tos

1. MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST
and
TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
MARICEL GARCIA-BAEL, PhD
SHS Master Teacher II, Surabay NHS
Facilitator

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE SESSION :
a. recognize the characteristics of multiple-choice questions;
b. follow the principles in constructing multiple choice test;
c. gain knowledge and skills in preparing table of
specifications;
d. identify the test questions’ level of cognitive domain;
e. construct multiple choice test questions aligned with the
table of specifications;
f. convey understanding in the importance of the table of
specifications and well-constructed multiple-choice test.
Department of Education

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5io85UM2I50
How do you construct your test?
What preparations do you make when
constructing a test?
PRIMING

4. 1.What was the video clip about?
2.How do you describe the teacher’s way of
preparing his test?
3.How did the examinees react to the kind of test
given?
4. What do you think the result of the test would be?
5. If you were the teacher, what would you do to
ensure that your test is valid and reliable?
PRIMING

5. Answer the question/s assigned to your group. Be able to present your output in a
creative manner.
Group 1 – List down reasons why we give test.
Group 2 - What are the parts of a multiple choice
question? Describe each part.
Group 3 – What are the advantages of multiple choice
test over other test formats?
Group 4 - List down some guidelines in constructing
multiple choice test.
Group 5 – What is a table of specifications? Why do you
need to prepare one when constructing tests?
ACTIVITY
Department of Education

6.  How did you find the activity?
 Is it easy to construct multiple –choice test? Why
or why not ?
 What is the benefit of preparing a table of
specifications when giving test?
 Does the way you prepare your test matter? How?
ANALYSIS
Department of Education

7.  To assess what students have learned
 To find areas of difficulty in order to take corrective
measures
 Helps motivate students to learn more
 Gives teachers the opportunity to report to parents
their children’s progress
 Helps in planning lesson to meet the needs of various
types of learners
 Determines recipients of awards and recognition
Department of Education

8.  “To be able to prepare a good test , one has to have
a mastery of the subject matter , knowledge of
pupils to be tested , skill in verbal expression and
the use of different test format .” –
( Oriondo & Antonio , 1984 )
Department of Education

9.  composed of a question with
multiple possible answers , including
the correct answer and several
incorrect answers .
 Typically, students select the correct
answer by choosing or circling the
associated number or letter.
Image : Freepik.com

10. Stimulus Material This is a special information on which an item is based.
It can be in the form of a paragraph, a picture, a chart, a table, etc.
http://www.intelligentassessment.com/

11. 1 . Correct Answer
-has a key that is absolutely correct and distractors
that are incorrect.
Example:
Who invented the first refracting telescope?
1)Hans Lippershey 3)Hans Janssen
2)Galileo Galilei 4) Orville Wright
FORMS OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEM

12. 2. Best Answer
It has two or more suggested responses that are correct.
Example:
Why do we need to exercise?
1) to produce sweat
2) to increase appetite
3) to develop musculature
4) to increase intelligence
3.Incomplete Statement
The shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere is in_______.
1) March 2)June 3)September 4)December

13. Multiple-choice items can provide:
• versatility in measuring all levels of cognitive ability
• highly reliable test scores
• scoring efficiency and accuracy
• objective measurement of achievement or ability
• a wide sampling of content or objectives
• a reduced guessing factor compared with true-false
items
(Ory & Ryan, 1993)

14. • difficult and time-consuming to construct
• lead an instructor to favor simple recall of facts
•place a high degree of dependence on the
student’s reading ability and instructor’s writing
ability
• are particularly subject to clueing

15. 1.Choose an important concept
2.Write the stem ( and stimulus material, if needed)
3.Write the correct answer (key)
4. Develop distractors
- common misconceptions
- errors that could be made
- plausible
- similar in style, length to the key
- every distractor should be reasonable
(Clegg & Cashin, 1986)

16. Consider the
different levels of
cognitive domain
in the Bloom’s
taxonomy when
constructing your
items.

17. POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN
CONSTRUCTING
MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEMS

18. What is the best title for this story?
1) Our Young Dog 3) About Puppies
2) Taking Care of Puppies 4) The Best Puppy
 Stimulus material should be emphasized by putting it
inside the box. It should be placed before the stem.
A puppy is a young dog. Puppies are born blind and deaf. They
cannot see nor hear until they become two weeks old. They have a strong
sense of smell which they use to find their mother. New born puppies
spend most of their time sleeping. Puppies seem to chew everything
around even though they do not grow teeth until they reach one month
old. When puppies turn one year old, they now become adults.
Source:“Surprising Facts About Puppies”,CBC Kids,accessed Nov. 5 , 2020, https://www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/9-surprising-facts-about-puppies
STIMULUS MATERIAL

