What are the differences between objective and subjective test items? What are the strengths and weakness of each?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• An objective test item has one response that is designated as “correct” or that provides evidence of a specific construct. In other words, the test taker receives credit for choosing only one correct response. Other types of objective test items include true/false questions and fill-in-the-blank questions.

• Objective test items also are easily related to the test plan and the construct designated for measurement.

• Having one right answer eliminates confusion or controversy in scoring a correct response.

• Scoring is also easily accomplished either by a nonprofessional or electronically (e.g., by a computer).

• One problem, however, is that test takers who do not know the correct answer may obtain credit by guessing.

• While objective items are easy to score and interpret, they also cues to the correct answer can be provided by the test itself.

• Subjective test formats do not have a single response that is designated as “correct.”

• Interpretation of the response as correct or providing evidence of a specific construct is left to the judgment of the person who scores or interprets the test taker’s response.

• Essays provide a freedom of response that facilitates assessing higher cognitive behaviors such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

• Projective tests, such as the Thematic Apperception Test are subjective test formats because the stimuli for these tests are ambiguous pictures.

• Subjective items are more difficult and potentially expensive to score than objective tests.

• Scoring subjective items requires time-consuming judgments by an expert.

• Scoring keys are important for subjective items. They are, however, more difficult to construct because they need to address as many likely responses as possible.

• By their nature, subjective tests are at risk for introducing judgment error into test scores.

• Essay and interview scoring is most reliable and accurate when there are two independent scorers who have been trained to avoid biased judgments. Therefore, evidence of interrater reliability is of particular importance for subjective tests.