What are good assessment questions?

What Makes a Good Assessment Question?

When designing tests or quizzes, the type of question you choose can significantly impact how well you measure a learner’s understanding. While true-false questions may seem simple and quick to create, they often fall short in effectively evaluating real knowledge. These questions tend to focus on rote recall of isolated facts and can be misleading—many statements aren’t entirely true or completely false, leaving students to guess what the test maker really meant.

Single-best answer multiple choice questions (MCQs) are generally a far better option. A well-crafted MCQ presents a clear clinical or conceptual scenario, followed by several plausible options, with only one being the most appropriate. This format tests not just memory, but also reasoning and the ability to apply knowledge in context.

What sets a strong MCQ apart is its ability to discriminate between those who truly understand the material and those who are simply guessing. Distractors—the incorrect options—should be realistic enough to challenge learners who haven’t fully grasped the concept, but obviously wrong to those who have. This makes the question both reliable and valid.

Good assessment questions also avoid trickery. They should clarify the problem without giving away the answer, use straightforward language, and focus on high-yield concepts rather than obscure details. The goal isn’t to trip students up, but to uncover gaps in understanding and promote deeper learning.

In short, the best questions don’t just test what someone knows—they reveal how they think. And when designed thoughtfully, single-best answer questions do exactly that.