1

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Ave., Victorias City, Negros Occidental
Email: colegiodestaanadevictorias@yahoo.com
Telefax No. (034) 399-2830

MODULE 2: DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF TESTS

Lesson 5: Construction of Written Tests

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:

 Identify the appropriate test format to measure learning outcomes

 Apply the general guidelines in constructing test items for different test formats

GUIDE QUESTIONS AS LEARNING INPUTS

1. What are the general guidelines in choosing the appropriate test format?
2. What are the major categories and formats of traditional tests?
3. What are the general guidelines in writing multiple-choice test items?
4. What are the general guidelines in writing matching-type items?
5. What are the general guidelines in writing true or false items?
6. What are the general guidelines in writing short-answer test items?
7. What are the general guidelines in writing essay tests?
8. What are the general guidelines in problem-solving test items?

KEY CONCEPT

How do you construct various types of traditional test formats to

assess learning?

To learn or enhance your skills in developing good and effective test items for a particular test
format, you need to go back and review your prior knowledge on different test formats; how and
when to choose a particular test format that is the most appropriate measure of the identified
learning objectives and desired learning outcomes of your subject; and how to construct good
and effective items for each format.

General Guidelines in choosing the appropriate test format?

To guide you in choosing the appropriate test format and designing fair and appropriate yet
challenging tests, you should ask the following important questions:

1. What are the objectives or desired learning outcomes of the subject/unit/lesson

being assessed?

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 2

 Deciding on what test format to use generally depends on your learning

objectives or the desire learning outcomes of the subject/unit/lesson.
 Desired learning outcomes (DLOs) are statements of what learners are expected
to do or demonstrate as a result of engaging in the learning process.

2. What level of thinking is to be assessed (remembering, understanding, applying,

analyzing, evaluating, and creating) ?
 The level of thinking to be assessed is important as this will guide you in
choosing the appropriate test format.
 For example, if you intend to assess how much your learners are able to identify
important concepts discussed in class (remembering, or understanding level), a
selected-response format such as multiple choice test would be appropriate.
 However, if you intend to assess how your students will be able to explain and
apply in another setting a concept or framework learned in class (applying and/or
analyzing level), you may consider giving constructed-response test formats
such as essays.
 It is important that when constructing classroom assessment tools, all levels of
cognitive behaviors are represented – from Remembering, (R), Understanding
(U), Applying (Ap), analyzing (An) Evaluating (E) and Creating, © - and taking
into consideration the Knowledge Dimensions (Factual, (F), Conceptual (C),
Procedural (P) and Metacognition (M).

3. Is the test matched or aligned with course’s DLOs and the course contents or
learning activities?
 It is important that you are clear about what DLOs are to be addressed by your
test and what course activities or tasks are to be implemented to achieve the
DLOs.
 For example, if you want learners to articulate and justify their stand on ethical
decision-making and social responsibility practices in business (DLO), then an
essay test and class debate are appropriate measures and tasks for this
learning outcome.
 A multiple choice test may be used but only if you intend to assess learners’
ability to recognize what is ethical versus unethical decision-making practice.
 In the same manner, matching-type items may be appropriate if you want to
know whether your students can differentiate and match the different approaches
or terms ti their definitions.

4. Are the test items realistic to the students?

 Test items should meaningful and realistic to learners. They should be relevant
and related to their everyday experiences.
 Avoid or minimize using concepts or terms or situations that they have not
encountered yet or have not been discussed in class.
 This will prevent learners from making wild guesses, which will undermine your
measurement of what they have really learned from the class.

Major Categories and formats of Traditional tests

Two Major Categories of Traditional Tests:

1) Selected-Response Type – learners select the correct response from the given
options
2) Constructed-response Type – learners are asked to formulate their own answers.

The cognitive capabilities required to answer selected-response items are different from those
reconstructed-Response quired by constructed-response items, regardless of content.

