The Benefits of Multiple-Choice Testing

Comments By: Tom Ramsay

We believe multiple-choice testing, both paper & pencil and online, is one of the best means to assess employees and job applicants.  Some of the benefits include:

Objectivity - First and foremost, multiple-choice tests do not rely on human judgment and, therefore, don't reflect biases such as friendship (or lack of friendship), order effects (first or last rated), halo effects (tending to rate toward the middle), or favoritism.

Ability to Measure in Breadth - Multiple-choice test can cover from 10 to 20 different knowledge areas, such as hydraulics, pneumatics, print reading, etc.  With performance measures, such as hand-on assessments, it is difficult to measure more than 1-3 different areas in one exercise.

Ability to Measure in Depth - Muliple-choice tests permit evaluation of several knowledge levels, from very general knowledge to detailed specific knowledge.

Speed of Measurement - Highly reliable (meaning consistent) and valid (meaning accurately reflecting the desired knowledge) measures of 60, 120, or 150 items can be made to test in 45 minutes, 1 1/2 hours, or 3 hours, respectively.   This enables measures of breadth and depth very efficiently.

Economy of Cost - Reliable measures of job knowledge may be obtained from $13 to $60 per person tested.  Often, if large numbers of people are tested, the price per person is considerably reduced.  Computer administration can simplify this process considerably and make the scoring cheaper and more accurate. In addition, multiple-choice assessments can be performed on-site without the need for sending persons to specialized assessment centers.

Comparison with National Data (Benchmark) - For most multiple-choice tests, normative data (actual results with larger numbers of persons) are included in a test manual.  With some tests returned to publishers for scoring or the use of computerized online testing, you can compare local norms and national norms with each person's score.  This can be used for diagnostic purposes, individual training plans, or for facility-wide areas of training need.

Safety - Use of multiple-choice tests runs no risk of liability for persons who might injure themselves while completing a hands-on performance test.  Sometimes company attorneys worry about performance testing persons who are not yet employees.

For these reasons, we feel that multiple-choice testing provides an excellent means of assessing your workforce, and we offer a wide variety of tests to help you. 

Roland T. (Tom) Ramsay, our principal consultant, founded Ramsay Corporation in May of 1973. Prior to that he had been Staff Supervisor of Employment & Placement in the Office of the Vice Chairman of the Board at United States Steel Corporation. He was also a Lecturer in the Graduate School of Industrial Administration at Carnegie-Mellon University.

Dr. Ramsay is a licensed psychologist and is a Diplomate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is author of Management's Guide to Effective Employment Interviewing and Management's Guide to Effective Employment Testing, both published by Dartnell. Tom has more than 30 years of human resources work experience.