advantages of objective test over essay test

9 Best Advantages of objective type test

Let’s learn the advantages of objective type test . An objective type test is a type of test that includes specific objective questions or sets of questions that are evaluated based on the responses to these questions.

Objective-type tests are not subjective, meaning the answer is given to any individual and cannot be changed by the test taker.

In addition, objective-type tests can also be graded objectively, so that there is no need for subjective evaluation by a grader.

What is an Example of Objective Type of Test?

An objective type of test typically involves questions with specific, clear, and predetermined correct answers.

The purpose is to assess a test taker’s knowledge, comprehension, and application of a subject. Examples of objective-type questions include:

• “Which of the following is the capital of France?” a) Paris b) Rome c) Madrid d) London
• (Correct answer: a) Paris)
• “The Earth revolves around the Sun.” a) True b) False
• (Correct answer: a) True)
• “Water boils at __________ degrees Celsius at standard atmospheric pressure.”
• (Correct answer: 100)
• Country: A) Japan
• Capital: B) Tokyo
• (Correct answer: A – B)

Characteristics of Objective Type Test

Below are some great features of objective type test.

• Clear and specific correct answers for each question.
• Efficient and quick administration, ideal for large-scale assessments.
• Objective grading, minimizing subjective interpretation, and ensuring consistency.
• Various question formats such as multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blanks, etc.
• Comprehensive coverage of curriculum or content, allowing assessment of diverse learning objectives.

Best Advantages of Objective Type Test

There are certain advantages that test-takers get when they take objective-type tests. Such as the test has a scoring scale that is based on specific performance levels.

Objective-type tests are tested within an organized design, while subjective tests respond to the tester’s opinion. Some of the other main benefits of objective-type tests are as below:

1. Complex Learning

Objective-type tests are more complex than other types of tests. This means that objective tests require your ability to answer various questions, unlike subjective tests, which only require you to answer one question.

All this means that an objective type test requires you to have various knowledge and understanding in different areas.

2. The test is based on the Fact

Objective-type tests were made to assess how well you learn or understand specific facts or theories.

This means that your score would be based on these facts or theories. You can quickly notice this by looking at the questions asked in these types of objective tests.

Your score will be based on facts or theories, so you will be more exposed to certain types of knowledge instead of getting only a passing grade in certain areas.

These are one-way objective tests that will enhance your learning experience because you get to learn and understand fundamental theories or facts.

3. Fewer Variables

Objective tests can also have fewer variables than other types of tests. This means that more minor factors can affect the outcome of your test.

Objective tests are done in a controlled setting so that it will test you against the same set of questions and answer choices.

This means that you cannot get a higher or lower score depending on weather or other factors. This is one way in which objective tests differ from subjective tests.

4. Objective Tests Can Be Used Anytime

Another advantage of objective-type tests is that you can use them for any test situation. You do not need to worry about taking these tests as they can be used anytime and anywhere.

For example, you can use objective tests to help you in your work and make sure that you are constantly improving.

5. Knowledge and understanding

Many career objectives require a certain level of knowledge or understanding in certain areas.

This means that objective-type tests can help you assess your level of knowledge in these areas and make sure that it is high enough to qualify for the job.

Using objective-type tests will enable you to know whether your skills are up to scratch, enabling you to better prepare for the actual test.

6. Individual Differences

Objective tests are also helpful because they can eliminate the individual differences that could affect your score.

This is the case of subjective type tests, which can be affected by factors like culture, socioeconomic status, etc.

Depending on these factors, your performance on a subjective type test can differ from one person to another. However, you will get a higher chance to pass with an objective-type test since it lessens individual differences. 

7. Key Subject Areas

Another advantage of objective-type tests is that they include certain essential subject areas.

This means that they give you a chance to focus on specific areas of your life that you know little about and give you a better chance to excel in your career.

For example, if you are applying for a job where you will make business decisions, an object-type test will help you assess where your knowledge is lacking and help improve this.

Some examples of these essential subject areas are business, physics, computer technology, etc.

8. Maximum Flexibility

Another advantage of objective-type tests is that we can use them in different situations, and you will not have to worry about them being affected by external factors.

Objective tests can decide, for example, for a job or a school exam.

Using objective-type tests will enable you to measure your performance and ensure that you are improving in these areas.

Objective tests have a number of advantages, including objectivity, efficiency, reliability, comprehensive coverage, and engagement.

However, they also have some disadvantages, such as the potential for guessing and the inability to distinguish between students with deep and superficial understanding.

Objective-type tests have several advantages over essay tests, including objectivity, efficiency, reliability, and comprehensive coverage.

We often prefer MCQs over essay tests because they are more objective, efficient, reliable, and can assess a wider range of knowledge.

However, MCQs can also be more easily guessed, less discriminatory, and less engaging.

Overall, MCQs are a valuable assessment tool, but they should not be used exclusively. Essay tests can also be useful for assessing students’ critical thinking and writing skills.

Objective-type tests are more helpful than other types of tests. This is because it does not focus on the opinions and opinions of the people who grade your test.

In addition, you will get a better chance to pass a test because there are fewer variables that can affect your score.

If you want to get a higher grade or pass your test, then objective-type tests are the best option (in fact, this is what most schools use). It also included multiple Choice advantages in this article.

Hope you guys enjoyed the Advantages of objective type test article as much as I did writing it and keep on learning.

Online Note Bank

An online platform for precise and concise notes for college and university students., objective test: meaning, advantages and disadvantages of objective test.

A. Meaning of Objective Test:

An objective test item is defined as one for which the scoring rules are so exhaustive and specific that they do not allow scorers to make subjective inferences or judgements; thereby, any scorer that marks an item following the rules will assign the same test score.

Several types of questions are asked in them. These questions are generally classified into two types—Recall type questions and Recognition type questions. Recall type questions have two types— Simple recall type and Sentence completion questions. Recognition type questions have serveral forms in which are included Classified questions, True/False questions, Multiple choice type questions, Matching type questions, Multiple choice and completion questions, and Analogy questions.

————————————————

B. Advantages of Objective Test: The objective tests have all the qualities of a good test, though all the abilities of the students cannot be measured by them.

1. Validity : Objective tests are generally made to measure the knowledge of the students. First, the questions asked pertain to the field, the knowledge of which has to be measured. Second, the number of questions is generally large which is spread out on the entire range of knowledge. Third, the evaluation of these questions is objective. So these tests are valid.

2. Reliability : These tests are reliable. All the questions contained in them are clear and bear only one meaning, and their answers too are definite. These are very comprehensive, and the measurement done by them is also objective. It is natural for them to be reliable.

3. Objectivity : As has been clarified above, the questions asked in these tests are clear and have a single meaning, their answers are also definite and the evaluator has not any liberty to mark them. Whoever the evaluator may be, the result of such tests is similar. It is evident that these, tests are objective and therefore reliable.

4. Comprehensiveness : As has been stated in the beginning, small questions are asked in these tests and the answers to these questions are given in one mark, number or word. From the viewpoint of availability of time, the time to be taken on to write one essay type answer or 4-6 short-answer-type answers can suffice to think and write the answers of 40-50 objective questions. Thus, these tests are comprehensive in nature.

5. Discriminative : The questions in these tests are spread out on the whole course and are of several types. Some questions have to be answered using recall, some have to be answered by knowledge, and some questions have to be answered using logic and prudence, so the classification of the students done on their basis can be reliable.

6. Practicability : Making objective test questions is a difficult task. It takes time to construct so many questions (often 100-100, 200-200). Marking them too takes time. So now in order to save effort, only multiple choice questions are constructed and their answers are marked on an answer-sheet which can be evaluated by computer. Thus, the construction, administration and evaluation of these tests have become practicable.

———————————————-

C . Limitations of Objective Test: Despite having all the merits of a good test, these tests are not devoid of some shortcomings.

1. Measurement of Cognitive Aspect Only : These tests basically help to measure the cognitive aspect of the students; these are unsuitable for the measurement of the conative and affective aspects.

2. Measurement of Memory Power Only : These tests generally examine the power of memory, the students have to hardly use the higher mental faculties such as logic and thinking.

3. No Measurement of Language skill and Expression Power : These tests do not help in the measurement of language skill and power of expression of the students, so we cannot rely on them for language tests. It is considered to be the biggest demerit of these tests.

4. Difficulty in Construction of Questions : According to some scholars, it is very difficult to construct the objective questions for these tests. They consider it a demerit of these tests. We are, however, of the view that these questions can be constructed easily by taking a little interest and care. It depends on interest and practice.

