Royal Kenneth, Dorman David
Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
Vet Sci. 2018 Jun 9;5(2):55. doi: 10.3390/vetsci5020055.
The number of answer options is an important element of multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Many MCQs contain four or more options despite the limited literature suggesting that there is little to no benefit beyond three options. The purpose of this study was to evaluate item performance on 3-option versus 4-option MCQs used in a core curriculum course in veterinary toxicology at a large veterinary medical school in the United States.
A quasi-experimental, crossover design was used in which students in each class were randomly assigned to take one of two versions (A or B) of two major exams.
Both the 3-option and 4-option MCQs resulted in similar psychometric properties.
The findings of our study support earlier research in other medical disciplines and settings that likewise concluded there was no significant change in the psychometric properties of three option MCQs when compared to the traditional MCQs with four or more options.
选择题的选项数量是多项选择题（MCQs）的一个重要元素。许多多项选择题包含四个或更多选项，尽管有限的文献表明，超过三个选项几乎没有益处。本研究的目的是评估在美国一所大型兽医学院的兽医毒理学核心课程中使用的三选项与四选项多项选择题的题目表现。
采用准实验性交叉设计，每个班级的学生被随机分配参加两场主要考试的两个版本（A或B）中的一个。
三选项和四选项多项选择题产生了相似的心理测量特性。
我们的研究结果支持了其他医学学科和环境中的早期研究，这些研究同样得出结论，与传统的四个或更多选项的多项选择题相比，三选项多项选择题的心理测量特性没有显著变化。
