Subjective test items

Supply items Free-response

Constructed-response
 Essay items
• Restricted response questions:
E.g. describe the merits of objective tests items and essay
question for measuring learning outcomes at the
comprehension level. Confine your answer to one page.
• Extended response questions:
E.g. for a course that you are teaching, or expect to teach,
prepare a complete plan for evaluating student achievement.
Be sure to include the procedures you would follow, the
instruments you would use, and the reasons for your choice.
(Gronlund, 1988)
 Suggestions for writing essay items
• Clarify the aim of the question.

• Avoid optional questions.

• Provide a suitable number of items.

• Prepare students to write essays.

(Clay, 2001).
 Short-answer items
• E.g. complete each sentence by writing an appropriate
form of the verb that is given in parentheses.
- I ----- (have) a new car.

• E.g.: Rewrite each statement to make it a negative

question.
- John know the answer to the problem.

(Harris, 1988, p. 8)
 Suggestions for writing short-answer
items
• Focus on the intended answer.

• Be sure the item relates to the assessment.

• Make it short for students to answer.

• Avoid grammatical clues.

(Russel & Airasian, 1967).

 :Fill-in-the-blank items
• Omit only the important words from the
sentence.
• Do not omit a lot of words.
• Avoid including obvious clues of the correct
answer.
• Make sure that there is only one correct answer.
• Avoid grammatical clues.
(Clay, 2001)
 Major advantages Major disadvantages
• Preparation of items is easy, • Time-consuming to score.
only a few questions are
needed.

• Afford students a chance to

• Covers small sample of
construct their own answers;
instructional topics.
the only way to test
behaviors such as organizing
and expressing information.

• Lessen the chance that • Bluffing is a problem.

students can guess the
correct answer to items.

.)Russel & Airasian, 1967, p.150(