Multiple‐choice and true/false tests: myths and misapprehensions

Examiners seeking guidance on multiple‐choice and true/false tests are likely to encounter various faulty or questionable ideas. Twelve of these are discussed in detail, having to do mainly with the effects on test reliability of test length, guessing and scoring method (i.e. number‐right scoring or negative marking). Some misunderstandings could be based on evidence from tests that were badly written or administered, while others may have arisen through the misinterpretation of reliability coefficients. The usefulness of item response theory in the analysis of academic test items is briefly dismissed.