Quantitative word problems were written as parallel completion and multiple-choice items, and were administered to 232 undergraduate students to compare the reliabilities and item difficulties associated with these formats. The multiple-choice options were written using specific numerical responses for each of five alternatives, revised by replacing the fifth option with "none of the above," and also by replacing each of the five responses with ranges of numerical values.Differences in distributions of scores imply a need to reestablish standards if changes are made in the proportions of completion and multiple-choice items included in a test. Findings did not support camouflaging the correct response by using "none of the above" or ranges of numerical values as multiple-choice alternatives. The increased time required to develop and administer a multiple-choice test with reliability equal to that of a completion test suggests use of the latter even in classes with relatively large enrollments.Authors of educational measurement texts generally favor use of test items that require making a choice among specified alternatives in contrast to items that require the examinee to produce a limited free response. Wesman (1971) recommended against the use of short-answer items, concluding that their superiority over selection-type items is more apparent than real in actual testing situations. Ebel (1979) indicated that short-answer items are used mainly to test for factual informa-APPLIED PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT tion, and that good objective test items do not permit identification of the correct response on the basis of simple recognition or sheer rote memory. Popham (1981) took a more cautious approach by suggesting that a major weakness of multiple-choice items is the ability of examinees to recognize correct answers that, without assistance, they would not be able to construct.Instructors who develop classroom examinations that require students to provide a numerical response to a mathematical problem are often concerned about the appropriateness of the multiplechoice format. The present study augments previous research relevant to this concern by comparing the difficulty and reliability of multiple-choice and completion item formats as applied to the classroom measurement of quantitative skills. This investigation also included two variations of the multiple-choice format designed to reduce cues provided by alternatives. Focus is placed on the external validity of the experiment by using an actual examination of course material administered to students in a realistic classroom setting.Background

No abstract

Members of a Subcommittee of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, with the cooperation of other professional societies, have developed specifications for an operational test pattern for evaluation of television monitors and film recording cameras used in medical diagnostic imaging. The purpose of this test pattern and the associated recommended practice is to provide the users of the medical diagnostic display systems with a comprehensive test for set-up, acceptance testing, and day-to-day operational checks. Details of the test pattern, examples of the system problems diagnosed by use of the pattern, and methods for optimizing display devices with the pattern are presented.

No abstract

No abstract