High diagnostic power if distractors are constructed to address common mistakes or misconceptions.
Student responses can be scored objectively and analyzed statistically for impartial, reliable and valid diagnostic information about student learning. Reliability refers to the consistency with which a learning outcome is measured. This concept is mostly applied to sets of items or entire tests when considering multiple choice items. Validity is the degree to which an item effectively accomplishes the task for which it was designed. A test cannot have validity unless each of its items is valid. The discussion here only addresses validity of single multiple choice items. Regarding a newly constructed item, answers to the following questions should be yes for the item to be considered