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 3

A. Selected-Response Tests require learners to choose the correct answer or best

alternative from several choices, however, it cannot assess learning outcomes that
involve more complex and higher –level thinking skills.
Below are types of selected-response tests:
 Multiple Choice Test
This is the most commonly test format in formal testing and typically consists of a
stem (problem), one correct or best alternative (correct answer), and three or
more incorrect or inferior alternatives (distractors)
 True-False or Alternative Response Test
This is generally consists of a statement and deciding if the statement is true
(accurate/correct) or false (inaccurate/incorrect).
 Matching-Type Test
This consists of two sets of items to be matched with each other based on a
specified attribute.

B. Constructed-Response Tests require learners to supply answers to a given

question or problem. These include:
 Short Answer Test
It consists of open-ended questions or incomplete sentences that require
learners to create an answer for each item, which is typically a single word or
short phrase. These includes the following types:
1) Completion It consists of incomplete statements that require the learners
to fill in the blanks with the correct word or phrase.
2) Identification. It consists of statements that require the learners to
identify or recall the terms/concepts, people, places, or events that are
being described.
3) Enumeration. It requires the learners to list down all possible answers to
question.
 Essay Test. It consists of problems/questions that require learners to compose
or construct written responses, usually long ones with several paragraphs.
 Problem-Solving Test. It consists of problems/ questions that require learners
to solve problems in quantitative or non-quantitative settings using knowledge
and skills in mathematical concepts and procedures, and/or other higher-order
cognitive skills (reasoning, analysis, critical thinking and skills)

Guidelines in writing Multiple-Choice test items

Writing multiple-choice test items require content mastery, writing skills and time. only
good and effective items should be included in the test. Poorly written test items could be
confusing and frustrating to learners and yield test scores that are not appropriate to evaluate
their learning achievement

The following are the general guidelines in writing good multiple-choice items. They are
classified in terms of content, stem, and options.

Content:
1. Write items that reflect only one specific content and cognitive processing skills.

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 4

Faulty: Which of the following is a type of statistical relationship between

variables, particularly in terms of the extent and direction of
association?
a. ANCOVA c. Correlation
b. ANOVA d. t-test

Good: Which of the following is an inferential statistical procedure used to test a

hypothesis regarding significant differences between variables,
particularly in terms of the extent and direction of
association?
a. ANCOVA c. Chi-Square
b. ANOVA d. Mann-Whitney Test

2. Do not lift and use statement from the textbook or other learning materials as test
questions.
3. Keep the vocabulary simple and understandable based on the level of
learners/examinees.
4. Edit and proofread the items for grammatical and spelling before administering them to
the learners.

Stem

1. Write the directions in the stem in a clear and understandable manner

Faulty: Read each question and indicate your answer by shading the circle
corresponding to your answer.
Good. This test consists of two parts. Part A is a reading comprehension test
and Part B is a grammar/language test. Each question is a
multiple choice test item with five (5) options. You are to answer
each question but will not be penalized for a wrong answer or for guessing.
You can go back and review your answers during the time allotted.

2. Write stems that are consistent in form and structure, that is, present all items either in
question form or in descriptive or declarative form.
Faulty 1) Who was the Philippine president during Martial Law?
2) The first president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines was
_______.
Good
1) Who was the Philippine president during Martial Law?
2) Who was the first president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines?
3. Word the stem positively and avoid double negatives, such as NOT and EXCEPT in a
stem. If a negative word is necessary, underline or capitalize the words for emphasis.
Faulty
Which of the following is not a measure of variability?
Good
Which of the following is NOT a measure of variability?
4. Refrain from making the stem too wordy or containing too much information unless the
problem/question requires the facts presented to solve the problem.
Faulty
What does DNA stand for, and what is the organic chemical of omplex molecular
structure found in all cells and viruses and codes genetic information for the
transmission of inherited traits?
Good
As a chemical compound, what does DNA stand for?

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 5

Options

1. Provide three (3) to five (5) options per item, with only one being the correct or best
answer/alternative.
2. Write options that are parallel or similar in form ad length to avoid giving clues about
the correct answer.