5. Administrative Difficulty : Some scholars are of the view that these tests cannot be administered easily; according to them, these tests are expensive and present difficulties in evaluation. However, our experience is that these tests are less expensive than the essay-type tests and their evaluation can also be done easily. We have already written that these tests can be evaluated with the help of computer.

6. Fluke Answers : Some people opine that these tests can be answered in a fluke. It is true, but we have already invented a statistical method to control it, which is called negative marking.

7. Use of Unfair Means : It is often heard that the students can easily copy in these tests. In our view, this demerit has occurred due to inexperienced people. The fact is that if a student copy from a book or notebook, he cannot answer all questions in the prescribed time. Of course, the students can easily copy if someone prepares the answer-sheet for him. But it is not a demerit of the test, but that of the administrators of the test.

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very helpful thankyou

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17.6: What are the benefits of essay tests?

• Last updated
• Save as PDF
• Page ID 87692

• Jennfer Kidd, Jamie Kaufman, Peter Baker, Patrick O'Shea, Dwight Allen, & Old Dominion U students
• Old Dominion University

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Learning Objectives

• Understand the benefits of essay questions for both Students and Teachers
• Identify when essays are useful

Introduction

Essays, along with multiple choice, are a very common method of assessment. Essays offer a means completely different than that of multiple choice. When thinking of a means of assessment, the essay along with multiple choice are the two that most come to mind (Schouller).The essay lends itself to specific subjects; for example, a math test would not have an essay question. The essay is more common in the arts, humanities and the social sciences(Scouller). On occasion an essay can be used used in both physical and natural sciences as well(Scouller). As a future history teacher, I will find that essays will be an essential part of my teaching structure.

The Benefits for Students

By utilizing essays as a mean of assessments, teachers are able to better survey what the student has learned. Multiple choice questions, by their very design, can be worked around. The student can guess, and has decent chance of getting the question right, even if they did not know the answer. This blind guessing does not benefit the student at all. In addition, some multiple choices can deceive the student(Moore). Short answers, and their big brother the essay, work in an entirely different way. Essays remove this factor. in a addition, rather than simply recognize the subject matter, the student must recall the material covered. This challenges the student more, and by forcing the student to remember the information needed, causes the student to retain it better. This in turn reinforces understanding(Moore). Scouller adds to this observation, determining that essay assessment "encourages students' development of higher order intellectual skills and the employment of deeper learning approaches; and secondly, allows students to demonstrate their development."

"Essay questions provide more opportunity to communicate ideas. Whereas multiple choice limits the options, an essay allows the student express ideas that would otherwise not be communicated." (Moore)

The Benefits for Teachers

The matter of preparation must also be considered when comparing multiple choice and essays. For multiple choice questions, the instructor must choose several questions that cover the material covered. After doing so, then the teacher has to come up with multiple possible answers. This is much more difficult than one might assume. With the essay question, the teacher will still need to be creative. However, the teacher only has to come up with a topic, and what the student is expected to cover. This saves the teacher time. When grading, the teacher knows what he or she is looking for in the paper, so the time spent reading is not necessarily more. The teacher also benefits from a better understanding of what they are teaching. The process of selecting a good essay question requires some critical thought of its own, which reflects onto the teacher(Moore).

Multiple Choice. True or False. Short Answer. Essay. All are forms of assessment. All have their pros and cons. For some, they are better suited for particular subjects. Others, not so much. Some students may even find essays to be easier. It is vital to understand when it is best to utilize the essay. Obviously for teachers of younger students, essays are not as useful. However, as the age of the student increase, the importance of the essay follows suit. That essays are utilized in essential exams such as the SAT, SOLs and in our case the PRAXIS demonstrates how important essays are. However, what it ultimately comes down to is what the teacher feels what will best assess what has been covered.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

1)What Subject would most benefit from essays?

B: Mathematics for the Liberal Arts

C: Survey of American Literature

2)What is an advantage of essay assessment for the student?

A) They allow for better expression

B) There is little probability for randomness

C) The time taken is less overall

D) A & B

3)What is NOT a benefit of essay assessment for the teacher

A)They help the instructor better understand the subject

B)They remove some the work required for multiple choice

C)The time spent on preparation is less

D) There is no noticeable benefit.

4)Issac is a teacher making up a test. The test will have multiple sections: Short answer, multiple choice, and an essay. What subject does Issac MOST LIKELY teach?

References Cited

1)Moore, S.(2008) Interview with Scott Moore, Professor at Old Dominion University

2)Scouller, K. (1998). The influence of assessment method on students' learning approaches: multiple Choice question examination versus assignment essay. Higher Education 35(4), pp. 453–472

Academic Development Centre

Objective tests (short-answer and multiple choice questions), using objective tests to assess learning, introduction.

Objective tests are questions whose answers are either correct or incorrect. They tend to be better at testing 'low order' thinking skills, such as memory, basic comprehension and perhaps application (of numerical procedures for example) and are often (though not necessarily always) best used for diagnostic assessment. However, this still affords a great variety of both textual and numerical question types including, but not limited to: calculations and mathematical derivations, mcqs, fill-in-the-blanks questions and short essay (short answer) questions.

LSE (2019).

In brief, objectives tests are written tests that require the learner to select the correct answer from among one or more of options or complete statements or perform relatively simple calculations.

What can objective tests assess?

Objective tests are useful to check that learners are coming to terms with the basics of the subject in order that they have a firm foundation and knowledge. They are useful because:

• can test a wide sample of the curriculum in a short time
• can be marked easily; technology can assist with this
• less reliance on language skills of the students
• useful for diagnostic purposes: gaps and muddled ideas can be resolved.

The drawbacks are:

• students can guess rather than know
• the random nature of the questions does not help build mental maps and networks
• writing good questions is not easy
• they tend to focus on lower-order processes: recall rather than judge, explain rather than differentiate.

Short-answer

Short answer questions (SAQs) tend to be open-ended questions (in contrast to MCQ) and are designed to elicit a direct response from students. SAQs can be used to check knowledge and understanding, support engagement with academic literature or a particular case study and to encourage a progressive form of learning. They can be used in both formative and summative assessment. SAQs may take a range of different forms such as short descriptive or qualitative single sentence answers, diagrams or graphs with explanations, filling in missing words in a sentence, list of answers. As the name suggests, the answer is usually short. Gordon (2015, p.39)

Depending on the type of question, marking may simply involve checking against a list of correct answers. Alternatively a set of criteria may be used based:

• factual knowledge about a topic: have the questions been answered correctly?
• numerical answers: will marks be given on the process as well as the product answer?
• writing style: importance of language, structure, accuracy of grammar and spelling?

How to design good questions:

• express the questions in clear language
• ensure there is only one correct answer per question
• state how the question should be answered
• direct questions are better than the sentence completion
• for numerical questions be clear about marks for process as well as product and whether units are part of the answer
• be prepared to accept other answers; some of which you may not have predicted.

Multiple choice questions (MCQ)

The Centre for Teaching Excellence (no date) provides useful advice for designing questions including illustrative examples. Those guidelines are paraphrased and enhanced here for convenience.

Definition: A multiple-choice question is composed of three parts: a stem [that identifies the question or problem] and a set of possible answers that contains a key [that is the best answer to the question] and a number of distractors [that are plausible but incorrect answers to the question].

Students may perceive MCQs as requiring memorisation rather than more analytical engagement with material. If the aim is to encourage a more nuanced understanding of the course content, questions should be designed that require analysis. For example, students could be presented with a case study followed by MCQs which ask them to make judgements about aspects of the brief or to consider the application of certain techniques or theories to a scenario.

The selection of the best answer can be focused on higher-order thinking and require application of course principles, analysis of a problem, or evaluation of alternatives, thus testing students’ ability to do such thinking. Designing alternatives that require a high level of discrimination can also contribute to multiple choice items that test higher-order thinking.

When planning to write questions:

General strategies

• multiple-choice question tests are challenging and time-consuming to create; write a few questions, after a lecture when the course material is still fresh in your mind
• instruct students to select the best answer rather than the correct answer ; by doing this, you acknowledge the fact that the distractors may have an element of truth to them
• use familiar language; students are likely to dismiss distractors with unfamiliar terms as incorrect
• avoid giving verbal association clues from the stem in the key. If the key uses words that are very similar to words found in the stem, students are more likely to pick it as the correct answer
• avoid trick questions. Questions should be designed so that students who know the material can find the correct answer
• avoid negative wording.

