Multiple choice exams are real time-savers for teachers and provide a convenient way to cram and cover more information within a limited time-frame. Students can assess the choices and guesstimate the best answer. Sometimes the point value of a question is split between several answers. Obviously, multiple-choice tests (MCT) have practical uses but there are important consequences for over-use that educators should be aware of.
Thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act, school systems and universities over-use the benefits of MCT to the detriment of their students. Critical thought and creativity should be paramount, not artificial deadlines and Scantron score requirements. Young students are being cheated out of their potential and collegiate students aren’t being prepared to face real-world problems.
In order to understand critical thought, people need to know the difference between wisdom and intelligence.
1) Wisdom is accumulated knowledge.
2) Intelligence is inherit cognitive ability (not to be confused with an I.Q. test result).
3) Critical thought is the ability to use limited streams of information to form creative solutions. It’s based on intelligence. In other words, you either have it or you don’t.
Example
A patient develops a rare illness. The physician is a specialist of neurology AND immunology. The physician is unable to properly diagnose the patient because the illness involved both of his specialties. He was only able to think of each system, or information stream, independently. Why? Because his education consisted of nothing but monkey-memorization, thanks to "cram and barf" Scantron tests.
Real Issue
Social science majors can rely on MCT more heavily because careers in this field don’t require critical thought. Lives aren’t at stake. The innovators and critical thinkers will naturally rise to the top in advancing their areas.
In medical and emergency service programs, critical knowledge is gained from a solid base of bottom tier classes. Often, students will cover an entire body system in one section. The MCT system allows students to completely fail one section of the class, or use it as a drop grade, and still pass through the course. If the student has problems grasping a particular section, this trend is repeated through several courses and you end up with a dangerous health professional.
Solution
Critical thinking can be developed to the highest potential for each individual. Questions shouldn’t appear straight from the text book or study sheet. Student should have to deal with critical thinking questions that revolve around the section information and provide an answer that begins with the following two words, "I think."
I choose all of the above.
