanisms that keep the body in balance, an example I discussed in the text was why you could not hold your breath until you die. To test the concept, I asked a review question something like: A body was found in a lake. At the autopsy, no water was found in the lungs. What does this tell you about how this person died? (the answer, in case anyone cares, is that the person cound not have drowned. If he had, biological mechanisms would have caused him to inhale, and he would have breathed water into his lungs.

My goal is always to have the students look at the question and go What the ####? We didn't learn that. Oh, wait a minute, I know, I know and then have the satisfaction of putting information together to get the answer. I think questions that ask for straight spitting up of an answer right in the book are both boring and demeaning to the student - plus the information is quickly forgotten. If the students have to work at the answer a bit they end up with more solid mastery of the information. Every question should be a little mini-puzzle.


Hope some of this helps

[JenniferDZ]

Wow, Tish, that was a LOT of help! I'm just really unsure of myself because I feel that the questions I've written so far are not all that challenging, but I don't know if that's because I know the material or if they're really not all that challenging! I don't like this project!

Jen