Designing stems

• ask yourself if the students would be able to answer the question without looking at the options. If so, it is a good stem
• put all relevant material in the stem
• eliminate excessive wording and irrelevant information from the stem

Designing answers

• limit the number of answers; between three and five is good
• make sure there is only one best answer
• make the distractors appealing and plausible
• make the choices grammatically consistent with the stem
• randomly distribute the correct response.

There are a number of packages that can analyse the results from MCQ tests for reliability and validity. Using the questions for formative purposes can generate the data needed and so pilot questions prior to their use for summative tests. In addition to asking student to give an answer we can also ask for their confidence rating - how sure they are about the answer they are giving. This not only reduces guessing, but also provides feedback to the learner about the extent of their comprehension / understanding.

Using online packages to administer the test allows instant feedback. Once a student has selected an answer they can be told if they are correct or not and be given an explanation of their mistake. Some of these packages select questions on the basis of previous results rather than randomly, which allow a check on whether the learner is gaining from the feedback provided [adaptive testing].

Diversity & inclusion

There is some evidence that males perform better than females in MCQ examinations as they are more willing to guess. Using MCQs for formative rather than summative purposes resolves this. Using short answer questions reduces reliance on language and so is more inclusive for those working in a second language.

Academic integrity

If used for summative purposes one needs to maintain the integrity of the question banks by not allowing copies out of examination room.

When used online it is important to have a large question bank to enable random generation of tests. (Click here for further guidance on academic integrity .)

When used outside of in-person exam conditions assessment may become less secure, as online working could facilitate collusion, or contract cheating, or the use of AI. Randomly generated questions (with different questions or questions in a different order) might mitigate against collusion.

Student and staff experience

Short answer.

Students: are often more familiar with the practice and feel less anxious than many other assessment methods.

Staff: short answer questions are relatively fast to mark and can be marked by different assessors, as long as the questions are set in such a way that all answers can be considered by the assessors. AI can support feedback generation.

They are also relatively easy to set.

Multiple choice questions

Students: good to enable self-assessment, particularly online e when the feedback is instant

Staff: are quick to mark, and be grouped into re-usable questions banks and efficient approach to testing large numbers of students.

Tests lower levels of learning and may encourage surface approaches to learning. Rather like mcqs, to make this approach test higher levels it is the structure of the questions that becomes more complex rather than the content of the question itself.

If short answer questions are to be used in summative assessment they tend to be used alongside longer essays and other longer forms of assessment and thus time management is crucial.

It is very important to be very clear about the type of answers that you expect because these are open-ended and students are free to answer any way they choose; short-answer questions can lead to long answers if you are not careful.

It is challenging to write questions that test higher order learning; the question structure tends to become more complex rather more than the content being tested (see Question Pro in Useful resources below). Students need practice before taking a summative mcq examination so that they are being tested on their knowledge of the material and not on their understanding of the question type.

Taking full advantage of the feedback may be more time consuming for students than actually answering questions; but this is one of their strengths.

Multiple choice question writing is expensive in terms of time, but once a good item bank has been established then the use of the questions, and their marking, is of low demand in terms of time.

Short answer questions are relatively fast to mark and can be marked by different assessors, as long as the questions are set in such a way that all alternative answers can be considered by the assessors.

Useful resources

Multiple Choice

Question Pro: Multiple choice questions.

https://www.questionpro.com/article/multiple-choice-questions.html

Moodle Docs

https://docs.moodle.org/37/en/Multiple_Choice_question_type

Vanderbilt University, Center for Teaching. Writing Good Multiple Choice Test Questions

https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/writing-good-multiple-choice-test-questions/Ce

Short Answer

Open University: Types of assignment: Short answer questions

https://help.open.ac.uk/short-answer-questions

Moodle docs: short-answer question types

https://docs.moodle.org/37/en/Short-Answer_question_type

Annotated bibliography

Class participation

Concept maps

Essay variants: essays only with more focus

• briefing / policy papers
• research proposals
• articles and reviews
• essay plans

Film production

Laboratory notebooks and reports

Objective tests

• short-answer
• multiple choice questions

Oral presentations

Patchwork assessment

Creative / artistic performance

• learning logs
• learning blogs

Simulations

Work-based assessment

Reference list

• Educational Assessment

Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Types of Test Questions

• October 23, 2018
• Maryellen Weimer, PhD

It’s good to regularly review the advantages and disadvantages of the most commonly used test questions and the test banks that now frequently provide them.

Multiple-choice questions

• Quick and easy to score, by hand or electronically
• Can be written so that they test a wide range of higher-order thinking skills
• Can cover lots of content areas on a single exam and still be answered in a class period

Disadvantages

• Often test literacy skills: “if the student reads the question carefully, the answer is easy to recognize even if the student knows little about the subject” (p. 194)
• Provide unprepared students the opportunity to guess, and with guesses that are right, they get credit for things they don’t know
• Expose students to misinformation that can influence subsequent thinking about the content
• Take time and skill to construct (especially good questions)

True-false questions

• Quick and easy to score
• Considered to be “one of the most unreliable forms of assessment” (p. 195)
• Often written so that most of the statement is true save one small, often trivial bit of information that then makes the whole statement untrue
• Encourage guessing, and reward for correct guesses

Short-answer questions

• Quick and easy to grade
• Quick and easy to write
• Encourage students to memorize terms and details, so that their understanding of the content remains superficial

Essay questions

• Offer students an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities in a variety of ways
• Can be used to develop student writing skills, particularly the ability to formulate arguments supported with reasoning and evidence
• Require extensive time to grade
• Encourage use of subjective criteria when assessing answers
• If used in class, necessitate quick composition without time for planning or revision, which can result in poor-quality writing

Questions provided by test banks

• Save instructors the time and energy involved in writing test questions
• Use the terms and methods that are used in the book
• Rarely involve analysis, synthesis, application, or evaluation (cross-discipline research documents that approximately 85 percent of the questions in test banks test recall)
• Limit the scope of the exam to text content; if used extensively, may lead students to conclude that the material covered in class is unimportant and irrelevant

We tend to think that these are the only test question options, but there are some interesting variations. The article that promoted this review proposes one: Start with a question, and revise it until it can be answered with one word or a short phrase. Do not list any answer options for that single question, but attach to the exam an alphabetized list of answers. Students select answers from that list. Some of the answers provided may be used more than once, some may not be used, and there are more answers listed than questions. It’s a ratcheted-up version of matching. The approach makes the test more challenging and decreases the chance of getting an answer correct by guessing.

Remember, students do need to be introduced to any new or altered question format before they encounter it on an exam.

Editor’s note: The list of advantages and disadvantages comes in part from the article referenced here. It also cites research evidence relevant to some of these advantages and disadvantages.

Reference: McAllister, D., and Guidice, R.M. (2012). This is only a test: A machine-graded improvement to the multiple-choice and true-false examination. Teaching in Higher Education, 17 (2), 193-207.

Reprinted from The Teaching Professor, 28.3 (2014): 8. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved.

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Objective vs. Subjective Test: Choosing the Right Assessment Method for Your Needs

Tests are a key tool in education for assessing students’ learning progress and knowledge acquisition. Teachers can employ several types of tests to measure students’ understanding of a topic or subject, ranging from multiple-choice exams to essay questions. One of the most important concerns in education is whether objective or subjective tests are more appropriate for this goal. Objective tests often feature questions with a single correct answer, while subjective assessments encourage students to demonstrate their understanding in their own words. So, Objective vs. Subjective Test, which is the right choice?

In this post, we will look at the strength and limitations of these objective and subjective types of examinations and their impact on teaching and learning.

Let’s look at what they are first:

Objective tests are the most basic assessment methods that feature questions with a single correct response to evaluate foundation and knowledge of the learners.

Objective tests aim to evaluate areas of student achievement that are complex and qualitative, using questions that may have one or more correct answers and may have more than one way of expressing it.

These assessments (either objective or subjective) are often categorized as summative (this form of assessment aims to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark) or formative (It monitors student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning.)

Which is better, Objective or Subjective tests?

Objective Tests

An objective test is a method of evaluation in which questions asked have a single correct answer. Objective questions typically include true/false, multiple choice, and matching questions. Objective assessment is crucial as it can effectively measure each level of a student’s ability, from basic recall to complex synthesis.

