Estimating the Optimum Number of Options Per Item Using an Incremental Option Paradigm

Previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of using three-option multiple-choice items. In these studies three- and four-option items were constructed from preexisting item analysis data obtained from five-option items. In this study, a two-option test was constructed, and options were systematically added to this test by using a taxonomy of item writing rules to guide the process of distractor development. Nonsignificant differences (p 2 .05) were found among the reliability coefficients, the reliability estimates for the three-, four-, and five-option formats being all on the same order of magnitude. These findings continue to provide evidence for the efficacy of the three-option item.