Item Types

While most people refer to the questions that make up tests and assessment, assessment professionals refer to items. Items include the question itself and the other elements that are presented to test takers to respond to and with. Instructions, answer options, graphics, passages, excerpts and anything else that is presented to test takers are parts of items.

But there are many different kinds of items. The manner of interaction between a test taker and an item is often referred to as the modality of the item.

Selected Response Items

When people think of standardized tests, they are most likely to think about multiple choice items. That is, some question — perhaps with some text or graphical stimulus — and a set of 3-5 answer options. These are a kind of selected response item because the test taker selects their response from a set of available options. Simple multiple choice items — often called multiple choice keyed items — have a single correct answer and test takers are only permitted to select a single answer option.

Some multiple choice items offer more answer options and allow test takers to select multiple answer options; these are called multiple choice multiple select items. While multiple choice keyed items are credited simply as correct or incorrect, multiple choice multiple select items may have more complicated scoring rules — perhaps awarding more total points than simpler multiple choice items, and perhaps even offering partial credit.

There are other kinds of selected response items, as well. Items that ask test takers to select the correct region on a map or point to the correct spot on a graphic can be viewed as selected response items. These hot spot items may also be considered technology enhanced items (TEI). Many classify such items as TEI items and not as selected response items, preferring these categories to be mutually exclusive. Thus, there are also other item types that we view as selected response items, but others do not.

Constructed Response Items

Constructed response items require test takers to build their own answers, instead of selecting from a set of offered answer options. Fill-in-the-blank, short answer, extended response and essay items are all constructed response items — regardless of whether test takers use computers or paper when constructing their answers. Items that require test takers to show their work are constructed response items.

Technology Enhanced Items

Computers and computer-based testing platforms have allowed the creation of so-called innovative items that go beyond the old traditions of various kinds of multiple choice and constructed response items. Many of these would be possible on paper-and-pencil exams, but they are called technology enhanced items, nonetheless.

The hotspot items mentioned above are one kind of TEI. Items may require test takers to drag-and-drop elements of a map, diagram or illustration. They may have test takers order or sort some list. They may require test takers to select a word, sentence or even multiple sentences in a passage. Cloze or drop-down items embed multiple choice items within a sentence or passage, requiring test takers to pick the correct option from each dropdown menu in context. There ought to be no end to the creativity and innovation that test platform developers can offer to item developers to create new TEI items.

TEI items often replicate the logic of simpler item types (e.g., multiple choice keyed). However, the different modality can increase engagement and may appeal to different sorts of thinkers. Certainly, one could ask a question requiring test takers to pick the right state on a map simply by offering some list of states for them to pick from. And yet, the map-based question does feel a bit different. It might tap into slightly different skills and thinking, too.