It is far more precise, leaving less room for the pupils to interpret hypotheses or concepts. Objective assessment is a method of examination where each question has a single right answer. Subjects that rely largely on objective tests include geography, mathematics, physics, engineering, and computer science.

Types of Objective Tests

• Multiple-Choice
• Fill in the Blank
• Assertion and Reason

Features of Objectives Tests

Objective testing lends itself to specific tasks since these questions are designed to be answered fast; they also allow teachers to test students on various topics. Furthermore, statistical student, cohort, and question performance analysis are possible.

The ability of objective tests to assess a wide variety of learning is often underestimated. Objective tests examine fact-finding, knowledge, application of terms, and questions requiring short or numerical answers.

One common concern is that objective tests cannot measure learning beyond basic understanding.

However, questions built with imagination can challenge students and test higher levels of learning. For example, students can receive case studies or data collection and be invited to provide analysis by responding to questions.

Problem-solving can also be evaluated with the proper type of questions.

Another concern is that objective tests translate into inflated scores because of conjecture. However, the effects of guessing may be eliminated by a combination of question design and rating techniques. It becomes irrelevant mainly with the right amount of questions and distractions. If not, there is an opportunity to encourage and measure the value of this skill.

There are, however, limitations in what objective tests can assess. They cannot test the ability to communicate, the ability to build arguments, or the ability to give initial responses. Tests must be carefully constructed to avoid the decontextualization of knowledge (Paxton 1998). It is always wise to use objective testing as only one of a variety of assessment methods within a module. However, in times of increasing student numbers and declining resources, objective tests can complement the assessments available to teachers or lecturers.

Strengths of Objective Tests

Reliability: Objective tests are more trustworthy than subjective tests since they do not allow for human bias or interpretation.

Efficiency: Machines can swiftly and efficiently evaluate objective assessments, saving instructors time and effort.

Objectivity: Objective tests provide an accurate and objective assessment of a student’s performance and knowledge.

Validity: When well-designed, objective examinations can accurately evaluate specific knowledge or skills. Objective examinations can be standardized, which means that all students are given the same questions with the same answer alternatives, ensuring fairness and equity in the evaluation process.

Flexibility: Objective assessments can evaluate various information and skills, from basic recall to higher-order thinking abilities.

Limitations of Objective Tests

The higher-order thinking skills evaluation is limited: Objective exams could be more effective in measuring higher-order thinking skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. These abilities necessitate complicated responses that subjective inquiries cannot convey.

Content coverage is limited: Objective tests are only helpful in assessing knowledge that can be quantified and examined objectively. This limits their ability to examine more comprehensive concepts that require interpretation and analysis.

Student attitudes and values are not assessed objectively: Objective tests do not examine attitudes and values, which are vital components of a student’s overall development. They can only assess what pupils know, not how they feel about what they know.

Potential for guessing: Objective examinations are prone to guessing because students can occasionally predict the correct answer by eliminating possibilities or making an educated guess. This can have an impact on the validity of the test results.

Limited Feedback: Objective assessments provide students with limited feedback because they objective assessment reprocess do not let students provide information about the reasons behind the correct answer or how to improve. As a result, pupils may not fully comprehend the material and may be unable to enhance their performance.

Subjective Tests

EnglishPost.org defines “Subjective tests aim to assess areas of students’ performance that are complex and qualitative, using questions which may have more than one correct answer or more ways to express it.” Subjective assessments are popular because they typically take less time for teachers to develop and allow students to be creative or critical in constructing their answers.

Simply put, a subjective test is one in which the answer is not customarily predefined. A subjective test is assessed via an opinion. Also, students must assess their intended audience when preparing to write subjectively.

Types of Subjective Tests

• Short Answer Type
• Long Answer Type
• Conversation or Problem-Solving

Features of Subjective Tests

This assessment is excellent for writing, reading, art/art history, philosophy, political science, or literature. Specifically, subjects encouraging critical thinking, debate, and applying thorough knowledge to real-world scenarios are most suited for interpreting art forms.

Strengths of Subjective Tests

Flexibility: In terms of the types of responses allowed, subjective tests tend to be more versatile than objective tests. They can measure various abilities and characteristics, such as creativity, problem-solving, communication skills, and critical thinking.

Insight: Subjective tests can provide useful information about how people approach and solve challenges. Subjective exams can provide a more complete and nuanced view of an individual’s talents by studying the mental processes and rationale behind their responses.

Real-world relevance: Many subjective exams are meant to imitate real-world events, making them more relevant to the skills and talents required in specific jobs or situations.

Personalization: Subjective exams can be customized to the individual, making it easier to identify areas of strength and weakness. This personalization can also motivate students to participate in the testing procedure.

Subjective assessments frequently allow for open-ended responses, which can provide a more thorough view of an individual’s abilities and mental processes. This is especially beneficial for measuring sophisticated or subtle skills.

Limitations of Subjective Tests

Potential for bias: Because subjective tests rely on a person’s judgement or a group of individuals, bias approach can impact the outcomes. This bias can be caused by personal opinions, preferences, or other variables unrelated to the skills or talents being examined.

Limited objectivity: Unlike objective examinations, which rely on specific, measurable criteria, subjective assessments are frequently more susceptible to interpretation. This can make it difficult to compare results across individuals or groups or to assess the testing method’s dependability.

Time-consuming: Subjective assessments can take longer to conduct and evaluate than objective tests, especially if they entail open-ended responses or require individualized assessment.

Lack of standardization: Because subjective tests rely on one’s judgement, there is frequently a need for more standardization in terms of testing techniques and criteria utilized. This can make it challenging to assure consistency and reliability across multiple testing scenarios.

Difficulty in generalizing results: Subjective assessments frequently focus on specific, context-dependent skills or talents, making it difficult to generalize results to different contexts or circumstances.

Effects of objective tests and subjective on the teaching and learning process:

As explained in Englishpost.org , the washback or backwash effect refers to the effect testing has on teaching and learning processes, which can be good or negative. However, the testing system’s legality can impact the course material and how it is communicated to administrators, teachers, students, and parents, either favourably or unfavourably.

The washback effect becomes negative when a mismatch between abilities or content is taught and tested. A multiple-choice examination, for example, hinders attempts to teach valuable skills such as speaking and writing in the classroom. On the flip side, the washback effect has a beneficial influence on students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards practising productive skills in the classroom if the accomplishment test contains both spoken and written portions.

Subjective tests are far more complicated and costly to plan, administer, and analyze properly, but they can be more valid. Writing aptitude exams are often subjective because they ask a reviewer to rate the level of writing, which involves subjective assessment. For example, when students are required to generate a comprehensive paragraph, such as a complaint letter, they must consider their target audience and make decisions about the content, register, and format. Teachers can assist students by emphasizing the significance of analyzing the problem and pinpointing crucial elements in the content, register, and format.

Objective tests provide answers that are either correct or incorrect and can be scored objectively. In contrast, subjective tests are evaluated using predetermined criteria and involve a certain degree of judgement on the part of the evaluator. Objective tests can include text-based true/false questions, multiple-choice questions, and fill-in-the-blank questions.

Marking objective tests together in the classroom is an effective strategy to enhance their use. This strategy allows students to discuss answers, justify their decisions, and assist one another in understanding the material.

Here’s a short yet easily understandable and well-elaborated difference by Byju’s:

To summarise, while objective and subjective assessments have advantages, it is critical to assess their relative strengths and weaknesses in the context of the learning goals and objectives. Subjective tests provide a broader view of a student’s learning abilities and can help to build critical thinking and writing skills, but objective tests are useful for measuring knowledge of facts and can be administered and graded swiftly. Ultimately, the test format should be determined by the unique learning objectives and the desired outcomes.

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Essay Test vs Objective Test

An essay item is one in which the examinee relies upon his memory and past associations to answer the questions in a few words only. Since such items can be answered in whatever manner one likes and these items are also known as free answer items.

Essay items are most appropriate for measuring higher mental processes which involve the process of synthesis, analysis, evaluation, organization and criticism of the events of the past. Essay tests are thus suitable for measuring traits like critical thinking, originality and the ability to integrate synthesis or analyze different events.

Types of essay items

Essay items are of two types

• Short answer types
• Long answer type / Extended answer essay type

A short answer essay item is one where the examinee supplies the answer In one or two lines and is usually concerned with one central concept.

A long answer essay item is one where the examinee’s answer comprises several sentences. Such an item is usually concerned with more than one central concept.

