Best Practices for Creating Multiple-Choice Questions

Understand Multiple Choice Questions

In a typical multiple-choice test item, students are presented with a question description or a statement (this is referred to as a stem) and followed by a list of response choices known as alternatives.  These alternatives include distractors (incorrect answers) and one or more correct answers (the answer key). Depending on the format, students are asked to select either the single best answer (multiple choice) or all appropriate answers (multiple answer). 

This format is popular among instructors because it can be created relatively quickly and efficiently. Some of the key advantages of multiple-choice questions (Burton, Sudweeks, Merrill, & Wood, 1990; Scully, 2017) include their ability to :

• Cover multiple topics
• Measure a broad sample of achievement
• Cover a lot of material very efficiently within the giving test time (some students are even able to complete about one item per minute)
• Provide instantaneous feedback to students and efficient grading for faculty.

Furthermore, it is relatively easy to identify and revise questionable items. Most learning management systems offer item analysis features that can reveal the difficulty of each item, along with how well the assessment discriminated between the more and less proficient students in the class.
Despite these benefits, multiple-choice questions have often been criticized for primarily assessing recall-level learning rather than higher-order thinking (Zimmaro, 2010). Poorly written questions can also lead to misunderstandings or encourage guessing based on cues in the question itself. However, when thoughtfully designed, multiple-choice questions can go beyond recall and assess higher-order cognitive skills such as application, analysis, and evaluation (Burton et al., 1990; Brame, 2022).

However, this format has its limitations. It is not well-suited for assessing skills like oral or written communication, or the creation of original work.To help you choose the appropriate assessment format, you can start by asking: Are multiple-choice questions the right assessment format for what I want to assess? The answer depends on your course goals and specific learning objectives. For example, if your objective is to assess students’ ability to synthesize research articles, a multiple-choice format may not be the appropriate choice.

How to Get Started

As discussed earlier, a high quality multiple-choice question should:

• Accurately measure what you intend to assess (validity)
• Be clearly worded and minimize guessing or misinterpretation (reliability)

Developing strong multiple-choice test items is an iterative process. In general, there are three essential steps to creating effective multiple-choice test items:

• Plan your multiple-choice assessment.
• Write the questions
• Evaluate and refine the questions

Step 1. Plan your multiple choice assessment

Once you decide that multiple-choice questions are right for your assessment needs, the first step is to create your assessment plan. This involves identifying the content you want to assess (e.g. covered topics or concepts) and determining the cognitive level at which students should engage with the content. It is important to consider all major components of the course, including learning objectives , instruction, assessment, and evaluation (Zimmaro, 2010). If the instruction has conveyed the importance of well-designed objectives, and the instructor thoughtfully evaluates the quality of student performance, then assessment will be a successful, positive experience.

Before writing any items, it is helpful to create a test blueprint (Zimmaro, 2010). A blueprint ensures that your test covers the appropriate range of content, and cognitive levels (e.g. from basic recall to higher-order thinking) of Bloom’s Taxonomy. It also helps ensure a balanced distribution of questions aligned to your course’ key learning outcomes. A blueprint example is below:

	Topic A: American Realism	Topic B: Satire	Topic C: American Modernism	Topic D: Contemporary Literature	TOTAL
Remember	1	2	1	1	5 (12.5%)
Understand	2	1	2	2	7 (17.5%)
Apply	4	4	3	4	15 (37.5%)
Analyze	3	2	3	2	10 (25%)
Evaluate		1		1	2 (5%)
Create			1		1 (2.5%)
	10 (25%)	10 (25%)	10 (25%)	10 (25%)	40*

*note: this example is based on a 40-item exam

Hints for Preparing to Write Items

• Create test items while you prepare class lessons
• Make note of questions that students ask frequently during class
• Make note of common misconceptions students make during class or in homework
• Invite students to submit items at the end of class or at other times (Zimmaro, 2010)
• When a learning objective focuses on higher-order learning, it is much easier to write corresponding assessment questions that reflect higher-order thinking skills
• Item writing is iterative; expect to revise your questions several times (Theide & Goodman, 2010)

