The Relationship Between Changing Answers and Performance on Multiple-Choice Nursing Examinations

Changing Answers in Multiple-Choice Exam Questions: Patterns of TOP-Tier Versus BOTTOM-Tier Students in Podiatric Medical School

OBJECTIVES

Students often express uncertainty regarding changing their answers on multiple choice tests despite multiple studies quantitatively showing the benefits of changing answers.

METHODS

Data was collected from 86 first-year podiatric medical students over one semester for the course of Biochemistry, as shown in electronic testing data collected via ExamSoft's® Snapshot Viewer. Quantitative analysis was performed comparing frequency of changing answers and whether students changed their answers from incorrect-to-correct, correct-to-incorrect, or incorrect-to-incorrect. A correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between the frequency of each type of answer change and class rank. Independent-sample t-tests were used to assess differences in the pattern of changing answers amongst the top and bottom performing students in the class.

RESULTS

The correlation between total changes made from correct-to-incorrect per total answer changes and class rank yielded a positive correlation of r = 0.218 (P = .048). There was also a positive correlation of r = 0.502 (P < .000) observed in the number of incorrect-to-incorrect answer changes per total changes made compared to class rank. A negative correlation of r = -0.382 (P < .000) was observed when comparing class rank and the number of changed answers from incorrect-to-correct. While most of the class benefited from changing answers, a significant positive correlation of r = 0.467 (P < .000) for percent ultimately incorrect (regardless of number of changes) and class rank was observed.

CONCLUSION

Analysis revealed that class rank correlated to likelihood of a positive gain from changing answers. Higher ranking students were more likely to gain points from changing their answer compared to lower ranking. Top students changed answers less frequently and changed answers to an ultimately correct answer more often, while bottom students changed answers from an incorrect answer to another incorrect answer more frequently than top students.

Should students change their answers on multiple choice questions?

Multiple choice exams are ubiquitous, but advice on test-taking strategies varies and is not always well informed by research. This study evaluated the question of whether students benefit or are harmed when they change their initial answers on multiple choice questions in the context of physiology and biology courses. Previously marked examinations were reviewed for eraser marks that indicated answer changes, and the impact of these changes on exam grades was tabulated. In addition, faculty and students were surveyed for their opinions about changing answers. A plurality of faculty (36%) reported a belief that answer changes usually harm student grades, whereas a slim majority of students (51%) believed that answer changing helped their scores (χ² = 60.52, P < 0.0001). Empirically, across two exams, students changed their answer from an incorrect answer to a correct one 2.8 times (SD 2.2) compared with 1.0 time (SD 1.4) changing in the negative direction. Therefore, on average, students benefited (V = 123.5, P < 0.0001) from answer changing. Furthermore, comparing across two exams in the same course, some students were consistently more likely to change their answers than others (adjusted R² = 0.23, P < 0.0001), but the impact of changing answers on the first exam provided no prediction of how much a student would benefit from answer changing on the second exam (adjusted R² = -0.004, P = 0.42). These data support the argument that students should be advised to review and revise responses to exam questions before submitting them.

Investigation of Response Changes in the GRE Revised General Test

Research on examinees' response changes on multiple-choice tests over the past 80 years has yielded some consistent findings, including that most examinees make score gains by changing answers. This study expands the research on response changes by focusing on a high-stakes admissions test-the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures of the GRE revised General Test. We analyzed data from 8,538 examinees for Quantitative and 9,140 for Verbal sections who took the GRE revised General Test in 12 countries. The analyses yielded findings consistent with prior research. In addition, as examinees' ability increases, the benefit of response changing increases. The study yielded significant implications for both test agencies and test takers. Computer adaptive tests often do not allow the test takers to review and revise. Findings from this study confirm the benefit of such features.

Answering multiple-choice questions in high-stakes medical examinations

OBJECTIVES

To examine whether changing initial answers during a multiple-choice question (MCQ) test in medicine brings about better overall test results, as has been shown in other academic fields.

METHODS

A total of 36 answer books from the German Second National Medical Board Examination, with 580 MCQs (where 1 answer out of 5 must be selected), were used for analysis.

RESULTS

We confirmed that high-stakes MCQ test scores in medicine did indeed improve when students changed their answers once. Further changes of answers did not improve the scores.

CONCLUSIONS

In written, high-stakes medical examinations, we recommend that students be encouraged, after further reflection, to change their answers in MCQ tests for questions for which they had previously had doubts about the answers.