ITEM FORMATS & STANDARDS
Types of Test Item Formats
Test items can be written in various formats, including multiple choice, matching, true/false, short answer, and essay. These formats vary in their strengths and weaknesses, and no one format is ideal in all circumstances.
The first three formats are known as selected-response formats, because the student sees the possible answers and has to choose (or select) the correct one.
1. Multiple Choice. The student is given directions or a question and needs to choose the correct or best answer from several possible responses.
2. Matching. The student is given two lists of words or phrases, and for each item in the first list, must choose the correct item from the second list to go with it. The matching format is actually a type of multiple choice, where each test item has the same list of possible responses.
3. True/False. This venerable format presents a statement, and the student must mark whether it is correct or not. It may take the form of true/false, yes/no, agree/disagree, or others.
The last two formats are known as constructed-response formats, because the student has to come up with the answers on his own.
4. Short Answer. The student is given a statement that requires him to fill in the blank(s), either in the statement itself, or at the end of it. As short answer implies, the expected response is usually a word or phrase. This format is common in curriculum-based tests.
5. Essay. This item format requires a longer answer that usually requires more creative thought or memory. The student may be asked to describe, discuss, or summarize a given subject. This format requires the most critical thinking skills and is also the most challenging for the examiner to score.
We will discuss the three selected-response items in their own posts.