Which Examinees Are Most Favoured by the Use of Multiple Choice Tests?

Scores were obtained from 198 ninth grade students on achievement motivation, test anxiety, testwiseness, and risktaking. Tests in mathematics and vocabulary were constructed in free response and multiple choice form, and administered to the subjects in that order, with an interval of 5 weeks between administrations. Partial correlations were computed between scores on the multiple choice tests and achievement motivation, test anxiety, testwiseness, and risktaking, with free response scores partialled out. The partial correlations were corrected for the unreliability in the free response scores, and tested for significance. All partials involving achievement motivation and test anxiety were nonsignificant, as were all partials based on mathematics scores. The partial correlations of vocabulary scores with testwiseness and risktaking were significant without exception. It was concluded that the use of multiple choice tests can favour certain examinees those who are highly testwise and willing to take risks in the test situation. It was noted that the extent to which these examinees were favoured was dependent on the nature of the test, and that a verbal test seemed more susceptible than a numerical test.