Exam

Overview

Writing effective and efficient exams is a crucial component of the teaching and learning process. Exams are a common approach to assess student learning and the results are useful in a variety of ways. Most often, results are used to provide students feedback on what they learned or evaluate the instructional effectiveness of a course.

Types of exam questions

There are generally two types of exam questions useful for measuring student learning each with there own sub-types:

• Fixed-choice:
• Multiple-choice questions ask students to select the correct response from one or more of the choices from a given list. [more]
• True-false questions are typically used to measure student’s ability to identify whether statements of fact are correct. [more]
• Matching questions consist of a column of key words and a column of options, and require students to match the options associated with a given key word(s). [more]

• Open-ended:
• Short answer questions direct students to supply the appropriate words, numbers, or symbols to answer a question or complete a statement. [more]
• Essay questions require students to demonstrate through writing his/her ability to a) recall knowledge, b) organize this knowledge, and c) present the knowledge in a logical, integrated answer. [more]

Suggested uses of exams:

• Measure student learning
• Provide a basis for assigning course grades
• Compare student performance
• Provide feedback to students about their learning
• Guide course content or instruction

Strengths of exams:

• Fixed-Choice:
  • Ability to measure simple and complex learning outcomes
  • Scoring is easy and reliable
  • Can cover a lot of material very efficiently
• Open-Ended:
  • Are easier to create than other question types
  • Can effectively measure higher order cognitive learning

Limitations of exams:

• Fixed-Choice:
  • Writing good questions is time consuming
  • Difficult to measure higher-order thinking skills
• Open-Ended:
  • Time consuming to score
  • Difficult to measure a large amount of content or course learning objectives

Resource requirements

A moderate level of knowledge about course learning objectives and constructing questions is required. You should also understand how to use and interpret item analysis procedures (and/or scoring rubrics) and have experience in using databases (for large classes).

Plan your exam

STEP 1. Describe the assessment context

Consider the course content, class resources, and how the instructional setting and larger educational context impact the course. Make sure to include the age, majors, educational background, motivation level, and skill levels of students.

STEP 2. Identify student needs and develop course learning objectives

Course learning objectives, shaped by what is most essential for students to know, your needs, and any instructional priorities, specify what you want students to learn from the course. For example, "The students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of “Erikson’s Psychological Stages of Development by naming the eight stages in order and describing the psychological crises at each stage.” [more].

STEP 3. Determine the purpose of the exam

Use the course learning objectives to guide the content and purpose of your exam. Specify how your exam will help you gain insight, change course or instructional practices, or measure student learning. For instance, is the purpose of your exam to measure students’ performance on weekly assignments (low-stake quizzes) or is the purpose of the exam to measure students’ performance on midterm or final exams (high-stake exams)?

STEP 4. Determine how you will use the results

How the results will be applied are the underlying goals of your exam. Consider whether you intend to use results for a formative assessment, summative assessment, or an aid to improve future exams or instruction. Also, consider how much the exam score will count towards student course grades.  

STEP 5. Create the exam

Additional information

DeVellis, R. F. (1991). Scale development: Theory and applications. Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

Gronlund, N. E. (1998). Assessment of student achievement. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Hellyer, S. (n.d.). A teaching handbook for university faculty. Chapter 3: essay tests. Retrieved October 1, 1998 from Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis Web site: http://www.iupui.edu/~profdev/handbook/chap3.html

Hellyer, S. (n.d.). A teaching handbook for university faculty. Chapter 9: Multiple-choice exams. Retrieved October 1, 1998 from Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis Web site: http://www.iupuiedu/~profdev/handbook/chap9.html

Improving your test questions . Retrieved July 21, 2006 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Office of Instructional Resources, Division of Measurement and Evaluation Web site: http://www.oir.uiuc.edu/dme/exams/ITQ.html

Jacobs, L. C. (2002). How to write better tests: A handbook for improving test construction skills. Retrieved July 21, 2006 from Indiana University Bloomington Evaluation Services & Testing Web site: http://www.indiana.edu/~best/write_better_tests.shtml

Jacobs, L.C. & Chase, C.I. (1992). Developing and using tests effectively: A guide for faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kubiszyn, K., & Borich, G. (1984). Educational testing and measurement: Classroom application and practice. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.

Marshall, J. C., & Hales, L. W. (1971). Classroom test construction. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley.

Nitko, A. J. (1996). Educational assessment of students, 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Sevenair. J. P., & Burkett, A. R. (1997). Item writing guidelines. Retrieved July 21, 2006 from the Xaviar University of Louisiana Web site: http://webusers.xula.edu/jsevenai/fixed-choice/guidelines.html

Suen, H. K. (1990). Principles of test theories. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Wiggins, G. (1998). Educative assessment: Designing assessments to inform and improve student performance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers

Writing educational goals and objectives. (2001). Retrieved July 21, 2006 from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy Bureau of Pharmaceutical Services Web site: http://www.pharmd.org/thebureau/N.htm

Writing multiple-choice questions that demand critical thinking. (2002). Retrieved July 21, 2006 from the University of Oregon Teaching Effectiveness Program Web site: http://tep.uoregon.edu/resources/assessment/multiplechoicequestions.mc4critthink.html