We’ve all written bad quiz questions.
Ones that were either way too confusing (double negatives anyone?) or so easy you could guess the answer without understanding the question.
It happens to the best of us.
But while a few bad questions may not seem like a big deal, they can have a major impact on your training; confusing your employees and skewing your results.
The good news is, writing questions doesn’t have to be a struggle.
There’s a formula to good quiz questions.
One you can use to write effective questions every time.
Multiple Choice
Over the years we’ve found that the best multiple choice questions follow a few simple rules. I’ve broken it down for you below, for both 3 answer and 4 answer questions. Just remember to randomize the answer order!
3 Answer Formula
Question
Right answer
Could be right answer
Not as convincing answer
4 Answer Formula
Question
Right answer
Could be right answer
Could be right answer (makes a harder question) OR could be right, but has an obvious reason it’s wrong (makes an easier question)
Obviously wrong/funny answer
A quick note on funny answers:
Most instructional designers will tell you to avoid funny answers. Their argument is it makes it too easy to guess the right answer. I disagree — realistically it just turns your 4 answer question into a 3 answer one. Plus it injects some levity into your program and stops it from feeling like a middle school test.
If you’re concerned the question is too easy, just add another “could be right” answer to your quiz. Just be sure you don’t go overboard — max number of answers should be around 5 or 6. Too many more and it gets too hard for employees to evaluate — and no one wants to read that much!
Let’s take a look at some examples.
3 Answer Question: Good Example
What is the daily fund limit new account holders can transfer using our mobile app?
$1000
$1500
$500
This question works because it’s not immediately clear which is the right answer. No number is too great of an outlier, making all the options seem credible.
3 Answer Question: Bad Example
Which of these is a security risk?
Sharing your password
Taking notes in a meeting
Leaving work early
This question isn’t a great multiple choice question for a few reasons:
a. It’s very obvious that “1” is the right answer. The other answers aren’t plausible enough to make the question challenging.
b. Answer “2” is too ambiguous; taking notes of what? If they are takes notes with confidential information in them, then yes that could be a security risk -- depending on what they do with those notes afterwards.
4 Answer Question: Good Example
What should you do if you suspect an email is a phishing scam?
Report it to IT
Delete it immediately
Respond that you know it’s a phishing scam.
Ask your co-worker what they think
Let’s look at some of the reasons this question works:
a. All the answers are around the same length, meaning your employees won’t be able to guess the answer because of its length.
b. There are at least two credible answers to this question (1 & 2) making it challenging for employees. This would be a great question to test whether employees actually know your organization’s security protocols.
4 Answer Question: Bad Example
What should you do if you suspect an email is a phishing scam?
Ask your co-worker what they think
Open it just to be sure
Respond and ask if it is a phishing scam
You should always forward suspected emails to IT then delete them from your inbox. Never open attachments, click on links, or respond to suspicious emails.
This is a bad multiple choice question for a few reasons:
a. Answer “4” is way too long. Try to keep your answers all similar lengths. People tend to look for patterns and if all your correct answers are way longer — they will notice.
b. Answer “4” sounds like it’s taken straight out of internal messaging. Try to avoid this corporate jargon — it’s a big clue to employees that this is the right answer.
True or False
Most instructional designers will tell you to avoid True or False questions because it’s too easy for employees to guess the right answer. They don’t think true or false questions do a good job of evaluating employee knowledge.
However, true or false questions can be useful for testing or correcting specific behaviours. Even if employees guess the answer, they’ll still be exposed to the correct behaviour via a feedback loop. And true or false questions can be helpful for finding group or organization wide knowledge gaps.
For example, say you asked employees if they can reset their password online without IT’s help. If they all answer “false” and the answer is actually true, you know you need to fix that knowledge gap.
And if you’re using a game-based learning program, you can compare their answer in True or False vs their answers to related questions in other modules to ensure they aren’t guessing. Or simply repeat the question multiple times.
Good Example
Holding the door open for someone visiting the office is a security risk.
TRUE or FALSE
This is a specific behaviour you can test to see if employees know appropriate protocol. And if you have a feedback loop, even if they guess they’ll still learn what the correct protocol is.
Bad Example
We serve over 200,000 customers every day.
TRUE or FALSE
For starters, it’s probably not critical your employees know this information. Secondly, the word “over” shouldn’t be in any of your eLearning questions — it makes it obvious it’s right. This question would be better in a multiple choice format — employees aren’t going to remember the actual amount from the feedback loop.
The Bottom Line
Writing good quiz questions is essential to making sure your employees get the most out of your training — and your results accurately reflect their learning.
Remember to avoid qualifiers like “over” and “up to.” Choose the right question format for your content. And use the formulas outlined above to write effective quiz questions, every time.
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