Suggestions for Writing Good Essay Items

1 – An essay item must contain explicitly defined problems usually essay items are intended to measure the higher mental process as such its essential that they contain problems in clear cut and explicit terms so that every examinee interprets them in more or less the same way. Therefore, essay item is set to be not valid if its interpretation varies among examinees

2 – It must contain such problems whose answers are not very wide. In case a student is asked to answer a problem with a larger content area. He may start writing whatever he knows without making any discrimination in such a situation he may not write about the facts or information needed by the item, thus lowering the validity of the essay item.

3 – Essay items must have clear cut directions or instructions for the examinees the instruction should indicate the total time to be spent on any particular test item. What type of information is required and the likely weight age to be given to each item so that the examinee may pick up the relative importance of the essay questions and accordingly adjust the length of the answer.

4 – Sufficient time should be allowed in the construction of essay items such items measure the higher mental processes and in order that they actually measure what they intend to measure. It is essential that essay items are carefully worded and ordered so that all the items can be interrupted in the same way.

Difference between Essay tests and Objective Tests

1 – In essay items the examinee writes the answer in her/his own words whereas the in objective type of tests the examinee selects the correct answer from the among several given alternatives.

2 – Thinking and writing are important in essay tests whereas reading and thinking are important in objective type tests. In essay tests the examinee answers the questions in several lines. S/he critically thinks over the problems posed by the questions and arranges the idea in sequence and expresses them in writing. In objective type the examinee doesn’t have to write in many cases. He is simply asked to put a tick/mark. However, in order to make a correct choice he is required to read both the stem as well as the alternative answers very carefully and then critically think and decide.

3 – It is difficult to score objectivity and accurately in essay tests whereas in objective tests can be easily scored objectively and accurately.

4 – Essay tests are difficult to evaluate objectively and partially because the answers are not fixed like the answers of objective items because of the variability in the scorer judgment regarding the contents of the answers in the objective types of tests whether of the selection or supply type scoring can be done accurately because the answers are fixed in them. The scoring will also be objective because when the answers are fixed there will obviously be complete interpersonal agreement among the students.

5 – In objective type tests the quality of the item is dependent upon the skill of the test constructor but in essay test the quality of the item is dependent upon the scorer’s skill. Writing item for an objective type test is a relatively difficult task. Only a skilled test constructor can write good objective items. The quality of the test items are bound to suffer. If the test constructor lacks skill in writing items as well as limited knowledge regarding the subject matter items in essay tests are easy to construct. A test constructor is even with a minimum knowledge of writing items can prepare relatively good essay items.

6 – Objective test items no matter how well they are constructed permit and encourage guessing by the examinee whereas essay test items no matter how well they are constructed permit and encourage bluffing by examinees. In objective type test items the probability of guessing can’t be fully nullified. The effect of the guessing is the inflation of the actual score obtained on the test. Guessing is the most obvious when the length of the test is short and the two alternative objectives form is used or when difficult alternative responses are included in multiple choice items or matching items and the length of the test is short.

7 – Assignment of numerical scores in essay test items is entirely in the hands of the scorer whereas assignment of numerical scores in objective type test items is entirely determined by the scoring key of the manual.

Common Points between Essay Tests and Objective Tests

Despite of all these differences following are the common points or main similarities that lie in essay test or objective test.

• An element of subjectivity is involved in both objective type as well as essay tests. In objective tests subjectivity is involved in writing the test items in selecting particular criterion for validation of the test. In essay tests subjectivity is involved in writing and selecting the items. The most obvious effect of the subjectivity in essay test is seen in scoring of the essay items.
• In both essay tests as well as objective type tests, emphasize is placed upon the objectivity in the interpretation of the test scores. By objectivity is meant the score must mean nearly the same to all observers or graders who have assigned it. If this is not so it means that the scoring lacks objectivity thus reducing the usefulness of the score.
• Any educational achievement such as the ability to spell the English words, proficiency in grammar, and performance in history, geography, and educational psychology can be measured through both the essay test and objective type tests.

When the intention is to measure critical thinking, originality and the organizational ability essay tests are preferred but when the intention is to measure the piecemeal knowledge in any subject, objective type tests are preferred.

However, this line of demarcation is fast vanishing now because objective items have been used effectively for measuring achievement representing, critical thinking and originality of the examinees. Likewise, essay items particularly short answer essay items have been successfully used in measuring achievement representing piecemeal knowledge of any subject.

• Tags: Essay Test , Essay Test vs Objective Test , Essay Writing , Objective Test , Subjective Test , Writing Good Essay

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Essay test: types, advantages and limitations | statistics.

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After reading this article you will learn about:- 1. Introduction to Essay Test 2. Types of Essay Test 3. Advantages 4. Limitations 5. Suggestions.

Introduction to Essay Test:

The essay tests are still commonly used tools of evaluation, despite the increasingly wider applicability of the short answer and objective type questions.

There are certain outcomes of learning (e.g., organising, summarising, integrating ideas and expressing in one’s own way) which cannot be satisfactorily measured through objective type tests. The importance of essay tests lies in the measurement of such instructional outcomes.

An essay test may give full freedom to the students to write any number of pages. The required response may vary in length. An essay type question requires the pupil to plan his own answer and to explain it in his own words. The pupil exercises considerable freedom to select, organise and present his ideas. Essay type tests provide a better indication of pupil’s real achievement in learning. The answers provide a clue to nature and quality of the pupil’s thought process.

That is, we can assess how the pupil presents his ideas (whether his manner of presentation is coherent, logical and systematic) and how he concludes. In other words, the answer of the pupil reveals the structure, dynamics and functioning of pupil’s mental life.

The essay questions are generally thought to be the traditional type of questions which demand lengthy answers. They are not amenable to objective scoring as they give scope for halo-effect, inter-examiner variability and intra-examiner variability in scoring.

Types of Essay Test:

There can be many types of essay tests:

Some of these are given below with examples from different subjects:

1. Selective Recall.

e.g. What was the religious policy of Akbar?

2. Evaluative Recall.

e.g. Why did the First War of Independence in 1857 fail?

3. Comparison of two things—on a single designated basis.

e.g. Compare the contributions made by Dalton and Bohr to Atomic theory.

4. Comparison of two things—in general.

e.g. Compare Early Vedic Age with the Later Vedic Age.

5. Decision—for or against.

e.g. Which type of examination do you think is more reliable? Oral or Written. Why?

6. Causes or effects.

e.g. Discuss the effects of environmental pollution on our lives.

7. Explanation of the use or exact meaning of some phrase in a passage or a sentence.

e.g., Joint Stock Company is an artificial person. Explain ‘artificial person’ bringing out the concepts of Joint Stock Company.

8. Summary of some unit of the text or of some article.

9. Analysis

e.g. What was the role played by Mahatma Gandhi in India’s freedom struggle?

10. Statement of relationship.

e.g. Why is knowledge of Botany helpful in studying agriculture?

11. Illustration or examples (your own) of principles in science, language, etc.

e.g. Illustrate the correct use of subject-verb position in an interrogative sentence.

12. Classification.

e.g. Classify the following into Physical change and Chemical change with explanation. Water changes to vapour; Sulphuric Acid and Sodium Hydroxide react to produce Sodium Sulphate and Water; Rusting of Iron; Melting of Ice.

13. Application of rules or principles in given situations.

e.g. If you sat halfway between the middle and one end of a sea-saw, would a person sitting on the other end have to be heavier or lighter than you in order to make the sea-saw balance in the middle. Why?

14. Discussion.

e.g. Partnership is a relationship between persons who have agreed to share the profits of a business carried on by all or any of them acting for all. Discuss the essentials of partnership on the basis of this partnership.

15. Criticism—as to the adequacy, correctness, or relevance—of a printed statement or a classmate’s answer to a question on the lesson.

e.g. What is the wrong with the following statement?

The Prime Minister is the sovereign Head of State in India.

16. Outline.

e.g. Outline the steps required in computing the compound interest if the principal amount, rate of interest and time period are given as P, R and T respectively.

17. Reorganization of facts.

e.g. The student is asked to interview some persons and find out their opinion on the role of UN in world peace. In the light of data thus collected he/she can reorganise what is given in the text book.

18. Formulation of questions-problems and questions raised.

e.g. After reading a lesson the pupils are asked to raise related problems- questions.

19. New methods of procedure

e.g. Can you solve this mathematical problem by using another method?

Advantages of the Essay Tests:

1. It is relatively easier to prepare and administer a six-question extended- response essay test than to prepare and administer a comparable 60-item multiple-choice test items.

