Business Management Blog

Many organizations are trying to put different labels on measures that look for knowledge or skill-gain, believing that the word test may sound unprofessional, particularly for management personnel. For the purpose of this discussion, the word test is used because it is the word that is most commonly used throughout this country and others. The tests that most are familiar with are those that measure knowledge-gain. Following are general guidelines Dixon (1990) offers for constructing knowledge-based test questions or items.

1. Arrange the items in order of difficulty, placing easier items first, to avoid discouraging participants unnecessarily.
2. Construct each item so that it is independent of all other items. A series of items in which the correct answer to the first item becomes the condition for answering the next item can prevent the measure from providing an accurate reflection of the student’s knowledge or skills.
3. Avoid constructing items by taking quotes directly from a handout, overhead transparency, or book. Direct quotes tend to encourage memorization rather than understanding, and quotations taken out of context tend to be ambiguous.
4. Avoid trick questions. The intent of a test is to determine the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of the participants, not to cause them to mark an item incorrectly.
5. Avoid negatives, especially double negatives. Such items take considerably longer to read and are often misinterpreted. If negative words must be used, underline or italicize the word or phrase to call attention to it.
6. Avoid providing clues to items in previous or subsequent items.
7. Use a variety of types of items in the test rather than limiting items to only one type. If the measure is lengthy, variety can add interest. When a variety of types of items are employed, group the items by item type so participants do not have to constantly shift response patterns or reread instructions.