19.  Present only one problem in the stem .
 Use negatively stated stems sparingly and when using
negatives such as NOT , underline or bold the print.
Example:
Which of the following is NOT an odd number?
1) 7 3) 21
2)11 4) 30
STEM

20. The stem should never contain a double
negative. Example :
Alin sa mga sumusunod ang HINDI katangian
ng di- matapat na manggagawa?
1) Eksakto kung sumingil at magsukli sa mamimili
2) Nagtutuos na mabuti sa halaga na pinamili
3) Inaalam kung ano ang gusto ng mamimili
4)Nag-iimbentaryo bago isarado ang tindahan
STEM
STEM

21.  If there is a uniquely correct answer to the question,
the qualifier is not necessary.
Example:
Who of the following was the elected president
of the Philippines in 1992?
1) Corazon C. Aquino 3) Gloria M Arroyo
2) Fidel V. Ramos 4) Joseph Estrada
Better:
Who was elected president of the Philippines in 1992?
STEM

22. Alin sa mga sumusunod ang pangungusap na patanong?
A. Punong-puno ng tao ang sinehan.
B. Hindi ka ba naimbitahan ni Joy?
C. Bawasan mo ang laman ng bag.
D. Yehey!Nanalo ang aming koponan!
STEM
Sometimes it is awkward to include in the stem all the
information that is necessary to ask a question. In that
case , some of the information can be included in the
responses only. The stem should then include a qualifying
phrase such as “ of the following “ to indicate that the
pupil must read on to find the information

23.  If the stem is in the form of a question, the
interrogative word should be placed at the beginning
of the question.
Example:
Kapag hinalo ang dilaw at pula , anong kulay ang lalabas?
1) rosas 3) dalandan
2) lila 4) berde
Better:
Anong kulay ang lalabas kapag pinaghalo ang dilaw at pula?
STEM

24.  In general, include in the stem word/words that must
otherwise be repeated in each response. Common
words in the responses should be included in the
stem .
STEM

25. Example:
Nagpapadala ang pamahalaan ng mga doktor at narses
sa malalayong pook upang magkaloob ng libreng
panggagamot at pagbabakuna sa mga tao. Nagpapatunay
ito na tumatanggap ang mamamayan ng_______.
A. paglilingkod na pangkapayapaan
B. paglilingkod na pangkabuhayan
C. paglilingkod na pangkalusugan
D.paglilingkod na pang-edukasyon
STEM

26. Better:
Nagpapadala ang pamahalaan ng mga doktor at narses sa
malalayong pook upang magkaloob ng libreng panggamot
at pagbabakuna sa mga tao. Nagpapatunay ito na
tumatanggap ang mamamayan ng paglilingkod na
________.
A. pangkapayapaan
B. pangkabuhayan
C. pangkalusugan
D.pang-edukasyon
STEM

27. Jose’s mother is cooking lunch. She needs some
tomatoes and sends Jose to the corner store to buy a
half kilo. If the price of tomatoes is P20 a kilo, how
much does Jose pay for one-half kilo?
1) P5.00 3) P15.00
2) P10.00 4) P20.00
 Do not include irrelevant or unnecessary information
in the stem.
Better:
What is the price of one-half kilo of tomatoes
at P20 a kilo?

28.  The problem must be in the stem and not in the
option.
Water is ________.
1) made up of oxygen and hydrogen
2) needed by living things
3) colorless
4) a liquid
STEM

29. Do not start an incomplete statement with a blank.
Example
1. _____ is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that
each represent a different musical pitch.
A. G clef B. note C. rest D. staff
STEM
Better:
A set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a
different musical pitch is called ________ .

30. 1. Choices should be lettered or numbered
2. Most multiple-choice items contain either 4 to 5
choices.
3. Avoid using alternatives such as “None of these”, “A
and B”, “All of these”, etc.
4. Only one option should be correct or clearly best.
ALTERNATIVES

31.  Ensure that the alternative answers are all related
to the stem
Example:
Sino ang kasalukuyang pangulo ng Pilipinas?
1) Dr.Francisco Duque 3) Robin Padilla
2) Rodrigo Duterte 4) Atty Wilter Palma
Better:
Sino ang kasalukuyang pangulo ng Pilipinas?
1)Fidel Ramos 3) Ferdinand Marcos
2)Joseph Estrada 4) Rodrigo Duterte
ALTERNATIVES

32.  An item should contain only one correct answer. The
correct answer (the Key) should be a better answer
than any other alternative.
 The alternatives must be grammatically consistent
with the stem.
ALTERNATIVES

