General rules for constructing MCQs1
Ideally, a MCQ presents students with a task that is both important and clearly understood, and one that can be answered correctly only by those who have achieved the desired learning. The following rules for constructing MCQs are intended as general guides for preparing questions that hope to approximate this ideal.
Each question should be designed to assess an important learning outcome
The problem situation around which a question is to be built should be important and should be directly related to the learning outcomes (objectives) of the subject. Avoid for testing unimportant details, unrelated bits of information, and material that is irrelevant to the desired outcomes. The sample questions above illustrate some of the more fundamental aspects of knowledge that might be assessed. In testing these knowledge outcomes, focus on the more important terms, facts, and principles. Do not increase question difficulty by resorting to the more obscure and less significant questions of knowledge. Remember each question is expected to call forth student response that will help determine the extent to which the learning objectives of the subject have been achieved.