2.3 Characteristics of effective MCQs

Now that you have created your MCQ and rated them, think about some of the parameters you had kept in mind while rating them. On what basis did you rate your MCQ?

Here are some of the parameters we think that an MCQ should be rated on. These parameters are rather characteristics that make an MCQ truly effective. And isn’t that what we are all aiming for?

Fixing the objective of the MCQ (assessment item) to be created. This means knowing information like – what subject are we creating these MCQs for, which grade(s) are we trying to cater to and which specific chapter and topic is the MCQ is aligned with.

Having the right option that is unambiguous. This means the right option or correct answer should not be open to more than one interpretation. It should be the most correct option no matter what the other options are. The unambiguity of the right option also depends on the stem of the MCQ.

Options that are comparable with each other. This means – comparable in terms of the concepts being tested in each option, the language used across options and even being visually comparable.

Having the ability to derive meaningful insights from options. This means that at least one distractor (preferably two or all three distractors) needs to be aligned to relevant misconceptions that students could possibly have about the concept/topic being tested.

In the upcoming lessons, we will look deeper at each of these characteristics and the sub-points under them and illustrate them using examples.