33.  The alternatives must be grammatically consistent
with the stem.
Example:
What will happen to iron when exposed for quite a time
to the air?
1)The iron will turn into silver.
2)Iron combines with oxygen in the air and form rust.
3)Iron expands and forms another size of iron.
4)Iron decomposes.
ALTERNATIVES

34. 6. Avoid responses that overlap or include each other. All
responses should be mutually exclusive.
Example:
How many degrees are there in an obtuse angle?
1) Less than 90 degrees
2) Exactly 90 degrees
3) More than 90 degrees
4) More than 180 degrees
ALTERNATIVES

35. Better:
How many degrees are there in an obtuse angle?
1) More than 45 but less than 90 degrees
2) Exactly 90 degrees
3) More than 90 but less than 180 degrees
4) More than 180 degrees
ALTERNATIVES

36.  Verbal association between the stem and the correct
answer should be avoided.
Example:
Which disease is caused by a virus?
1) Sleeping sickness 3) Scarlet fever
2) Typhoid fever 4) Viral pneumonia
ALTERNATIVES

37.  The length of the alternatives should not provide a
clue to the answer.
Example:
He began to choke while he was eating the fish.
What is the meaning of choke ?
1) die
2) vomit
3) unable to breathe because of something in the
windpipe
4) very angry
ALTERNATIVES

38. ALTERNATIVES
 If the alternatives are numbers or figures , start from the
least .
Example:
Maria brought 6 apples. Mercy brought 7 apples.
How many apples are there in all?
A. 9 B. 11 C. 13 D. 15
Not:
Maria brought 6 apples. Mercy brought 7 apples.
How many apples are there in all?
A. 11 B. 9 C. 15 D. 13

39. 9 If the alternatives are phrases or sentences , start from
the shortest to the longest ( or the other way )
Example:
Sinang-ayunan ni Pangulo Laurel ang mga Hapones
upang ______ .
A. iligtas ang buhay ng marami
B. magiging mapayapa ang bayan
C. makakapunta siya sa bansang Japan
D. mapatunayan na magaling siyang makisama
ALTERNATIVES

40. Important Reminder:
When writing multiple-choice test
items, the stimulus material, the stem
and all the alternatives must be on the
same page.

41. TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
The first step for writing any exam is to have
a blueprint ( table of specifications ).
 miniature view of the test
 helpful tool used by teacher when writing test
 consists of list of competencies to be tested
 provides evidence that the test has content
validity
 Presented in the form of two-dimensional grid

42. Factors to be considered in assigning
weights to the various areas of
content/competencies to be tested?
1. time (number of days/weeks taught)
2. importance of the content/skill
3. emphasis given to the content/skill

43. Competencies/
Objectives
No
Of
days
taught
No
Of
items
%
R U Ap An E C
Item Placement
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
TOTAL

44. TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
Objectives
Number of
days
taught
Number of
items
Percentage/
weight
R U AP AN E C
1. Discriminate subtraction
sign from an addition sign
1 3 10% 1,2,3
2. Identify parts of
subtraction sentence
1 3 10%
4,5,6
3. Solve two to three-digit
subtraction problem
3 9 30% 7, 8,9,10 11,12,13, 14 , 15
4. Multiply one digit number
2 6 20% 16, 17, 18,
19, 20, 21
5. Multiply two-digit number
by another two-digit number
3 9 30%
22,23
24,25,26,2
7,28,29,
30
total 10 30 100% 8 4 15 3 0 0
For example , the teacher would like to give a 30-item test which was taught for 10
days:
Divide the total number of items with the total number of days spent in teaching . ( 30
divided by 10 = 3 )
3 is the ratio
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NaPvWNW41s

45. TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
Objectives
Number of
days
taught
Number of
items
Percentage/
weight
R U AP AN E C
1. Discriminate subtraction
sign from an addition sign
2 3 20%
2. Identify parts of
subtraction sentence
1 (*1.5) or 1 6.70%
3. Solve single digit
subtraction problem
3 (*4.5) or 5 33.30%
4. Multiply one digit number
2 3 20%
5. Multiply two-digit number
by another two-digit number
2 3 20%
total 10 15 100%
* Round to whole number
What if we will give only 15 –item test with the same number of days?
Divide the total number of items ( 15 ) by the total number of days (10) .
So, 15 divided by 10 = 1.5 1.5 is the ratio.
Multiply the ratio to the number of days taught to get the number of items per objective. (
Round off to whole number )