Best Practices

• When selection-type items are to be used (multiple-choice, true-false, matching, check all that apply) an effective method is to start each item as a multiple-choice item and switch to another item type if needed
• Present practical or real-world situations to the students
• Present the student with a diagram of equipment and ask for application, analysis or evaluation
• Present actual quotations taken from the news or other published sources and ask for the interpretation or evaluation of these quotations
• Use pictorial materials that require students to apply principles and concepts
• Use charts, tables or figures that require interpretation
• Avoid giving grammatical clues to the correct answer (“a vs. an,” singular vs. plural, etc.)
• Avoid using “All of these,” “None of these,” or “Both A & B” as answer choices (Zimmaro, 2010)
• Use plausible distractors–write options so they are homogeneous in content (Bothell, 2001)
• Prepare students for the test by specifying objectives or providing study questions
• Evaluate items; look at how well distractors worked, and examine the performance of high- and low-performing students

Examples

Gronlund (1998) provides useful examples of exam questions based on Bloom’s Taxonomy (examples have been modified to reflect the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy):

Remember (retrieve relevant knowledge)

1. Reliability is the same as:
   1. consistency.
   2. relevancy.
   3. representativeness.
   4. usefulness.

Understand (construct meaning)

1. The statement that “test reliability is a necessary but not sufficient condition of test validity” means that:
   1. a reliable test will have a certain degree of validity.
   2. a valid test will have a certain degree of reliability.
   3. a reliable test may be completely invalid and a valid test completely unreliable.

Apply (use procedure in a given situation)

1. Which one of the following learning outcomes is properly stated in terms of student performance?
   1. Develops an appreciation of the importance of testing.
   2. Explains the purpose of test specifications.
   3. Learns how to write good test items.
   4. Realizes the importance of validity.

Analyze (break material into parts; determine how parts relate)

4. Which one of the following unstated assumptions is this teacher making?
   1. Students go to school to learn.
   2. Teachers use essay tests primarily.
   3. Tests make no contribution to learning.
   4. Tests do not indicate a student’s absolute level of learning.

Evaluate (make judgments)

5. Judge the sentence in italics according to the criteria given below: “The United States took part in the Gulf War against Iraq BECAUSE of the lack of civil liberties imposed on the Kurds by Saddam Hussein’s regime.”
   1. The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid.
   2. The assertion and the reason are both correct, but the reason is invalid.
   3. The assertion is correct but the reason is incorrect.
   4. The assertion is incorrect but the reason is correct.

Create (reorganize into a new pattern)

6. Which one of the following propositions is most essential to the final conclusion?
   1. Effective self-evaluation does not require the use of tests.
   2. Tests place students in rank order only.
   3. Test scores are influenced by factors other than achievement.
   4. Students do not go to school to take tests.

Step 2. Write the Questions

Write a clear and focused question description (stem)

Once you’ve determined the learning levels and targeted topics you want to assess, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start writing your multiple-choice questions. Several educators (Brame 2013, Burton et al., 1990) have offered practical guidelines for how to write your questions description (stem) and the response choices (alternatives). Start by referring to your assessment plan. Each question should be designed to assess a specific learning objective, not multiple ideas at once (Baker, 1971). This focus improves clarity and helps ensure the item measures what you intend.

When writing the question description, Brame (2013) and Burton et al., (1990) suggest the following:

• Keep it concise and easy to understand. Your goal is to assess student understanding of course content rather than their reading comprehension skills.
• Avoid unnecessarily complex or confusing language. The stem should clearly communicate what you’re asking without ambiguity.

Poorly written stems can increase students’ cognitive load, making it harder for students to focus on demonstrating their knowledge. To minimize this, you should avoid the following common issues:

(1) Unclear or incomplete stems.

You should avoid writing stems that are vague or presented as fill-in-the-blank sentences. These can confuse students and distract them from what you are truly assessing. For example:

(2) Use of negative or double-negative phrasing.

