Types of Paper-

and-Pencil Test
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Contents of This Template
Development of paper-and-pencil tests requires careful
planning and expertise in terms of actual test construction.
The more seasoned teachers can produce true-false items
that can test even higher order thinking skills and not just
rote memory learning.
Essays are easier to construct than the other types of
objective test, but the difficulty in scoring essay
examinations teachers from using this particular form of
examination in actual practice.
Constructing Selected-Response Type

Constructing Constructed-
True or False Response Type /Constructing Supply

Multiple Choice Completion Type

Essay
Matching type
 Binomial-choice or
alternate response tests
- tests that have only two (2) options such as
true or false, right or wrong, yes or no good or
better, check (4) or cross out (6) and so on. A
student who knows nothing of the content of
the examination would have 50% chance of
getting the correct answer by sheer guess work.
 Although correction-for-guessing
formulas exist, it is best that the teacher
ensures that a true-false item is able to
discriminate properly between those who
know and those who are just guessing.
Book A modified true-false test can offset the
effect of guessing by requiring students to
Title explain their answer and to disregard a correct
answer if the explanation is incorrect.
Guidelines for
Constructing
Alternate
Response Test
 Rule 1. Do not give a hint!

Do not give a hint (inadvertently) in the body of the

question.
Example.
The Philippines gained its independence in 1898 and
therefore celebrated its centennial year in 2000.
● Obviously, the answer is FALSE because 100 years from
1898 is not 2000 but 1998.
 Rule 2. Avoid using ALWAYS!
Avoid using the words "always" "never," "often" and
other words that tend to be either always true or always
false.
Example: Christmas always falls on a Sunday because it is
a Sabbath day.
● Statements that use the word "always" are almost always
false. A test-wise student can easily guess his way
through a test like these and get high scores even if he
does not know anything about the test.
 Avoid long sentences!
Rule 3.
Avoid long sentences as these tend to be "true" Keep sentences short .
Example:
Tests need to be valid, reliable and useful, although, it would require a great amount of
time and effort to ensure that tests possess these test characteristics.
● Notice that the statement is true. However, we are also not sure which part of the
sentence is deemed true by the student. It is just fortunate that in this case, all parts of
the sentence are true and, hence, the entire sentence is true.

The following example illustrates what can go wrong in long sentences:

Example:
Tests need to be valid, reliable and useful since it takes very little amount of time, money
and effort to construct tests with these characteristics.
● The first part of the sentence is true but the second part is debatable and may, in fact,
be false. Thus, a “true" response is correct and, also, a "false" response is correct.
 Avoid trick statements!
Rule 4.
Avoid trick statements with some minor misleadine word
or spelling anomaly, misplaced phrases, etc. A wise student
who does nor know the subject matter may detect this strategy
and thus get the answer correctly.
Example:
The Raven was written by Edgar Allen Poe.
● Allen is misspelled and the answer would be false! This is
an example of a tricky but utterly useless item.
 Avoid quoting verbatim!
Rule 5.
Avoid quoting verbatim from reference
materials or textbooks. This practice sends the
wrong signal to the students that it is necessary to
memorize the textbook word for word and, thus,
acquisition of higher level thinking skills is not
given due importance.
 Avoid specific determiners!
Rule 6.
Avoid specific determiners or give-away qualifiers. Students
quickly learn that strongly worded statements are more likely to
be false than true, for example, statements with "never" "no"
"all" or "always." Moderately worded statements are more likely
to be true than false. Statements that are moderately worded use
"many" "often" "sometimes" "generally" "frequently or "some"
usually should be avoided. e.g. Executives usually suffer from
hyperacidity. The statement tends to be correct. The word
"usually" leads to the answer.
 Avoid specific PATTERNS!
Rule 7.
With true or false questions, avoid a grossly disproportionate number of either true or false
statements or even patterns in the occurrence of true and false statements.

1. T 6. F 1. T 6. F
2. F 7. F 2. F 7. T
3. F 8. F OR 3. T 8. F
4. F 9. F 4. F 9. T
5. F 10. F 5. T 10. F
● For ease of correction, teachers sometime create pattern of True or False answers. Students will
sense and may arrive at a correct answer not because he/sh really knows the answer but because
he/she senses the
patter.
 Avoid double negatives!
Rule 8.
Avoid double negatives.
This makes test item unclear and definitely will confuse the
student.
Example.
The changes that take place in early childhood are NOT
Unchangeable.
● The test item simply means “the changes in early
childhood are changeable.
 EXAMPLE

1A. According to your textbook, alcoholism is a disease.

● True
● False
1B. Alcoholism is a disease.
● True
● False
Which is the better question? Why is it better?

● 1A is better. The statement in 1B is an opinion, not necessarily a fact.

 EXAMPLE

2A. Tuberculosis is a communicable disease.

● True
● False
2B. Tuberculosis is not a noncommunicable disease.
● True
● False

● Which is the better question? Why is it better?

2A is better. 2B is confusing because of the double negative.

 EXAMPLE

3A. The true/false item is more subject to guessing but it should be used in place of a
multiple-choice item, if well constructed, when there is a dearth of distracters that are
plausible.
● True
● False
3B. The true/false item should be used in place of a multiple-choice item when only two
alternatives are possible.
● True
● False
● Which is the better question? Why is it better?

3B is better. The language in 3B is simple, clear, and concise.