Faulty: What is an ecosystem?

a. It is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving

components of their environment that interact as a system. These biotic and
abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.
b. It is a place on Earth’s surface where life dwells
c. It is an area that one or more individual organisms defend against competition
from other organisms
d. It is the biotic and abiotic surroundings of an organism or population
e. It is the largest division of the Earth’s surface filled with living organisms

Good: What is an ecosystem?

a. It is a place on the Earth’s surface where life dwells.

b. It is the biotic and abiotic surroundings of an organism or population
c. It is the largest division of the Earth’s surface filled with living organisms
d. It is a large community of living or non-living organisms in a particular area.
e. It is an area that one or more individual organisms defend against competition
from other organisms
f.
3. Place options in a logical order (alphabetical, from shortest to longest)
Faulty
Which experimental gas law describes how the pressure of a gas tends to increase
as the volume of the container decreases? (The absolute pressure exerted by a
given mass of an ideal gas is inversely proportional to the volume it occupies)
a. Boyle’s Law c. Beer Lambert Law e. Farady’s Law
b. Charles Law d. Avogadro’s Law
4. Place correct response randomly to avoid a discernable pattern of correct answers.

5. Use None-of-the-above carefully and only when there is one absolutely correct
answer, such as in spelling or math items.
Faulty: Which of the following is a nonparametric statistic?
a. ANOVA c. t-test
b. ANCOVA d. None of the above
c. Correlation

Good: Which of the following is a nonparametric statistic?

a. ANCOVA d. Mann-Whitnet U
b. ANOVA e. t-test
c. Correlation
6. Avoid All-of-the-above as an option especially if it is intended to be the correct
answer
Faulty: Who among the following has become the President of the Philippine
Senate?
a. Ferdinand Marcos d. Quintin Paredes
b. Manuel Quezon e. All of the above
c. Manuel Roxas

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 6

Good: Who was the first ever President of the Philippine Senate?
a. Eulogio Rodriguez d. Manuel Roxas
b. Ferdinand Marcos e. Quintin Paredes
c. Manuel Quezon

7. Make all options realistic and reasonable.

Guidelines in writing Matching-Type Items

The matching test item format requires learners to match a word, sentence, or phrase in
one column (premise) to a corresponding word, sentence, or phrase in a second column
(response). It is most appropriate when you need to measure the learners’ ability to identify the
relationship or association between similar items. They work best when the course content has
many parallel concepts. While matching type test format is generally used for simple recall of
information, you can find ways to make it applicable or useful in assessing higher level of
thinking such as applying and analyzing.

The following are the general guidelines in writing good and effective matching-type
tests:

1. Clearly state in the directions the basis for matching the stimuli with the responses.

Faulty: Directions: Match the following:

Good: Direction: Column I is a list of countries while Column II presents the
continent where these countries are located. Write the letter of the
continent corresponding to the country on the line provided in
Column I.

Item # 1’s instruction is less preferred as it does not detail the basis for matching
the stem and the response options.
2. Ensure that the stimuli are longer and ther responses are shorter

Faulty: Match the description of the flag to its country.

A B
_____ Bangladesh A. Green background with red circle in the center
_____ Indonesia B. One red strip on top and white strip at the bottom
_____ Japan C. Red background with white five-petal flower in the
center
_____ Singapore D. Red background with large yellow circle in the center
_____ Thailand E. Red background with large yellow pointed star in the
center
F. White background with large red circle in the center

Good: Match the description of the flag to its country.

A B

____ Green background with red circle in the center A. Bangladesh

____ One red strip on top and white strip at the bottom B. Hong Kong
____ . Red background with white five-petal flower in the C. Indonesia
enter
____ Red background with large yellow circle in the center D. Japan
____ Red background with large yellow pointed star in the E. Singaore
center
_____ . White background with large red circle in the center F. Vietnam

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 7

Item # 2 is a better version because the descriptions are presented in the first column
while the response options are in the second column. The stems are also longer than the
options.

3. For each item, include only topics that are related with one aother and share the same
foundation of information

Faulty: Match the following:

_________ 1. Indonesia A. Asia

_________ 2. Malaysia B. Bangkok
________ 3. Philippines C. Jakarta
________ 4. Thailand D. Kuala Lumpur
________ 5. Year ASEAN was established E. 1967

Good: On the line to the left of each country in Column I, write the letter of the

country’s capital presented in Column II.

