Multiple choice

Multiple choice is a question format that presents a set of answer options and asks respondents to select one or more. Options may include a correct answer, several correct answers, or none.

Connect

Multiple-choice question: A question that offers a fixed set of answer options for a respondent to choose from. This is the individual item that uses the broader multiple-choice format.
Educational assessment: The systematic evaluation of learners’ knowledge, skills, or progress. Multiple-choice items are widely used to assess learning at scale.
Open-ended question: A question that allows respondents to answer in their own words rather than choose from fixed options. It avoids constraining responses to options written in advance.
Test anxiety: Worry or distress associated with taking a test that can interfere with performance. Time pressure and uncertainty among plausible options can intensify assessment stress.
Item response theory: A family of statistical models relating responses to test items to an underlying ability or trait. Its models estimate how multiple-choice items behave across different ability levels.
Distractor (assessment): An incorrect answer option designed to attract respondents who hold a misconception or make an error. Plausible distractors determine whether options distinguish knowledge from guessing.
Standardized test: An assessment administered and scored under consistent procedures across test takers. Fixed options support uniform administration and automated scoring.
Short answer question: A question that asks for a brief written response, often a word, phrase, or sentence. It requires recall or production instead of selecting a supplied answer.
Test-taking strategy: A method for managing time, interpreting questions, and choosing responses during an examination. Elimination and option comparison are strategies specific to fixed-choice items.
Computerized adaptive testing: A testing method that selects each next item according to a test taker’s earlier responses. Adaptive systems can choose among item banks as multiple-choice responses arrive.