The PARCC asks: "Who is the First President of the United States?"

The problems with MC tests are POE, failure to always diagnose problems, and drastic overuse.

Process of Elimination is almost always doable in MC tests; always have at least one option that's obviously bad. With typical questions having 4 or 5 options, that means your odds, after one single elimination range from 25 to 33% from there on. Things like the SAT can usually be reduced to 1/3 choices with a bit of practice, and that's why it had an incorrect response penalty (which is being removed for next year). Sure, guessing 1/3 every question won't yield much, but do so judiciously, and it can favor a student quite a bit.

Using them as diagnosis for problems can be limited if a student guesses, or is encouraged to guess. Furthermore, it's hard to verify if a guess was made, without asking a student. Quite possible to get a passing score on a section or whole test where the student still lacks ability, but it's glossed over. On the other hand, some kids are actually capable in school, but test extraordinarily poorly. Diagnostic tests would have them look remedial.

Overuse is the worst bit... Some teachers will do nothing but MC tests. Throw them in a scantron, and boom, graded. It's very lazy, barring a huge class size of say 100+. Even then, I question why (s)he wouldn't have assistants for grading.

Then you've got this whole business of Standardized Testing... it's not been shown that success on the SAT alone is a predictor of college performance. At best, doing well in school AND the SAT correlates, at least according the bias of TheCollegeBoard, who makes/adminsters it. Last year, a study found negligible difference between those that took the test versus not taking it. And yet, this business is still HUGE, prompting tons of test books and expensive prep centers that only families with six-figures can really take their kids. In the states, more tests of its ilk are formed, and keep being shoved into every year of school as if they do much other than cost a ton of cash, and keep affecting those who can't prep for them negatively.

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