Matching Test Item Writing Procedure cont'd

DOE-HDBK-1204-97

Test item:

Match the alarm (letter) with its appropriate tone (number). Responses

(numbers) may be used more than once:

RESPONSES

PREMISES

Fire

Pulse tone

Reactor building evacuation

Wailing siren

Site evacuation

Steady tone

Present an unequal number of premises and responses, or allow responses to

be used more than once -- this will inhibit the trainee from obtaining clues to a

correct answer through a process of elimination.

Arrange the responses in a logical order, such as alphabetical or numerical.

The entire matching test item should contain no more than six premises.

Place the entire matching test item on one page so the trainee need not flip

back and forth between pages.

Directions to matching test items should not require more than one response to a premise.

This practice not only fragments scoring and alters the implicit equality of the premises, but

also may encourage "shotgunning," the writing in of all responses to a premise in order to

receive some partial credit.

If partial credit is possible, establish how it will be assigned in the examination key. For

example, a five-premise matching test item might have 20% credit for each correct match.