Multiple-Choice Tests Are A) Good or B) Bad

Teachers hate (and love) multiple-choice tests. On the one hand, they seem dreadfully reductive. On the other, they’re blissfully easy to grade — and easy grading is never to be belittled.

In our recent conversation, Pooja Agarwal recommended multiple-choice tests as one kind of retrieval practice. Inspired by her guidance, you might be asking yourself: “what can researchers tell me about the best kind of multiple-choice test to give?”

If you’re asking yourself that question, look no further: the estimable Andrew Butler is on the case.

(For example: if you want to know how many distractors to include on your test, you should see what Butler has to say…)