_________ 1. Indonesia F. Asia

_________ 2. Malaysia G. Bangkok
________ 3. Philippines H. Jakarta
________ 4. Thailand I. Kuala Lumpur
J. Manila

Item # 1 is considered unacceptable item because its response options are not
parallel and include different kinds of information that can provide clues to the
correct/wrong answers. On the other hand, item # 2 details the basis for matching
and the response options only include related concepts.

4. Make the response options short, homogeneous and arranged in logical order.

Faulty: Match the chemical elements with their characteristics

A B
_______ Gold A. Au
_______ Hydrogen B. Magnetic metal used in steel
_______ Iron C. Hg
_______ Potassium D. K
_______ Sodium E. With lowest density
F. Na

Good: Match the chemical elements with their symbols

A B
_______ Gold A. Au
_______ Hydrogen B. Fe
_______ Iron C. Hg
_______ Potassium D. K
_______ Sodium E. H
F. Na

Item # 1, response options are not parallel in content and length. They are not
also arranged alphabetically.

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 8

5. Include response options that are reasonable and realistic and similar in length and
grammatical form

Faulty: Match the subjects with their course description.

A B
______ History A. Studies the production and distribution of good/services
______ Political Science B. Study of politics and power
______ Psychology C. Study of society
______ Sociology D. Understands role of mental functions in social behavior
E. Uses narratives to examine and analyze past events
Good: Match the subjects with their course description.

A B
1. Study of living things A. Biology
2. Study of mind and behavior B. History
3. Study of politics and power C. Political Science
4. Study of recorded events in the past D. Psychology
5. Study of society E. Sociology
F. Zoology

Item # 1 is less preferred because the response options are not consistent in terms
of their length and grammatical form.

6. Provide more response options than the number of stimuli.

Faulty: Match the following fractions with their corresponding decimal
equivalents>

A B
_________ ¼ A. 0.25
_________ 5/4 B. 0.28
_________ 7/25 C. 0.90
_________ 9/10 D. 1.25

Good: Match the following fractions with their corresponding decimal

equivalents.

A B
_________ ¼ A. 0.09
_________ 5/4 B. 0.25
_________ 7/25 C. 0.28
_________ 9/10 D. 0.90
E. 1.25

Item # 1 is considered inferior to item # 2 because it includes the same number of

response options as that of the stimuli, thus making it more prone to guessing.

Guidelines in writing True or False items

True or false items are used to measure learners’ ability to identify whether a statement
or proposition is correct/true or incorrect/false. They are best used when learners’ ability to
judge or evaluate is one of the desired learning outcomes of the course.

There are different variations of the true or false items. These include the following:

1. T – F Correction or Modified True-or-False Questions.

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 9

In this format, the statement is presented with a key word or phrase that is underlined,
and the learner has to supply the correct word or phrase.
Multiple-Choice test is authentic.

2. Yes – No Variation
In this format, the learner has to choose yes or no rather than true or false.
e.g. The following are kinds of test. Circle Yes if it is an authentic test and No if not.

Multiple-Choice test Yes No

Debates Yes No
End-of-the Term Project Yes No
True or False Test Yes No

3. A – B Variation
In this format, the learner has to choose A or B, rather than true or false.
e.g. Indicate which of the following are traditional or authentic tests by circling A if it is a
traditional test and B if it is authentic.

Traditional Authentic
Multiple-Choice A B
Debates A B
End-of-the Term Project A B
True or False Test A B

Because true or false items are prone to guessing, as learners are asked to choose between
two options, utmost care should be exercised in writing true or false items. The following are the
general guidelines in writing true or false items:

1. Include statements that are completely true or completely false

Faulty: The presidential system of government, where the president is only the
head of state or government, is adopted by the United States,
/Chile, Panama, and South Korea.

Good: The presidential system, where the president is only the head of state or
government, is adopted by Chile.

Item # 1 is of poor quality because while the description is right, the countries given are
not all correct. While South Korea has a presidential system of government, it also has a
prime minister who governs alongside with the president.