2. It is the only means that can assess an examinee’s ability to organise and present his ideas in a logical and coherent fashion.

3. It can be successfully employed for practically all the school subjects.

4. Some of the objectives such as ability to organise idea effectively, ability to criticise or justify a statement, ability to interpret, etc., can be best measured by this type of test.

5. Logical thinking and critical reasoning, systematic presentation, etc. can be best developed by this type of test.

6. It helps to induce good study habits such as making outlines and summaries, organising the arguments for and against, etc.

7. The students can show their initiative, the originality of their thought and the fertility of their imagination as they are permitted freedom of response.

8. The responses of the students need not be completely right or wrong. All degrees of comprehensiveness and accuracy are possible.

9. It largely eliminates guessing.

10. They are valuable in testing the functional knowledge and power of expression of the pupil.

Limitations of Essay Tests:

1. One of the serious limitations of the essay tests is that these tests do not give scope for larger sampling of the content. You cannot sample the course content so well with six lengthy essay questions as you can with 60 multiple-choice test items.

2. Such tests encourage selective reading and emphasise cramming.

3. Moreover, scoring may be affected by spelling, good handwriting, coloured ink, neatness, grammar, length of the answer, etc.

4. The long-answer type questions are less valid and less reliable, and as such they have little predictive value.

5. It requires an excessive time on the part of students to write; while assessing, reading essays is very time-consuming and laborious.

6. It can be assessed only by a teacher or competent professionals.

7. Improper and ambiguous wording handicaps both the students and valuers.

8. Mood of the examiner affects the scoring of answer scripts.

9. There is halo effect-biased judgement by previous impressions.

10. The scores may be affected by his personal bias or partiality for a particular point of view, his way of understanding the question, his weightage to different aspect of the answer, favouritism and nepotism, etc.

Thus, the potential disadvantages of essay type questions are :

(i) Poor predictive validity,

(ii) Limited content sampling,

(iii) Scores unreliability, and

(iv) Scoring constraints.

Suggestions for Improving Essay Tests:

The teacher can sometimes, through essay tests, gain improved insight into a student’s abilities, difficulties and ways of thinking and thus have a basis for guiding his/her learning.

(A) White Framing Questions:

1. Give adequate time and thought to the preparation of essay questions, so that they can be re-examined, revised and edited before they are used. This would increase the validity of the test.

2. The item should be so written that it will elicit the type of behaviour the teacher wants to measure. If one is interested in measuring understanding, he should not ask a question that will elicit an opinion; e.g.,

“What do you think of Buddhism in comparison to Jainism?”

3. Use words which themselves give directions e.g. define, illustrate, outline, select, classify, summarise, etc., instead of discuss, comment, explain, etc.

4. Give specific directions to students to elicit the desired response.

5. Indicate clearly the value of the question and the time suggested for answering it.

6. Do not provide optional questions in an essay test because—

(i) It is difficult to construct questions of equal difficulty;

(ii) Students do not have the ability to select those questions which they will answer best;

(iii) A good student may be penalised because he is challenged by the more difficult and complex questions.

7. Prepare and use a relatively large number of questions requiring short answers rather than just a few questions involving long answers.

8. Do not start essay questions with such words as list, who, what, whether. If we begin the questions with such words, they are likely to be short-answer question and not essay questions, as we have defined the term.

9. Adapt the length of the response and complexity of the question and answer to the maturity level of the students.

10. The wording of the questions should be clear and unambiguous.

11. It should be a power test rather than a speed test. Allow a liberal time limit so that the essay test does not become a test of speed in writing.

12. Supply the necessary training to the students in writing essay tests.

13. Questions should be graded from simple to complex so that all the testees can answer atleast a few questions.

14. Essay questions should provide value points and marking schemes.

(B) While Scoring Questions:

1. Prepare a marking scheme, suggesting the best possible answer and the weightage given to the various points of this model answer. Decide in advance which factors will be considered in evaluating an essay response.

2. While assessing the essay response, one must:

a. Use appropriate methods to minimise bias;

b. Pay attention only to the significant and relevant aspects of the answer;

c. Be careful not to let personal idiosyncrasies affect assessment;

d. Apply a uniform standard to all the papers.

3. The examinee’s identity should be concealed from the scorer. By this we can avoid the “halo effect” or “biasness” which may affect the scoring.

4. Check your marking scheme against actual responses.

5. Once the assessment has begun, the standard should not be changed, nor should it vary from paper to paper or reader to reader. Be consistent in your assessment.

6. Grade only one question at a time for all papers. This will help you in minimising the halo effect in becoming thoroughly familiar with just one set of scoring criteria and in concentrating completely on them.

7. The mechanics of expression (legibility, spelling, punctuation, grammar) should be judged separately from what the student writes, i.e. the subject matter content.

8. If possible, have two independent readings of the test and use the average as the final score.

Related Articles:

• Merits and Demerits of Objective Type Test
• Types of Recall Type Test: Simple and Completion | Objective Test

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The difference between subjective and objective assessments

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Understanding subjective and objective assessments, and the difference between the two, is central to designing effective exams. Educators need a strong understanding of both types to accurately assess student learning. Each of these styles has specific attributes that make them better suited for certain subjects and learning outcomes. Knowing when to use subjective instead of objective assessments, and vice versa, as well as identifying resources that can help increase the overall fairness of exams, is essential to educators’ efforts in accurately gauging the academic progress of their students.

Let’s take a closer look at subjective and objective assessments, how they are measured, and the ways in which they can be used effectively to evaluate student knowledge.

According to EnglishPost.org , “Subjective tests aim to assess areas of students’ performance that are complex and qualitative, using questioning that may have more than one correct answer or more ways to express it.” Subjective assessments are popular because they typically take less time for teachers to develop, and they offer students the ability to be creative or critical in constructing their answers. Some examples of subjective assessment questions include asking students to:

• Respond with short answers
• Craft their answers in the form of an essay
• Define a term, concept, or significant event
• Respond with a critically thought-out or factually-supported opinion
• Respond to a theoretical scenario

Subjective assessments are excellent for subjects like writing, reading, art/art history, philosophy, political science, or literature. More specifically, any subject that encourages debate, critical thinking, interpretation of art forms or policies, or applying specific knowledge to real-world scenarios is well-suited for subjective assessment. These include long-form essays, debates, interpretations, definitions of terms, concepts, and events as well as responding to theoretical scenarios, defending opinions, and other responses.

Objective assessment, on the other hand, is far more exact and subsequently less open to the students’ interpretation of concepts or theories. Edulytic defines objective assessment as “a way of examining in which questions asked has [sic] a single correct answer.” Mathematics, geography, science, engineering, and computer science are all subjects that rely heavily on objective exams. Some of the most common item types for this style of assessment include:

• Multiple-choice
• True / false
• Fill in the blank
• Assertion and reason

Assessments measure and evaluate student knowledge; to that end, grading is involved with doing so. Just as subjective and objective assessment differ, so do ways in which educators measure them.

Subjective performance measurements are dependent on the observer or grader and involve interpretation. A creative work might be the most clear example for which subjective measurement might apply; while grammar and syntax, of course, are necessary to express ideas, the quality of creative work is subject to human judgment. Opinion essays are also a subjective measurement, as there is no one right answer and are evaluated based on persuasion skills; the flow of logic or writing style, in addition to the content of an answer, can influence a person marking student work.

In brief, subjective measurement involves more than one correct answer and assesses qualitative or analytic thinking.

On the other hand, objective measurement is conducted independent of opinion. One extreme example is feeding a multiple-choice exam into a Scantron machine, which provides zero feedback and simply marks an answer wrong or correct. Even when a human being grades objective assessment and provides feedback, answers are not for interpretation when it comes to objective measurement. Other examples of objective measurement include mathematics problems with one correct answer that is unquestionable and again, independent of the grader’s opinion ( Jackson, retrieved 2023 ).

In sum, objective measurement is implicitly consistent, impartial, and usually quantifiable.

That said, measurement of assessments, whether subjective or objective, is a spectrum.

While a creative work may be graded almost entirely subjectively, a personal or opinion essay, while subjective in nature, may fall towards the middle of the spectrum. An analytical essay, for instance, can offer objective measurements like grammar, structure, primary or secondary sources , and citation. Of course, on the objective end of the spectrum are multiple-choice questions like mathematics problems. But even mathematics can fall towards the middle; for example, when students work on proofs and theorems to demonstrate logic and analytical thinking. In the case of a proof, a grader has to interpret how deeply a student understands the concept and might even grant partial credit.

