Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Virginia Commonwealth University
Multiple choice examinations; Computers; Reliability and Validity of testing; Methodology; Examination procedures
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
The Use Of Principal Component Analysis To Increase The Ability Of Multiple Choice Examinations To Distinguish Among Students, Flora E. Roger, Walter H. Carter Jr.
The Use Of Principal Component Analysis To Increase The Ability Of Multiple Choice Examinations To Distinguish Among Students, Flora E. Roger, Walter H. Carter Jr.
MCV/Q, Medical College of Virginia Quarterly
A method of scoring multiple choice examinations based on the statistical technique of principal components analysis is described. This test is applied to two tests. The results indicate that the method yields test scores which have a marked advantage over the usual percentage scores in distinguishing among examinees with respect to knowledge of subject matter. In addition, the method provides an indication of whether a question is "good" or "poor" for purposes of distinguishing among examinees.