2. Use simple and easy to understand statements

Faulty:
Education is a continuous process of higher adjustment for human beings who have
evolved physically and mentally, which is free and conscious of God, as manifested
in nature around the intellectual, emotional, and humanity of man.
Good:
Education is the process of facilitating learning or the acquisition of knowledge, skills,
values, beliefs, and habits.

Item # 1 is somewhat confusing, especially for younger learners because there are many
ideas in one statement.

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 10

3. Refrain from using negatives – especially double negatives.

Faulty: There is nothing illegal about buying goods through the internet.
Good: It is legal to buy things or goods through the internet.

Double negatives are sometimes confusing and could result in wrong answers, not
because the learner does not know the answer but because of how the test are
presented.

4. Avoid using absolutes such as “always” and “never”

Faulty: The news and information posted on the CNN Website is always accurate.
Good: The news and information posted on the CNN websites is usually accurate.

Absolute words such as “always” and “never” restrict possibilities and make a
statement as true 100 percent or all the time. They are also a hint for a “false” answer.

5. Express a single idea in each item.

Faulty: If an object is accelerating, a net force must be acting on it, and the
acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force
applied to the object.
Good: If an object is accelerating, a net force must be acting on it.

Item # 1 consists of two conflicting ideas, wherein one is not correct.

6. Avoid the use of unfamiliar words or vocabulary.

Faulty: Esprit de corps among soldiers is important in the face of hardships and
opposition in fighting the terrorists.
Good: Military morale is important in the face of hardships and opposition in
fighting the terrorists

Students may have a difficult time understanding the statement, especially if the word
“esprit de corps” has not been discussed in the class. Using unfamiliar words would
likely lead to guessing.

7. Avoid lifting statements from the textbook and other learning materials.

Guidelines in writing Short-answer test items

A short-answer test item requires the learner to answer a question or to finish an

incomplete statement by filling in the blank with the correct word or phrase. While it is most
appropriate when you only intend to assess learners’ lower-level thinking, such as their ability
to recall facts learned in class, you can create items that minimize guessing and relevant clues
to the correct answer.
The following are the general guidelines in writing good fill-in-the-blank or completion
test items:

1. Omit only significant words from the statement.

Faulty: Every atom has a central _______ called a nucleus.
Good: every atom has a central core called a _________.

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 11

In item # 1, the word “core” is not the significant word. The item is also prone to
many and varied interpretations resulting to many possible answers.

2. Do not omit too many words from the statement such that the intended meaning is lost.
Faulty: ______ is to Spain as the ______ is to United States and as ______ is to
Germany
Good: Madrid is to Spain as the _______ is to France.

Item # 1 is prone to many and varied answers. For example, a student may answer
the question based on the capital of these countries or based on what continent they
are located.
Item # 2 is preferred because it is more specific and requires only one correct
answer.

3. Avoid obvious clues to the correct response .

Faulty: Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972. Who was the president during
that period?
Good: The president during martial law years was _________.

Item # 1 already gives a clue that Ferdinand Marcos was the president during this
time because only the present of a country can declare martial law.

4. Be sure that there is only one correct response.

Faulty: The government should start using renewable energy sources for generating
electricity, such as ________.
Good: The government should start using renewable sources of energy by using
turbines called ________.

Item # 1 has many possible answers because the statement is very general (e.g.
wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and hydroelectric)
Item # 2 is more specific and only requires one correct answer. (wind)

5. Avoid grammatical clues to the correct response.

Faulty: A subatomic particle with a negative electric charge is called an _________.
Good: A subatomic particle with a negative electric charge is called a(n) ________.

The word “an” in item # 1 provides a clue that the correct answer starts with a vowel.

6. If possible, put the blank at the end of a statement rather thatn at the beginning.
Faulty: _____ is the basic building block of matter.
Good: The basic building block of matter is ___________.

In item # 1, learners may need to read the sentence until the end before they can
recognize the problem, and then re-read it again and then answer the question.
In Item # 2, learners can already identify the context of the problem by reading
through the sentence only once and without having to go back and re-read the
sentence.