The word “subjective” has often become a pejorative term when it comes to assessment and grading, while the word “objective” is elevated as a paragon of fairness. But the reality is that both subjective and objective assessments are effective ways to measure learning, when they are designed well and used appropriately.

Subjective and objective assessments are effective when they show reliability and validity .

An assessment is reliable when it consistently measures student learning. Reliability involves the correct answer every time, with no variation from student to student, making scores trustworthy; many standardized tests like those used for licensing or certification, for instance, are deemed highly reliable. In the case of subjective assessment, rubrics can provide increased reliability .

An assessment is valid when it measures what it was intended to measure. Validity accurately measures understanding, whether it is the evaluation of analytic thinking or factual knowledge.

You wouldn’t ask a nursing student to write an opinion essay on differential diagnosis and pharmaceutical treatment; at the same time, you wouldn’t ask graduate students of English literature to answer true/false questions about the works of Shakespeare. Providing the right kind of assessment to assess appropriate levels of knowledge and learning is critical.

The first step towards effective exam design is to consider the purpose of the assessment and uphold validity.

When an instructor wants to measure critical thinking skills, a student’s ability to come up with their own original ideas, or even how they arrived at their response, subjective assessment is the best fit. When an instructor wants to evaluate a student’s knowledge of facts, for instance, objective measurement is called for. Of course, exams can offer a variety of formats to measure both critical thinking and breadth of knowledge; many assessments benefit from the inclusion of both subjective and objective assessment questions. Subjective assessments lend themselves to programs where students are asked to apply what they’ve learned according to specific scenarios. Any field of study that emphasizes creativity, critical thinking, or problem-solving may place a high value on the qualitative aspects of subjective assessments. These could include:

• Arbitration

Objective assessments are popular options for programs with curricula structured around absolutes or definite right and wrong answers; the sciences are a good example. If there are specific industry standards or best practices that professionals must follow at all times, objective assessments are an effective way to gauge students’ mastery of the requisite techniques or knowledge. Such programs might include:

• Engineering

Creating reliable and valid assessments is key to accurately measuring students’ mastery of subject matter. Educators should consider creating a blueprint for their exams to maximize the reliability and validity of their questions. It can be easier to write assessments when using an exam blueprint. Building an exam blueprint allows teachers to track how each question applies to course learning objectives and specific content sections, as well as the corresponding level of cognition being assessed.

Once educators have carefully planned out their exams, they can begin writing questions. Carnegie Mellon University’s guide to creating exams offers the following suggestions to ensure test writers are composing objective questions:

• Write questions with only one correct answer.
• Compose questions carefully to avoid grammatical clues that could inadvertently signify the correct answer.
• Make sure that the wrong answer choices are actually plausible.
• Avoid “all of the above” or “none of the above” answers as much as possible.
• Do not write overly complex questions. (Avoid double negatives, idioms, etc.)
• Write questions that assess only a single idea or concept.

Subjectivity often feels like a “bad word” in the world of assessment and grading, but it is not. It just needs to be appropriate–that is, used in the right place and at the right time. In the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization , researchers Méndez and Jahedi report, “Our results indicate that general subjective measures can effectively capture changes in both the explicit and the implicit components of the variable being measured and, therefore, that they can be better suited for the study of broadly defined concepts than objective measures.” Subjective assessments have a place in presenting knowledge of concepts, particularly in expressing an original opinion, thought, or discourse that does not have a singular answer.

What is “bad,” however, is bias, whether unconscious or conscious, in assessment design or grading. Bias is an unfair partiality for or against something, largely based on opinion and resistance to facts.

Subjective assessments are more vulnerable to bias and it’s important to ensure that the questions address what is supposed to be measured (upholding validity) and that any grader bias is mitigated with rubrics to bolster marking consistency (thereby upholding reliability). Other ways to mitigate bias include grading by question and not by student as well as employing name-blind grading.

Subjective and objective assessment efficacy is influenced by reliability, validity, and bias. Wherever, whenever possible, it is important to bolster reliability (consistency) and validity (accuracy) while reducing bias (unfair partiality). While reliability and validity are upheld during the design and execution of assessments, ensuring that questions align with learning expectations and course content and are fair, bias can interfere with the grading process.

One important, and frequently overlooked, aspect of creating reliable and valid assessments is the manner in which those assessments are scored by removing bias. How can teachers ensure that essay or short-answer questions are all evaluated in the same manner, especially when they are responsible for scoring a substantial number of exams?

• A rubric that lists the specific requirements needed to master the assignment, helps educators provide clear and concise expectations to students, stay focused on whether those requirements have been met, and then communicate how well they were met. Using rubrics also increases consistency and decreases time spent grading. (upholds reliability, mitigates bias)
• Name-blind grading is a key component to unbiased grading; by removing the affiliation of the student’s name to the assessment, any question of prejudice is removed. It can be enabled in grading software or via folding down the corner of pages with names on them. (mitigates bias)
• Grading by question instead of by student—grading all of one question first before moving on to the others—makes sure you’re grading to the same standard and not influenced by answers to a previous question ( Aldrich, 2017 ). (upholds reliability, mitigates bias)
• Student data insights can transform grading into learning . By conducting item analysis or, in other words, formally examining student responses and patterns, instructors can pinpoint whether or not assessments are accurately assessing student knowledge. Item analysis is a way for instructors to receive feedback on their instruction and makes learning visible. (upholds validity)
• Offer a variety of assessment formats to include different learning styles and measure different components of learning. Objective assessments like multiple-choice exams can assess a large breadth of knowledge in a short amount of time. Subjective assessments like short- and long-answer questions can test whether or not students have a deep conceptual understanding of subjects by asking students to explain their approach or thinking. Using a combination of formats within the same exam can also bolster reliability and validity. (upholds reliability, upholds validity)
• And finally, consider eliminating grading on a curve ( Calsamiglia & Loviglio, 2019 ). When students are graded on a curve, the act of adjusting student grades so that they’re relative to the grades of their peers, there is an implicit message that students compete with each other—including those who might be cheating. According to research, “moving away from curving sets the expectation that all students have the opportunity to achieve the highest possible grade” ( Schinske & Tanner, 2014 ). (upholds reliability, upholds validity, mitigates bias)

Using assessment tools offer the following benefits for educators:

• Electronically link rubrics to learning objectives and outcomes or accreditation standards.
• Generate comprehensive reports on student or class performance.
• Share assessment data with students to improve self-assessment.
• Gain a more complete understanding of student performance, no matter the evaluation method.

Ultimately, employing rubric and assessment software tools like ExamSoft and Gradescope gives both instructors and students a clearer picture of exam performance as it pertains to specific assignments or learning outcomes. This knowledge is instrumental to educators’ attempt to improve teaching methods, exam creation, grading—and students’ ability to refine their study habits.

Creating reliable and valid assessments with unbiased measurement will always be an important aspect of an educator’s job. Using all the tools at their disposal is the most effective way to ensure that all assessments—whether subjective or objective— accurately measure what students have learned.

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Objective tests

Objective tests are questions whose answers are either correct or incorrect. They tend to be better at testing 'low order' thinking skills, such as memory, basic comprehension and perhaps application (of numerical procedures for example), and are often (though not necessarily always) best used for diagnostic assessment. However, this still affords a great variety of both textual and numerical question types including, but not limited to: calculations and mathematical derivations, MCQs, fill-in-the-blanks questions and short essay questions.

Advantages of objective tests

Marking of questions can be easily standardised and, in many situations, even automated.

Computer-aided assessment platforms exist for quantitative disciplines (such as Numbas, MapleTA and STACK) that can not only host numerical questions, but also symbolic and graphical questions.

Can reduce the marking workload involved, particularly on courses with large student cohorts, while still providing a reliable assessment method.

Allows teachers to quickly assess a broad range of topics and provide immediate and direct feedback to both students and staff.

Challenges of objective tests

Can be difficult to write successfully, requiring a great deal of time and effort.

Without computer-aided assessment platforms, feedback on such assessments can be severely curtailed

It is important to strike a balance between the use of objective tests and other forms of assessment if they are to be effective and accepted by the academic community.

A common issue that is raised or identified in the use of objective tests is that of guessing on the part of students.

