What makes a good examination question?
In order for an exam question to be a good one, it must satisfy two basic criteria:
- it must address relevant content
- it must be well-structured and avoid common flaws
The ‘one best answer’ format
A question should be asked in a direct manner and require the candidate to supply the ‘one best answer’ from the 4 choices.
PHECC MCQs need 1 correct answer and 3 distractors that are close to the correct answer but obviously do not ‘completely and correctly’ answer the question.
General advice for MCQ writing
- Use terminology that is generally accepted as being relevant for the industry
- Keep stems and statements as short as possible and use clear, concise language
- Use questions whenever possible - What, Who, When, Where, Why and How
- Maintain grammatical consistency to avoid indicating correct answers
- List choices or options in a logical order
- Place as much information as necessary in the stem
- Reference your question to a relevant textbook
- Highlight correct answer and always place it first, the computer software automatically mixes the choices during an examination.
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Common flaws
- Avoid negatives, especially double negatives
- Avoid using ‘All of the above’ and ‘None of the above’
- Avoid providing clues/indications of the correct answer in the stem.
What do I do if I want to submit some questions?
- Decide what clinical level you wish to write a question at (EMT, Paramedic, AP)
- Choose an objective from the Educational and Training Standard 2007 (available to download www.phecc.ie)
- Write the question to match this objective
- Reference the question to a relevant textbook or CPG
- E-mail to info@phecc.ie or post to Secretary, Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, Abbey Moat House, Abbey St., Naas, Co Kildare
Further information
Check on www.phecc.ie for updates regarding the Question Approval Group or contact info@phecc.ie for further information.
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