Guidelines in writing Essay Tests

1st Semester AY 2021-2022
 12

 Teachers generally choose and employ essay tests over other forms of assessment
because essay tests require learners to create a response rather than to simply select a
response from among alternatives.
 They prefer essay if they want to measure learners’ higher order thinking skills,
particularly their ability to reason, analyze, synthesize and evaluate.
 Essay assess learners’ writing abilities
 It is most appropriate for assessing learners’ :
1) Understanding of the subject-matter content
2) Ability to reason with their knowledge of the subject
3) Problem-solving and decision skills because items or situation presented in the
test are authentic or close to real life experience.
 Essay tests are used because items or situations presented in the test are authentic or close
to real life experiences
 There are two types of essay tests
1) Extended-response essay
2) Restricted-response essay

Extended-Response Restricted-Response

Requires much longer and complex

Is much more focused and restrained
responses

How are the leopard and tiger differ? Support

Tina is preparing for a demonstration to display
your answer with details and information from
at her school’s science fair. She needs to show
the article.
the effects of salt on the buoyancy of egg.

Part A: Identify at least two other actions that

would make Tina’s demonstration better

Part B: Explain why each action would improve

the demonstration

The following are the general guidelines in constructing good essay questions:

1. Clearly define the intended learning outcome to be assessed by the essay test.
 Identify and specify the intended learning outcomes
 Appropriate direct verbs that most closely match the ability that learners should
demonstrate must be used in the prompts
 Preferably use verbs such as: compose, analyze, interpret, explain, justify,etc.

2. Refrain from using essay test for intended learning outcomes that are better
assessed by other kinds of assessment
 Some intended learning outcomes can be efficiently and reliably assessed by
selected-type test rather than by essay test.
 There are intended learning outcomes that are better assessed during other
authentic assessments, such as performance test, rather than essay test

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 13

 It is important to take into consideration the limitations of essay tests when

planning and deciding what assessment method to employ for an intended
learning outcome.

3. Clearly define and situate the task within a problem situation as well as the type of
thinking required to answer the test.
 Essay questions or prompts should provide clear and well-defined tasks to the
learners.
 It is important to carefully choose the directive verb, to write the clearly the object
or focus of the directive verb, and to delimit the scope of the task.to avoid
responses that contain ideas that are unrelated or irrelevant, too long, or focusing
only on some part of the task.
 Emphasizing the type of thinking required to answer the question will also guide
students on the extent to which they should be creative, deep, complex, and
analytical in addressing and responding to the questions.

4. Present tasks that are fair, reasonable, and realistic to the students.
 Essay questions should contain tasks or questions that students will be able to
do or address.
 These include those that are within the level of instruction/training, expertise, and
experience of the students.

5. Be specific in the prompts about the time allotment and criteria for grading the
response
 Essay prompts and directions should indicate the approximate time given to the
students to answer the essay questions to guide them on how much time they
should allocate for each item, especially if several essay questions are
presented.
 How the responses are to be graded or rated should also be clarified to guide the
students on what to include in their responses.

Guidelines in Problem-Solving Test Items

Problem-solving test items are used to measure learner’s ability to solve problems that
require quantitative knowledge and competencies and/or critical thinking skills. These items
present a problem situation or task that will require learners to demonstrate work procedure or
come up with a correct solution. Full or partial credit can be assigned to the answers, depending
on the answers or solutions required.

There are different variations of the quantitative problem-solving items which include the
following:

1. One answer choice

This type of question contains four or five options, and students are required to choose
the best answer.
Example: What is the mean of the following score distribution: 32, 44, 56, 69, 75, 77, 95,
96?
A. 68 D. 74
B. 69 E. 76
C. 72 The correct answer is A (68)

2. All possible answer choices

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 14

This type of question has four or five options, and students are required to choose all of
the options that are correct.
Example: Consider the following score distribution: 12, 14, 14, 14, 17, 24, 27,
28, 30. Which of the following is/are the correct measure/s of central tendency? Indicate
all possible answers.
A. Mean = 20 D. Mean = 17
B. Mean = 22 E. Mean = 14
C. Mean = 16 Options A, D, and E are all correct answers

3. Type-in Answer
 This type of question does not provide options to choose from. Instead, the
learners are asked to supply the correct answer.
 The teacher should inform the learners at the start how their answers will be
rated.
 For example: the teacher may require just the correct answer or may require
learners to present the step-by-step procedures in coming up their answers.
 For non-mathematical problem-solving, such as a case study, the teacher may
present a rubric how their answers will be rated

Example: Compute the mean of the following score distribution: 32, 44, 56, 69,
75, 77, 95, 96. Indicate your answer in the blank provided.

