Constructing Objective Paper and Pencil Tests

Presented by:Ericson V. Traje

Writing Alternate-Response Items

• It’s a test wherein there are only two possible answers to the stem

Guidelines In Writing Alternate-Response Items

• Avoid the use of negatives.• Avoid the use if unfamiliar or esoteric

language.• Use relatively short statements.• Use qualitative and precise rather than

qualitative language where possible• Don’t make true items longer than false items.• Refrain from creating a pattern of response.• A statement must only have one central idea.• Avoiding quoting exact statement from the

textbook

Sample # 1

POOR

• The raison d’etre for capital punishment is retribution according to some peripatetic politicians

IMPROVED

• According to some politician ,the justification for the existence of capital punishment can be traced to the biblical statement, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Sample # 2

POOR

• The raison d’etre for capital punishment is retribution according to some peripatetic politicians

IMPROVED

• According to some politician ,the justification for the existence of capital punishment can be traced to the biblical statement, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Sample # 2

POOR

• The raison d’etre for capital punishment is retribution according to some peripatetic politicians

IMPROVED

• According to some politician ,the justification for the existence of capital punishment can be traced to the biblical statement, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Writing Matching Items

• It is designed to measure student’s ability to single out pair of matching phrases, words or other facts from the separate lists.

Guidelines In Matching Items

• Make all questions and all options the same type.

• Be sure that the whole matching exercise is found on one page only.

• Avoid including many premises on one matching type.

• Premises or responses composed of one or two words should be arranged alphabetically.

Sample Directions: Match Column A with Column B. You will be given one point for each correct match.

1. Execution of Rizal A. 15212. Pseudonym of Ricarte B. 1896 3. Hero of Tirad Pass C. G.del Pilar4. Arrival of Spaniards in Phil. D.Spolarium5. Masterpiece of Juan Luna E. Vibora

Directions: Match Column A with Column B. You will be given one point for each correct match.

__1. National Hero of the Phil. A. Aguinaldo __2. Hero of Tirad Pass B. Bonifacio__3. Brain of the Katipunan C. Del Pilar__4. Brain of the Phil. Revolution D. Aquino __5. The Sublime Paralytic E. Mabini E. Rizal

Writing Completion Items

• Completion items require the students to associate an incomplete statement with a word or phrase recalled from memory

Guidelines In Completion Items

• As a general rule, it is best to use ONE blank in a completion item.

• The blank should be placed NEAR or at the END of the sentence

• Give clear instructions indicating whether synonyms will be correct and whether spelling will be a factor in scoring

• Give clear instructions indicating whether synonyms will be correct and whether spelling will be a factor in scoring

• Avoid using direct statements from the textbook with a word or two missing

• All blanks for all items should be of equal length and long enough to accommodate the longest response.

Writing Arrangement Items

• It is used for testing knowledge of sequence and order

Guidelines In Arrangement Items

• Items to be arranged should belong to one category only.

• Provide instructions on the rationale for arrangement or sequencing.

• Specify the response code students have to use in arranging the items.

• Provide sufficient space for the writing of answer.

Writing Completion-Drawing Items

• It is one wherein an incomplete drawing is presented which the student has top complete.

Guidelines In Completion-Drawing Items

• Provide instruction on how the drawing will be completed.

• Present the drawing to be completed.

Writing Correction Items

• It is similar to the completion item, except that some words or phrase have to be changed to make the sentence correct.

Guidelines In Correction Items

• Underline or italicize the word or phrase to be corrected in a sentence.

• Specify in the instruction where students will write their correction of the underlined or italicized word or phrase.

• Write items that measure higher levels of cognitive behavior.

Sample

Directions: Change the underlined word or phrase to make each of the following statements correct. Write your answer on the space before each number.

_________1. Inflation caused by increase demand is known as oil-push. _________2. Inflation is the phenomenon of falling prices. _________3. Expenditure on non-food items increases with increased income according to Keynes._________4. The additional cost for producing an

additional unit of a product is average cost.

Writing Identification Items

• It is one wherein an unknown specimen is to be identified by name or other criterion

Guidelines In Identification Items

• The direction of the test should indicate clearly what has to be identified.

• Sufficient space has to be provided for the answer to each item.

• The question should not be copied verbatim from the book.

Sample

Directions: Following are phrase definitions of term, opposite each number, write the term defined.

_________1. Weight divided by volume _________2. Degree of hotness or coldness of a body _________3. Changing speed of a moving body _________4. Ratio of resistance to effort

Writing Enumeration Items

• An enumeration item is one wherein the student has to list down parts or elements/components of a given concept or topic.

Guidelines In Enumeration Items

• Exact numbers of expected answers have to be specified.

• Spaces for the writing of answers have to be provided and should be of the same length

Writing Identification Items

• It consists of a pair of words, which are related to each other. This type of item is often used in measuring the student’s skill in sensing association between paired words or concepts

Guidelines In Analogy Items

• The pattern of relationship in the first pair of words must be the same pattern in the second pair.

• Options must be related to the correct answer.

• The principle of parallelism has to be observed in writing options.

• More than three options have to be included in each analogy item top lessen guessing.

• All items must be grammatically consistent.

Sample

Sampaguita : Philippines – Rose of Sharon : Korea

Bonifacio : Philippines, ________ ; USA

a. Jeffersonb. Lincoln c. Madison d. Washington

Writing Interpretive Items

• Writing Interpretative Items Interpretative test item is often used in testing higher cognitive behavior.

Guidelines In Interpretive Items

• The interpretative exercise must be related to the instruction provided the students.

• The material to be presented to the students should be new to them but similar to what was presented during instruction.

• Written passages should be as brief as possible.

• The students have to interpret, apply, analyze and comprehend in order to answer a given question in the exercise

Writing Short Explanation Items

• This type of item is similar to an essay test but requires a short response, usually a sequence or two. This type of question is a good practice for the students in expressing themselves concisely

Guidelines In Short Explanation Items• Specify in the instruction of the test, the

number of sentences that the students can use in answering the question.

• Make the question brief and to the point for the students not to be confused.