I can’t count how many tests I have taken where it appeared the tests were written by someone who doesn’t speak English as their primary language. Why do some professors find it fun to make their test questions so confusing? Tough questions are very different from “tricky” questions. Teachers should simply ask questions that CLEARLY identify what it is they are asking.
Teachers, ask one question at a time, then list four possible answers. This is not a difficult concept to understand. Among the four possible answers, there should be only one correct answer. The question should not be open for interpretation. There should not be three “kind of” correct answers and one “more” correct answer, questions like this only confuse and frustrate learning.
I have heard a number of teachers complain about the difficulty in making tests. This is because you are trying to break the rules of the English language! Make it easier on yourself; ask simple questions that don’t have double and triple negatives. Remember teachers there is no shame in taking your tests to the Faculty Development Center or even asking a co-worker to proofread it. I understand that as a teacher you want to make sure your students understand the material you have taught them. I’m just saying that there are easier, more efficient ways of doing this.
If teachers genuinely want to better their students, they will heed this recommendation. There are dozens of ways to make effective tests without trying to “trick” your students. Simply stated, take the time to write good questions with one correct answer and proofread your work, as you would expect any of your students to do. See if your students not only perform better, but enjoy the material more.
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Teachers, have you read your tests?
By Ed Battisfore
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March 7, 2012
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