The equation for medical multiple-choice question testing time estimation

Area of Science:

• Educational Measurement
• Cognitive Psychology
• Assessment Design

Background:

• Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are objective tools for assessing cognitive skills.
• Determining optimal examination timing is crucial for fair and effective assessment.
• Existing methods for time allocation may not fully account for item complexity and student-specific factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To formulate an equation for estimating the ideal timing of MCQ examinations.
• To develop a model for predicting examination duration based on item characteristics and student performance.
• To enhance the objectivity and efficiency of MCQ test administration.

Main Methods:

• A bespoke computer program was developed to track student examination pace, including processing of questions with images or videos.
• Regression analysis was performed on data from 1035 non-native English speakers to determine factors influencing MCQ completion speed.
• Student reading rates were analyzed in relation to item difficulty (easy, intermediate, difficult).

Main Results:

• The average reading rate across all examinees was 62.38 words/min.
• Reading rates significantly decreased for difficult items (50.65 words/min) compared to easy (82.29 words/min) and intermediate (60.56 words/min) items (p<0.001).
• A regression equation was derived: 33.92 + 1.93(%tables/figures) + 0.14(%recall) - 0.37(%application) predicted option selection speed (r²=0.45, p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Decisions on examination timing should not rely solely on reading time or general time allocation.
• Examination administrators should prioritize developing a well-defined taxonomy of question types.
• A structured approach, informed by item characteristics and student performance data, is essential for accurate MCQ examination duration estimation.