Developing Multiple Choice Questions: A Guide for Educators

Topic Overview

MCQs are often criticised for testing only memorisation. However, well-designed MCQs can assess higher-order thinking skills such as application, analysis, evaluation, and decision-making.

Bloom’s Taxonomy helps educators design questions at different cognitive levels. The levels commonly include remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, and creating. While MCQs are not always suitable for assessing "creating", they can be effectively used to assess the other levels when they are written with appropriate stems and scenarios.