46. Aligning test questions
with the table of specifications

47. TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
Objectives
Number
of days
taught
Number of
items
Percentage/
weight
R U AP AN E C
1. Note details from a text
heard
1 1 10% 1
2. Analyze sound devices in
a text heard
( Onomatopoeia , alliteration
, assonance, consonance)
2 3 30%
2 , 3 , 4
3. Infer meaning of idiomatic
expressions
1 1 10% 5
4. Use the simple tenses of
the verb
2 3 30%
6 ,7 ,8
5. Determine the tone ,
mood of the text
1 1 10%
9
6. Evaluate the author's
purpose
1 1 10%
10
Total 8 10 100% 1 2 3 3 1 0
1. 25

48. Listen carefully to the poem read by your teacher. Then answer items 1- 2.
____ 1 . What sound does Dad’s car make ? ( Remember )
A. honk – honk B. broom C. beep- beep D. screech
_____2. What is the sound device used in the poem ? ( Analyze)
A. Alliteration C. onomatopoeia
B. assonance D. consonance
1. Note details from a text heard
2. Analyze sound devices in a text heard

49. Morning Rush
( Cheryl Velasco )
Kriiing… goes the alarm clock
As I hear the crowing of a cock
I need to get up from my sleep
Before Dad’s car sounds beep- beep.
I hear the kettle whistles
Mom’s chicken adobo that sizzles
The table’s ready for my breakfast
I need to eat fast or be late for class.

50. Carol lost her cool when she saw that her new uniform
was stained with crayons by her younger brother.
What is the meaning of the underlined idiom?(Understanding)
A. felt feverish C. got angry
B. very relaxed D. felt worried
3. Infer meaning of idiomatic expressions using context clues

51. Sheila always __________ in the essay writing
competitions. ( Apply )
A. win B. wins C. won D. will win
Bees _______ pollinate flowers.
A. help B. helps C. helped D. will help
4. Use the simple tenses of the verb

52. What is the tone expressed in the text ? ( Understand )
A. exciting B. festive C. gloomy D. hopeful
When she returned to the nest , Mother Owl found one of
her children dead. The other children told her that the
monkey had killed it. All day and all night ,she sat on her tree.
Determine the tone , mood of the text

53. Fried chicken is my favorite.
With spaghetti or rice;
With gravy or ketchup;
Or with all, “That’ll be nice!”
-Rose Ann B. Pamintuan
What is the author’s purpose in writing the text ? ( Evaluate )
A. to give information C. to influence
B. to entertain D. to criticize
Evaluate the author’s purpose

54. I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds above the sky
And all around I heard you pass
Like ladies skirts across the grass.
O wind , a blowing all day long
O wind that sings so loud a
song.
____1. What figure of speech is used in the poem?
A. personification C. irony
B. hyperbole D. metaphor
LET’S TRY THIS : Identify the level of cognitive domain
in the following items/ questions

55. 2. Namimigay ng relief goods sa mga biktima ng bagyo
si Ginoong Torres. Anong katangian ang kanyang
ipinamamalas?
A. Pagkamagalang
B. Marunong makisama
C. May kumpyansa sa sarili
D. Pagmamalasakit sa kapwa

56. After washing the clothes, Mother hung them under
the sun . Later that afternoon , the clothes were
already dry.
What process occurred in the given situation?
A. condensation C. evaporation
B. sublimation D. solidification
4.
_4. Sino ang pangulo ng Pilipinas sa panahon ng mga
Hapon?
A. Manuel Quezon C. Elpidio Quirino
B. Manuel Roxas D. Jose Laurel

57. 5. Luz wants to buy a bag that costs 375.95. If she has
saved 148.50 for it, how much more does she need?
A. 524.45 B. 227.45 C. 55. 65 D. 2.53

58. WORKSHOP
1. Prepare a TOS for a 5-item test with 5
objectives
2. Construct a multiple choice test congruent/
aligned to the TOS you have prepared

59. PRESENTATION OF OUTPUTS

60. Remember
Constructing a good test takes
time. Teachers have the obligation
to provide their students with the
best evaluation because tests play
an essential role in the life of the
students, parents , teachers and
other educators .
– Mehrens, 1973

61.  Fives and Barnes . ( 2013 ) Classroom test construction: the
power of table of specifications ( retrieved July 30, 2018 )from
https://pareonline.net/pdf/v18n3.pdf
 Osterlind , 1989 .retrieved August 2,
2018.link.springer.com/content/pdf /10.1007
 https://learning.knoji.com/effective-teaching-general-principles-
in-test-construction
 www.specialconnections.ku.edu/?q...test-
construction/teacher../table_of_specification...
 www.slideshare.net/sirarnelPHhistory
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NaPvWNW41s
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5io85UM2I50