Unless absolutely necessary, avoid framing questions in the negative (e.g., “Which of the following is not true?”). Double negatives are especially problematic and may cause students to misinterpret the question. Using clear, positive language helps reduce confusion and supports fairer assessment of student learning. For example:

Write strong response choices

Each multiple-choice question includes response choices, which consist of distractors (incorrect but plausible answers) and one or more correct answer keys. Strong response choices are clearly written, free of unintentional clues, and capable of accurately distinguishing between students who have mastered the learning outcomes and those who have not.

In other words, well-designed alternatives minimize guessing and better reflect students’ true understanding. The following guidelines, adapted from the work of several educators (Burton et al., 1990; Cheung & Bucat, 2002; Zimmaro, 2010), can help you develop strong response choices:

• Make distractors plausible. Distractors should represent common misconceptions or errors in reasoning. As Burton et al. (1990) and Cheung and Bucat (2002) noted, distractors work best when they appear to be a “plausible solution,” especially to lower-achieving students.
• Ensure alternatives are mutually exclusive and homogeneous. Each response choice should test the same concept or topic and should not overlap with others. Avoid choices that differ only in subtle or confusing ways. Consistency in format helps students focus on the content rather than the structure of the options.
• Avoid cueing or giveaway clues. Students may look for patterns or surface features that reveal the correct answer. Be mindful of the following common clues:
  • Grammatical cues (e.g., mismatches in number or article use, such as “a” vs. “an”).
  • Length or formatting differences (e.g., the longest or most detailed option standing out).
  • Verbatim textbook language used only in the correct answer
• Avoid using choices like “All of the above,” “None of the above,” or “Both A and B.” While these may seem efficient, they can reward test-taking strategies rather than conceptual understanding. Students with partial knowledge may guess the correct answer by eliminating one obviously incorrect option (Zimmaro, 2010).

By following these strategies, your response choices will more effectively measure student achievement and reduce the influence of test-taking tricks or guessing.

Go beyond memorization

Multiple-choice questions are often associated with rote memorization, but with thoughtful design, they can also assess higher-order thinking skills such as application, analysis, reasoning, and evaluation. The key is to be intentional about the cognitive processes you want to target before you begin writing your questions.

Several researchers have provided practical strategies for designing multiple-choice questions that go beyond simple recall (Brame, 2022; Morrison & Free, 2001; Scully, 2017). Below are a few key strategies that can help you design questions aimed at deeper learning:

• Use real-world or practical scenarios: Provide a brief situation or context that requires students to analyze, interpret, or evaluate information to select the best response.
• Include visual representations. Present students with a diagram, image, or piece of equipment and ask them to apply, analyze, or evaluate based on what they see.
• Incorporate authentic source material. Use short quotations from news articles, scientific publications, or other credible sources, then ask students to interpret or critique the statements.
• Use pictorial materials or data visualizations. Challenge students to apply relevant principles or concepts to interpret an image, chart, table, or graph.
• Design multi-concept problems. Develop questions that require students to synthesize and apply more than one concept or fact to arrive at the correct answer (Morrison & Free, 2001).

Step 3. Evaluate and refine the questions

After administering your multiple choice questions, it is important to review and analyze students’ responses to identify any questions that may not have performed as intended. This evaluation step helps to ensure the reliability and validity of your assessment over time.
Most learning management systems (such as Moodle’s statistical report feature) offer easy to use item analysis tools that generate statistical reports. These reports can help you:

• Identify questions that were too easy or too difficult
• Identify questions that failed to discriminate between high achiever and how achiever students
• Identify questions that are confusing or misleading

You are encouraged to use these reports to guide refinement of questions, such as rewriting unclear stems, replacing weak distractors, or adjusting answer choices based on how students responded. Additionally, it’s good practice to periodically review and update your multiple-choice questions to ensure they remain accurate, relevant, and aligned with your current course content and learning objectives.

Tips for Management Process and Check-list

In addition to the guidelines discussed above, here are some general tips for managing the test development process. Keep in mind, creating high quality multiple-choice questions takes time and reflection.

