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From: kolb@handel.colostate.edu (Denny Kolb)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Multiple Choice Tests (was Student and Course Integrity)
Message-ID: <1047@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU>
Date: 24 Jan 89 03:59:18 GMT
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Reply-To: kolb@handel.colostate.edu.UUCP (Denny Kolb)
Organization: Colorado State University, Ft. Collins CO 80523
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In article <2409@cuuxb.ATT.COM> dlm@cuuxb.UUCP (Dennis L. Mumaugh) writes:
>In article <1033@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU> kolb@handel.colostate.edu..UUCP (Denny Kolb) writes:
>>
>>   So by your definition, a "good" multiple choice test is one on which
>>   3 out of 5 answers may be eliminated without working the problem? :-)
>>
>
>I think you misunderstand.  In the MC test I described all of the
>answers were reasonable and the ONLY way one could be sure which
>was correct was to work the problem.  The answers were structured
>so guessing was not possible as the numbers all seemed correct.
>
  No, I didn't misunderstand.  Even your reply seems to indicate that to you
the purpose of the multiple answers is to allow the student to check his/her
work.  This is not the case.  Just because one of the current nic-names for
MC test is `multiple-guess', does not mean that you should be able to
guess your way to a decent score.  To me this sounds like a very well written 
and carefully thought out MC test.

One of the drawbacks to a MC test is that no partial credit can be given;
however, if one is careful, then unless you are *really* dependent upon
having the correct answer in front of you, to help sort out any procedural 
difficulties you may be having, then you will probably not lose too many 
points that you shouldn't have.

>Sometimes one could guess because the correction factors were
>either plus or minus and hence one could figure out which way
>they were to be applied and pick the correct number.  Guess what,
>the instructor wasn't interested in the exact value, but whether
>you could decide the direction of the correction factor.  Hence
>"guessing" the right direction was the only thing wanted.  Also
>there were questions in which the only thing was the fixing of
>the decimal point.

   You do seem to think that anyone who writes a MC test expects a lot of
  guessing, and `I guess :-)' that unless then exam is penalty graded, then
  one must expect guessing.  However, I have never written, and I have never 
  taken, a MC exam where the student was *expected* to guess the correct 
  answer.  

    Have you considered that possibly what the instructor was testing was
  precisely your knowledge of how to use these `correction factors?'

    What you describe, seems to me to be a two-level question.  The better
  student, will be able to see the easy way to arrive at the correct answer
  in very short order.  The less able, but still capable student, will be
  able to arrive at the correct answer with some effort.  The student who
  hasn't a clue, will not be able to arrive at the correct answer, unless
  he does `guess.'  Considering that most MC tests have 5 possible answers
  listed, then the `guessing' student will on average receive only a 20%
  on the exam, which will in no way be allowed as a passing grade.

    Also, think about how much time the instructor has put into this test.
  He has taken the time to work each problem 5 times, and has probably
  spent more time preparing this exam than you did studying for if *and* 
  taking it.
>-- 
>=Dennis L. Mumaugh
> Lisle, IL       ...!{att,lll-crg}!cuuxb!dlm  OR cuuxb!dlm@arpa.att.com


==========================================================================
Denny Kolb                   |         Computers are my job,
kolb@handel.cs.ColoState.Edu |         they are not my life.
hao!handel!kolb              |