Will Multiple-Answer Multiple-Choice Questions Work Effectively in the Common Test from 2020? (Course name: What does a test measure?)

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate whether multiple-answer multiple-choice questions are more effective than singleanswer questions in measuring the academic abilities of students, taking into account test-taking strategies used by students. Methods and Materials:We conducted surveys using three subjects (i.e., Mathematics, English, and Japanese), with both multiple-answer and single-answer questions. We asked eight medical students to solve these questions and to select primarily used test-taking strategies after solving each question. Results:We found that multiple-answer questions generally had a low percentage of correct answers. The use of a particular test-taking strategy primarily depended on the individual. Students evaluated all choices when solving multiple-answer questions. Conclusions:Although various strategies are used by different participants for different subjects, multipleanswer questions are generally more effective than single-answer questions in having test takers examine all choices, and prodding them to think more deeply.