In the digital age, online tests are not only tools for measuring knowledge but also an important part of the learning experience. However, the quality of a test depends greatly on how the questions are crafted. An ambiguous, confusing, or “tricky” question can lead to inaccurate assessment results, reducing the fairness and reliability of the test.
Below are 5 essential tips to help you create online multiple-choice questions that are clear, accurate, and provide a better experience for participants.
1. Avoid Using “Always” and “Never” in Questions
Absolute terms like “always” or “never” often appear in incorrect answer choices. This unintentionally creates a “trick” for test-takers — they just need to spot the pattern to guess the answer, rather than truly relying on their knowledge.
Example:
Incorrect: "Employees always need to work overtime to meet KPIs."
Correct: "Employees may need to work overtime in certain cases to meet KPIs."
By removing absolute terms, you create more flexible and realistic options, helping to assess knowledge accurately. This ensures the test reflects true competency, rather than “test-guessing” skills.
2. Avoid Using Double Negatives in a Question
Questions containing double negatives require readers to spend more time processing information and are easy to misunderstand. For example:
“Which of the following is not incorrect?”
Test-takers have to think: “Not incorrect” means “correct,” but then must check each answer to confirm. This increases cognitive load, making test-takers tired and reducing performance.
The solution is to rewrite the question in the affirmative form:
“Which of the following is correct?”
By removing unnecessary complexity, you help test-takers understand immediately while maintaining the goal of knowledge assessment.
3. Prioritize Affirmative Questions Over Negative Ones
Negative questions are not only confusing but can also create psychological pressure for test-takers. A good testing environment should focus on assessing competency, not “trapping” test-takers with wording.
Example:
"Which of the following is not a benefit of using QR codes in event management?"
"Which of the following is a benefit of using QR codes in event management?"
When switching to affirmative form, test-takers are more proactive in finding the correct answer, instead of having to filter out negative information. This is especially useful in internal training environments, where the goal is to reinforce knowledge, not to “trick” employees.
4. Provide 4–5 Answer Choices
The number of answer choices in a multiple-choice question directly affects the reliability of the test. Research shows that 4–5 options is the optimal number:
- Fewer than 4 options → reduces discrimination, easier to guess.
- More than 5 options → increases pressure, causes distraction.
Example:
- 4 options: A, B, C, D
- 5 options: A, B, C, D, E
Keeping 4–5 choices helps balance difficulty and clarity, ensuring the test is both challenging and not overwhelming with information.
5. Use Open-Ended Questions for In-Depth Assessment
Closed multiple-choice questions (selecting an answer) are very useful for quickly checking knowledge, but open-ended questions are the tool for delving into learners’ analytical and thinking abilities.
Example:
- Closed question: "What is a CRM system used for?"
- Open-ended question: "List 3 main benefits of using a CRM system in a business."
Open-ended questions are especially useful when you want to:
- Understand how learners reason.
- Explore the reasons behind incorrect answers.
- Assess the ability to apply knowledge to real-life situations.
Apply the Exam Builder Tool to Create Professional Tests
Nowadays, you can use online test creation platforms such as Exam Builder to immediately apply these tips. This tool allows you to:
- Create tests with various types of questions.
- Send links and invite participants to take the test online.
- Analyze results and identify knowledge gaps.
By combining question-building tips with smart test creation technology, you will enhance assessment quality, providing a fair and effective experience for both test-takers and organizers.
Creating an online test is not just about writing questions, but also an art of delivering knowledge so that test-takers feel both fairly treated and appropriately challenged.
By applying the 5 tips above – avoiding absolute terms, eliminating double negatives, prioritizing affirmative questions, keeping a reasonable number of answer choices, and using open-ended questions when needed – you will significantly improve the quality of your tests.