Work

An Automatic Quantification of the Randomness of Answering Correctly in Taking Traditional Multiple-choice Tests

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: In taking traditional multiple-choice tests, random guessing is unavoidable yet nonnegligible. To uncover the “unfairness” caused by random guessing, this paper designed a Microsoft Excel template with the use of relevant functions to automatically quantify the probability of answering correctly at random, eventually figuring out the least scores a testee should get to pass a traditional multiple-choice test with different probabilities of answering correctly at random and the “luckiness” for passing it. This paper concludes that, although random guessing is nonnegligible, it is unnecessary to remove traditional multiple-choice items from all testing activities, because it can be controlled through changing the passing score and the number of options or reducing its percentage in a test.

Source: Theory and Practice in Language Studies

DOI: 10.17507/tpls.0809.07

Authors: Qingsong Gu, Michael W. Schwartz

Institutions: Shanghai University of Engineering Science, St. Cloud State University

Language: English

Topic: Psychometric Methodologies and Testing

Subfield: Management Science and Operations Research

Field: Decision Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W2889900661

FWCI: 0.2

Cites: 12

Cited by: 1

Related to: 10