Board-Style Quiz Question Writing Course-Things to avoid

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, the speaker discusses common errors in constructing board-style exam questions. The speaker begins by explaining why "all of the above" and "none of the above" questions are problematic. These types of questions allow test takers to use partial knowledge to arrive at a correct answer without fully understanding the information being tested. The speaker gives an example of a question on fungal pathogens to illustrate this issue.<br /><br />The speaker then moves on to discuss the issue of multiple true-false questions. These questions often test multiple concepts in one question, instead of testing one concept per question, which is considered a cornerstone of test writing. The speaker explains that each distractor in a multiple true-false question can stand alone as a true-false statement, making it unfair and confusing for test takers. The speaker provides examples of multiple true-false questions and emphasizes the importance of avoiding them in test writing.<br /><br />Lastly, the speaker addresses the problem of "so-what" questions. These questions may be true and valid, but they lack clinical relevance and do not test useful knowledge. The speaker provides examples of such questions and emphasizes the importance of designing clinically relevant questions.<br /><br />The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of thoroughly reviewing and editing test questions and being open to feedback and revisions. The peer review process is essential for improving question writing skills and making the questions discriminate well on exams.

Keywords

board-style exam questions

partial knowledge

multiple true-false questions

so-what questions

peer review process