In this case, the learners will only need to give the correct answer without having
to show the procedures for computation.

The following are some of the general guidelines in constructing good problem-solving test
items:

1. Identify and explain the problem clearly

Faulty: Tricia was 135.6 lbs. when she started with her zumba/aerobics exercises. After
three months of attending the sessions three times a week, he weight
was down to 122.8 lbs. about how many lbs. did she lose after three
months? Write your final answer in the space provided and show your
computations.
(this question asks “about how many” and does not indicate whether learners need
to give the exact weight or whether they need to round off their answer and to what
extent)

Good: Tricia was 135.6 lbs. when she started with her zumba/aerobics exercises. After
three months of attending the sessions three times a week, her weight
was down to 122.8 lbs. How many lbs. did she lose after three months? Write
your final answer in the space provided and show your computations. Write
the exact weight; do not round off.

2. Be specific and clear of the type of response required from the students.

Faulty: ASEANA Bottlers, Inc. has been producing and selling Tutti Fruity juice in the
Philippines, aside from their Singapore market. The sales for the juice in
the Singapore market were $5 million more than those of their
Philippine market in 2016, $ 3million more in 2017, and $ 4.5 million in

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 15

2018. If the sales in Philippine market in 2018 were Php 35 million, what
were the sales in Singapore market during that year?

[This is a faulty question because it does not specify in what currency should the
answer be presented]

Good: ASEANA Bottlers Inc.. has been producing and selling Tutti Fruiti juice in the
Philippines, aside from their Singapore market. The sales for the juice in
the Singapore market were $5 million more than those of their
Philippine market in 2016, $ 3 million more in 2017, and $4.5 million in
2018. If the sales in Mexican market in 2018 was Php 35 million what
were the sales in U.S. market during that year? Provide answer in Singapore
dollars (1$ = Php 36.50).

[this is a better item because it specifies in what currency should the answer be
presented and the exchange rate was given.]

3. Specify in the directions the bases for grading students’ answer/procedure.

Faulty: VCV Consultancy Firm was commissioned to conduct a survey on the voters’
preferences in Visayas and Mindanao for the upcoming presidential election. In Visayas,
65% are for Liberal Party (LP) candidate, while 35% are for the Nationalista Party (NP)
candidate. In Mindanao, 70% of the voters are Nalionalists, while 30% are LP supporters. A
survey was conducted among 200 voters for each region. What is the probability that the
survey will shoe a greater percentage of Liberal Party supporters in Mindanao than in the
Visayas region?
[This question is undesirable because it does not specify the basis for grading the
answer]

Good: VCV Consultancy Firm was commissioned tyo conduct a survey on voters’
preference in Visayas and Mindanao for the upcoming presidential election. In Visayas,
65% are for Liberal Party (LP) candidate, while 35% are for the Nationalista Party (NP)
candidate. In Mindanao, 70% of the voters are Nalionalists while 30% are LP supporters. A
survey was conducted among 200 voters for each region.
What is the probability that the survey will show a greater percentage of Liberal Party
supporters in Mindanao than in the Visayas region? Please show your solutions to support
your answer. Your answer will be graded as follows:

0 point = for wrong answer and wrong solution

1 point = for correct answer only (without or wrong solution}
3 points = for correct answer with partial solutions
5 points = for correct answer with complete solutions

SCQ
Answer the following
questions

1. What factors should be considered when choosing a particular test format?

2. What are the major categories and formats of traditional tests?
3. When are the following traditional tests appropriate to use?

1st Semester AY 2021-2022

 16

 Multiple-choice test
 Matching-type test
 True or false test
 Short-answer test
 Essay test
 Problem-solving test

1st Semester AY 2021-2022