EVALUATION OF THE NURSING STUDENTS FINAL EXAM MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS IN URMIA UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES

One of the common methods of student assessment tests is using multiple choice
and four-choice tests. The aim of this study was to observe the parameters of nursing student’s
summative multiple-choice exams in the Urmia University of Medical Sciences in 2014.
Materials & Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 705final
exam multiple-choice questions at the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery in 2014-15. All questions
evaluated in three levels of Bloom's Taxonomy; one (knowledge and understanding), two (Application
and Analysis), and three (synthesis and evaluation). Formulas were used to calculate the indices of
questions difficulty coefficient and discrimination coefficient. The structure of tests was analyzed by
using the Mailman multiple-choice checklist.
Results: Out of 705 questions which were examined in this study, the majority belonged to the
Department of Medical-Surgical. Most questions (84/6 percent) had one taxonomy level. Considering
difficulty index, most of the questions (332 items) were very difficult, and among the studied subjects,
Medical-Surgical 3 was the most difficult (61/42 percent) and obstetric nursing (2) was the least difficult
(10 percent). Related to the discrimination index, majority of questions had average discrimination
coefficient (29/36 percent) and among the subjects studied mental illnesses nursing (1) had the best
coefficient. Most questions (1.84 per cent) had appropriate structure.
Conclusion: This study showed that based on Bloom's Taxonomy, difficulty coefficient and
discrimination coefficient wasn’t in good condition in the Nursing Faculty of Urmia University of
Medical Sciences, and it requires further planning by Medical Education Development Center..