ANALYZING THE

TEST
CHELSEA F. MADICLOM
PURPOSES OF ITEM ANALYSIS
• To select the best available items for the final form of
the test.
• Point out problems of validity test by revising and
eliminating ineffective items.
• To identify structural or content detects in the items.
• To detect learning difficulties of the class as a whole.
• To identify the areas of weaknesses of students in
need of remediation.
THREE ELEMENTS IN AN ITEM
ANALYSIS
1. Examination of the difficulty level of items.
2. Determination of the discriminating power of
each item
3. Examination of the effectiveness of
distractors in a multiple-choice or matching
items.
DIFFICULTY INDEX
• It is the difficulty level of an item
• The percentage of students answering
correctly each item in the test
• It is measured by calculating the
percentage of test-takers who answer the
item correctly.
DIFFICULTY INDEX
𝒏
𝑷 = 𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟎
𝑵
Where:
n – number of students who answered the items
correctly
N – total number of students
DISCRIMINATION INDEX
It is the degree to which a given item discriminates among
students who differ sharply in the functions measured by the test
as a whole
𝑯−𝑳
𝑫𝑰 =
𝑵
Where:
H – number of students in upper group got the correct answer
L – number of students in lower group got the correct answer
N – number of students in either group
STEPS OF ITEM ANALYSIS
• After the test is scored, arrange the test scores in
rank order from highest to lowest.
• Divide the score into a high scoring half and a low
scoring half.
• For each item, tally the number of students in each
group who chose each alternative. Record these
counts alternative.
GOOD AND
POOR ITEMS
https://www.duq.edu/about/centers -and-institutes/center-
for-teaching-excellence/teaching-and-learning/multiple-
choice-exam-construction
POOR EXAMPLE
Vague Item!
California:
a. Contains the tallest mountain in the United
States.
b. Has an eagle on its state flag.
c. Is the second largest state in terms of area.
*d. Was the location of the Gold Rush of 1849.
GOOD EXAMPLE

What is the main reason so many people moved

to California in 1849?
a. California land was fertile, plentiful, and
inexpensive.
*b. Gold was discovered in central California.
c. The east was preparing for a civil war.
d. They wanted to establish religious
settlements.
POOR EXAMPLE
Wordy Item!
Suppose you are a mathematics professor who wants to
determine whether or not your teaching of a unit on
probability has had a significant effect on your
students. You decide to analyze their scores from a test
they took before the instruction and their scores from
another exam taken after the instruction. Which of the
following t-tests is appropriate to use in this situation?
*a. Dependent samples.
b. Heterogenous samples.
c. Homogenous samples.
d. Independent samples.
GOOD EXAMPLE

When analyzing your students’ pretest and

posttest scores to determine if your teaching
has had a significant effect, an appropriate
statistic to use is the t-test for:
*a. Dependent samples.
b. Heterogenous samples.
c. Homogenous samples.
d. Independent samples.
POOR EXAMPLE
Negatively Worded
Item!
A nurse is assessing a client who has pneumonia.
Which of these assessment findings indicates that the
client does NOT need to be suctioned?
a. Diminished breath sounds.
*b. Absence of adventitious breath sounds.
c. Inability to cough up sputum.
d. Wheezing following bronchodilator therapy.
GOOD EXAMPLE

Which of these assessment findings, if

identified in a client who has pneumonia,
indicates that the client needs suctioned?
a. Absence of adventitious breath sounds.
b. Respiratory rate of 18 breaths per minute.
*c. Inability to cough up sputum.
d. Wheezing prior to bronchodilator therapy.
POOR EXAMPLE
Ovelapping
Alternatives!
What is the average effective radiation dose from
chest CT?
a. 1-8 mSv
b. 8-16 mSv
c. 16-24 mSv
d. 24-32 mSv
GOOD EXAMPLE

What is the average effective radiation dose

from chest CT?
a. 1-7 mSv
b. 8-15 mSv
c. 16-24 mSv
d. 24-32 mSv
POOR EXAMPLE
Dissimilar
Alternatives!
Idaho is widely known as:
*a. The largest producer of potatoes in the United
States.
b. The location of the tallest mountain in the United
States.
c. The state with a beaver on its flag.
d. The “Treasure State.”
GOOD EXAMPLE

Idaho is widely known for its:

a. Apples.
b. Corn.
*c. Potatoes.
d. Wheat
POOR EXAMPLE
implausible
alternatives!
Which of the following artists is known for painting
the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
a. Warhol.
b. Flinstone.
*c. Michelangelo.
d. Santa Claus.
GOOD EXAMPLE

Which of the following artists is known for

painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
a. Botticelli.
b. da Vinci.
*c. Michelangelo.
d. Raphael.
POOR EXAMPLE
inconsistent phrasing of
alternatives!
The term operant conditioning refers to the learning
situation in which:
a. A familiar response is associated with a new
stimulus.
b. Individual associations are linked together in
sequence.
*c. A response of the learner is instrumental in
leading to a subsequent reinforcing event.
d. Verbal responses are made to verbal stimuli.
GOOD EXAMPLE

The term operant conditioning refers to the learning

situation in which:
a. A familiar response is associated with a new
stimulus.
b. Individual associations are linked together in
sequence.
*c. The learner’s response leads to reinforcement.
d. Verbal responses are made to verbal stimuli.