Constructing Effective Examination Blueprints, Multiple-Choice Test Items, and Test-Item Analysis in Primary and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Courses

Advanced practice nursing (APN) students are required to learn a great deal of information to pass their certification examinations and more importantly, to be successful in practice. Multiple choice examinations are generally used to solidify and evaluate the knowledge acquisition process. However, faculty often struggle with creating objective examinations and analyzing the effectiveness. The purpose of this workshop is to enable participants to construct and appraise student learning by developing and evaluating multiple-choice questions using examination blueprint designs. This will be an interactive, hands-on workshop in which faculty will work in groups to create an examination blueprint and practice developing multiple choice examination questions based on guidelines provided.

 Initially the presenters will review types of student learning and appropriate methods of knowledge evaluation and how these relate to NP certification examinations. Next the presenters will provide evidence-based strategies for optimal student evaluation using multiple choice questions. Blue print design, test development including question construction and analysis will be discussed and guidelines provided. Participants will break into small groups to work together. With guidance from the presenters, some groups will develop examination blueprints for APN course examinations while others will construct multiple-choice questions (with one correct answer and three distracters) for the proposed exam. All workshop participants will then discuss the blueprints and test items and provide constructive feedback based on the evidence-based information provided by the presenters.

 Participants will be given specific content generally used by educators who teach nurse practitioner students. Participants will then be divided into Group 1 and Group 2. Each of these groups will be divided into smaller group of approximately five participants to allow for active discussion and dialogue on content provided.

 Designing Examination Blueprints: Group 1

 Test Item Construction: Group 2

 Test Evaluation: all participants

 Test Analysis: all participants