The Design and Implementation of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) in Forensic Science Assessment

This chapter introduces some of the literature surrounding multiple choice questions (MCQs) and their design and implementation. Designing a collection of questions for MCQ formative and summative assessments is the first step towards implementation. The next stage is to identify where, when and how to use them. The variety of uses and design features that are offered by MCQ assessments means that they are very useful in forensic science education and can be robustly utilised to assess the skills desired from an individual required to work in the criminal justice system. The effect of chance and answer guessing in MCQ tests and test reliability has been explored by Burton (2001). Burton shows methods for quantifying the effects of chance so that appropriate test length and number of answer options can be more reliably designed.