AACE Learning Center Professional Resources-AACE Question Writing Guide

Pdf Summary

The AACE Question Writing Guide provides guidelines for creating effective multiple-choice questions for assessments. Each question should consist of several components:<br /><br />1. Question number: Each question should be labeled with a unique number to identify it.<br /><br />2. Item stem: The stem should contain all necessary information to answer the question. It can include details such as the patient's age, gender, presenting complaint, physical findings, diagnostic results, and treatment. The stem should be a maximum of 300 words.<br /><br />3. Lead-in question: The lead-in question is the actual question to be answered. It should be straightforward and not unnecessarily complicated.<br /><br />4. Key: The key is the correct answer to the question, represented by a letter (A, B, C, or D).<br /><br />5. Answers: There should be only one correct answer provided. Distractors should be plausible but not the best answer. The grammar and length of the correct answer and distractors should be similar.<br /><br />6. Distractors: Distractors should be homogeneous, meaning they should fall into the same category as the correct answer. They should be plausible and not obviously incorrect. Common misconceptions and faulty reasoning can be used to create plausible distractors.<br /><br />7. Rationale: A rationale of 200-500 words should be provided for each question. The rationale should explain why the correct answer is correct and briefly explain why the remaining choices are incorrect.<br /><br />8. References: Each question should include two to five reference citations to provide sources for the information presented.<br /><br />The guide also provides additional tips, such as using the four-option multiple choice format, avoiding true-false or fill-in-the-blank questions, and writing questions that ask learners to choose the correct answer rather than the incorrect one.<br /><br />An example question is provided in the guide to demonstrate the format and components described above. The question pertains to a case of adrenal insufficiency and asks the learner to identify the molecule most likely to explain the patient's symptoms.<br /><br />In conclusion, the AACE Question Writing Guide provides comprehensive guidelines for creating effective multiple-choice questions for assessments. Following these guidelines can help ensure that questions are clear, focused, and provide valuable learning opportunities for learners.

Asset Subtitle

Useful for those working on post test questions for their own presentations, teachers, and ASAP item writers.

Keywords

AACE Question Writing Guide

multiple-choice questions

assessments

item stem

lead-in question

key

distractors

rationale

references

learners