• Spread out your test item writing over time. Instead of trying to develop your questions all at once within a short period of time, consider creating a few questions regularly throughout the semester.
• Develop questions alongside your teaching. Draft your questions while preparing your class sessions. This helps ensure your questions align closely with your intended module learning objectives.
• Pay attention to student feedback and performance. Take note of frequently asked questions, patterns of misconceptions and challenging homework problems. These often make great questions.
• Invite students to participate. Invite students to submit items at the end of class or at other times (Zimmaro, 2010), reviewing these can help you better understand how they understand the instructional materials.
• Start with higher-order objectives. Ensure that your learning objective focuses on higher-order learning, it is much easier to write corresponding assessment questions that reflect higher-order thinking skills
• Expect to revise. Item writing is an iterative process; expect to revise your questions several times (Theide & Goodman, 2010)
• Use Moodle’s statistical report feature to improve the questions quality.

Below is a check-list to help you review your multiple-choice questions (adapted from Burton et al, 1991, p. 33)

• Does each question assess a single learning objective?
• Does your test include a balanced mix of questions targeting both lower and higher order cognitive skills (e.g. recall, application, or analysis)?
• Is the question description (stem) clearly written and free of unnecessary complexity or unrelated information?
• Are all response choices concise, clearly worded, and grammatically consistent with the question description?
• Are your distractors plausible and based on common student misconceptions?
• Do the response choices avoid clues such as length, grammatical mismatches, all of the above or none of the above?
• Are the response choices mutually exclusive?
• Are the response choices homogeneous in content?
• When appropriate, do you use either scenarios, charts, graphs or realistic examples to assess application, analysis or evaluate skills?
• Have you avoided tricky or misleading wording, such as double negatives or absolutes (“always”, and “never”)?

Resources

• Baker, E. L. (1971). The effects of manipulated item writing constraints on the homogeneity of test items. Journal of Educational Measurement, 8, 305-309.
• Bothell, T. (2001). 14 rules for writing multiple-choice questions. Brigham Young University Faculty Center. Retrieved from https://testing.byu.edu/handbooks/14%20Rules%20for%20Writing%20Multiple-Choice%20Questions.pdf (opens in new window)
• Brame, C., (2013) Writing good multiple choice test questions. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/writing-good-multiple-choice-test-questions/
• Brame, C. (2022). Writing higher order multiple choice questions. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.  https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/writing-higher-order-multiple-choice-questions/.
• Burton, S. J., Sudweeks, R. R., Merrill, P. F., & Wood, B. (1990). How to prepare better multiple-choice test items: Guidelines for university faculty. Brigham Young University Testing Services and The Department of Instructional Science. https://www.uwosh.edu/testing/wp-content/uploads/sites/164/2019/09/How-to-Prepare-Better-Multiple-Choice-Test-Items-Guidelines-for-University-Faculty.pdf
• Common mistakes when writing multiple choice questions. (2022). Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fd-zrZQNOo95aKd8MeLOekf2DN0SYwTG/view?usp=sharing
• Cheung, D., & Bucat, R. (2002, June). How can we construct good multiple-choice items. In Science and Technology Education Conference, Hong Kong.
• DELTA Knowledge Base. (2024). Overview of Moodle quizzes. Retrieved from https://ncsu.service-now.com/delta?id=kb_article_ml&sys_id=1903442a477f2d944c529069736d4386
• Gronlund, N. E. (1998). Assessment of student achievement. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Moodle item analysis: Moodle statistic report
• Morrison, S., & Free, K. W. (2001). Writing multiple-choice test items that promote and measure critical thinking. Journal of Nursing Education, 40(1), 17-24.
• Scully, D. (2017). Constructing multiple-choice items to measure higher-order thinking. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation (PARE), 22(1), 1-13.
• Zimmaro, D. (2010). Writing good multiple-choice exams. University of Texas Center for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from https://learningsciences.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/writing-good-multiple-choice-exams-04-28-10_0.pdf.