True/False Questions

True/False questions are used probably because they take relatively short time to administer and are easier to write and score. Some believe true/false questions only assess trivial learning, encourage rote memorization, and are easy to obtain the correct answers through guessing (Worthen et al., 1999). Nevertheless, well-written and thoughtful true/false questions can also be used to assess higher-order learning. However, they should not be used as the only way to assess student learning.

The following are some guidelines (Worthen et al., 1999) to construct good true/false questions.

• Avoid double-barreled questions. Write questions that ask about a single idea.
• Avoid using negative wording in false statements.
• Use approximately the same number of true and false questions.
• Arrange the true and false questions in a random order.
• Keep the lengths of the true and false questions about the same.
• Avoid writing long and complicated questions. Break them into simple sentences.
• Avoid using absolute terms or superlatives such as always, never, largest, best, usually, generally, etc.
• Do not include irrelevant material (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2003).

Practice

Are the following True/False questions good or poor and why? (Flashcard)

 

Reference

• Kubiszyn, T., & Borich, G. (2003). Educational testing and measurement: Classroom application and practice (7th ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
• Worthen, B. R., White, K. R., Fan, X., & Sudweeks, R. R. (1999). Measurement and assessment in schools (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Addison Wesley Longman.