Format selection in machine-scored classroom achievement tests

Performance on classroom achievement tests should reflect student accomplishment on a targeted set of instructional objectives. One prerequisite for meaningful edumetric assessment is the structuring of each component item in an appropriate format. In a comparative study measuring the effect of item format on student performance, incorrect choices were selected 2.4-fold more frequently on multiple choice items than on their content-identical, multiple true-false derivatives. On similar trials, scores on complex multiple-choice items ranged upward of 20 percent higher than on their content-identical, multiple true-false counterparts. The strengths and weaknesses of various test item formats are discussed and specific recommendations for format selection are made.