Multiple-Choice Tests Are A) Good or B) Bad – Education & Teacher Conferences Skip to main content

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

AdobeStock_130821110_Credit

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…)

 

 


Recent Blogs

When Does Group Work Actually Help Students Learn?
Andrew Watson
Andrew Watson

Teachers can easily spot the potential benefits of group work:...

History, Geography…and Better Reading?
Andrew Watson
Andrew Watson

Schools spend an enormous amount of time teaching students to...

Growth Mindset in 2026: From Beliefs to Practices
Andrew Watson
Andrew Watson

For over a decade starting in 2006, growth mindset was...