How students might experience objective tests

Various studies have shown that objective tests exhibit a gender bias; for example, male students typically score higher than female students on objective tests in mathematics and science subjects (Anderson, 1989). As students tend to adopt different study strategies for different assessment methods, the use of objective tests may adversely affect the way students approach the subject. A balance of formats may therefore encourage a spread of revision approaches. Moreover, increased use of objective tests as a formative or diagnostic assessment tool does not necessarily lead to increased performance in summative assessments that are not objective test based (e.g. essay-based papers).

Reliability, validity, fairness and inclusivity of objective tests

When introducing objective tests for the first time, their overall weighting should not be too high, at least for the first few sittings, to allow refinement of the process. Submitting questions to widespread review by peers (particularly by teachers responsible for both the course to be examined and those that list it as a prerequisite) can help ensure their validity. As there is some evidence that suggests objective tests may favour some candidates over others (for example, in STEM disciplines), their use as an assessment tool should be balanced against other forms of assessment. Statistical analysis of exam results should also be performed periodically in order to identify potential biases in the examination.

How to maintain and ensure rigour in objective tests

If banks of questions are to be maintained (to allow for rotation of questions, and even randomisation within tests) then there should be a periodic review of these to ensure they remain relevant for the curriculum. Maintaining information about questions and their key topics (and potential difficulty level) in a database can help this quality review. Moreover, by linking student performance on individual questions to their final performance, some empirical insight may be gleaned into the efficacy of the question in assessing student performance, with weaker (non-indicative) questions being removed and replaced.

How to limit possible misconduct in objective tests

For paper-based objective tests, normal examination invigilator procedures should be a satisfactory deterrent against possible misconduct.  However, by their nature, online tests present a different set of challenges, in particular the problem of student collaboration and/or cheating. These may be addressed via technical solutions (for example limiting internet connectivity in computing labs to deter students from finding answers online).  Alternatively, one could allow for, and even incorporate, internet access in the design of questions itself (in a similar manner to allowing open book examinations).

Further resources

Jones, A. (1997) Setting objective tests,  Journal of Geography in Higher Education , 21(1): 106-114

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Multiple Choice Questions: Benefits, Debates, and Best Practices

Who knew that a question type could be so shrouded in controversy? The multiple choice question (MCQ) may be a “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” favorite, but it’s also the most widely debated question type when it comes to efficacy and outcomes reporting. Why all the buzz? The multiple choice question is forever associated with standardized tests, Scantron sheets, #2 pencils, and all of the  above . But like any question type, there are benefits and downfalls, there's a time and place, and there are a slew of best practices. Let’s weigh the pros and cons and figure out when to best use this traditional testing favorite.

The Multiple-Benefit Question Type

Like any question type, the format alone is useless without proper usage, wording, and subject pairing to make it effective. The following benefits make multiple choice an attractive option for fact-based content.

• Easy on the Grader Think about the instructor with no TA and 500 students in their 101 course. Essays and short answer questions, while effective, will inevitably delay grading. Auto-graded multiple-choice questions allow instructors to test their students quickly and efficiently, without hiring additional graders.
• Time and Scope: There’s a reason why MCQs are a default for most standardized testing. By nature, MCQs allow for fast testing across a vast expanse of content. According to Vanderbilt University, “because students can typically answer a multiple choice item much more quickly than an essay question, tests based on multiple choice items can typically focus on a relatively broad representation of course material, thus increasing the validity of the assessment. ”

• Flexibility Perhaps it isn’t the nature of the question but what we are asking that allows us to think of this question type as so rigid. There are options to expand to different Bloom’s Taxonomy levels in am MCQ. While many default to questions that test both understanding and remembering facts, a well-worded question can test on application and analysis.
• Single/Multiple Answers A single answer allows for simple weeding out of incorrect answers. However, with multiple correct answers (and this doesn’t mean “D. All of the above”) present, you can eliminate the process of elimination.
• Measurable and Reliable With the focus on efficacy measurement in schools increasing, being able to have large amounts of objective testing data that show students' grasp and retention of content is pivotal for an institution.

The Multiple Layers of Controversy

All benefits aside, MCQs are widely debated for their efficacy and often considered a poor question type to gauge a student’s level of critical thinking, making them far better suited for lower-level Bloom's questioning. The following are some of the pitfalls mentioned by leading MCQ opponents.

• Development Time For the question author, a well-crafted MCQ isn’t always just about writing the best correct answer, it’s creating deeply convincing false answers, or distractors. This takes more time than a simple fill-in-the-blank or essay question. Too many sloppy questions have been written in the past that give the correct answer away or that give a freebie distractor away as a definitely wrong answer.
• Working Backwards from Wrong According to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing , “Multiple choice items can be easier than open-ended questions asking the same thing. This is because it is harder to recall an answer than to recognize it. Test-wise students know that it is sometimes easier to work backwards from the answer options, looking for the one that best fits. It also is possible to choose the 'right' answer for the wrong reason.”
• Beating the Odds  You may have heard these question types called “multiple guess questions.” Of course, guessing is present in any question, though MCQs allow for even the most clueless learner to have a 25% chance. If they can remove even one distractor, their odds have immediately increased to 33%. The option for guessing is present in plenty of question types… but here, the right answer is literally on the page. May the odds be ever NOT in their favor.
• Diversify Your Question Types With the majority of standardized tests heavily reliant on multiple-choice, deliberate choices must be made as to when to use MCQs and MCQs should be interspersed with other question types that assess students on their abilities to create, evaluate, and formulate their own responses to situational questions.

Your Lifelines: Best Practices for MCQ Authoring

Pros and cons aside, the MCQ is still a formidable option for testing. When used in moderation, with a diverse cast of other question types, and well-crafted for optimal learning, MCQs can remain steadfast against the tide of push-back. To better assist you, the content developer, with your multiple-choice assessment authoring, keep the following in mind:

• Move Beyond the “Above” “All of the above” and “None of the above” have a negative effect on your testing. While one allows students to gain credit when they recognize at least two correct choices, the other rewards them for not formalizing what the correct answer is at all. Too often, questions are authored with the traditional “above” distractor. However, with digital randomization features, what is above may actually be below.
• The Power of Distractors A well developed MCQ not only tests students on correct answers, it puts to rest commonly chosen incorrect answers by adding them in as distractors. Choose your distractor options carefully. Be consistent in your options, make them each plausible and relevant to the subject matter being tested. A key term from two chapters ago is a dead giveaway. Like matching questions , you want to keep your options homogenous with an objective list format such as numerical or alphabetical.
• Randomize Multiple-choice questions have grown a lot smarter. Choose an assessment building tool, such as GT's MyEcontentFactory , that allows for randomization of distractors. Not only does randomization act as a built-in cheating prevention tool, it also keeps your choice organization objective. No learner will be cracking that code.
• Move beyond text We often think in text, but, according to eLearningIndustry.com , a great way to test on higher levels of analysis includes adding a chart, graph or image to a multiple-choice question.
• absolutes like always and never
• long-winded distractors
• multiple-multiple choices, such as " C. Choices A and B"
• incomplete questions that just seem to ________
• negatives, such as " all of the following are... except" and "which of the following are NOT..."

For more best practices and examples of great MCQs at various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, be sure to visit the following links:

• University of Texas at Austin
• Vanderbilt University
• Brigham Young University

Crafting great assessments isn't always easy, but beginning with the right authoring tool from the start can help the content developer, instructors who rely on assessments to accurately measure outcomes, and the students themselves. 

Did you know that you can make multiple choice questions in GT's MyEcontentFactory? This is just one of many assessment types that our assessment tool facilitates. Try it today - contact us for a demo.

Which side of the MCQ aisle are you? Let us know in the comments section below!

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What are The Advantages and Disadvantages of Objective Type Test

Back to: Measurement and Evaluation in Education B.ed Notes, M.A Notes, IGNOU Notes and Graduation Notes

Advantages of Objective Type Test

• These exam items are appropriate for current educational procedures since scoring is more objective.
• These questions are devoid of the teacher’s preferences.
• The examiner’s mood has no bearing on scoring.
• This exam question allows students to become well acquainted with the topic content. The reason for this is that for a little writing, he may dedicate his time to contemplation and so answer numerous questions that he would otherwise have to write out in detail.
• This test reduces the possibility of elimination. Although intelligent guessing benefits the student.
• It is simple to score.
• Pupils prefer this style of exam item because it eliminates the possibility of the teacher displaying personal prejudice or favouritism.
• This form of test is educational for students since they are more engaged in answering it.
• Cramming is discouraged by objective-type exam items, which stimulate thought, observation, and inspection.
• These test items are more trustworthy and genuine.