The recent article on analysis of published multiple choice questions (MCQs) and suggestions to uplift their quality(1) is timely in the present era of entrance examinations exclusively based on MCQs. Nowadays text books are not looked upon by many students and books containing thousands MCQs have become primary source of perusal (the only intention being to get success in pretests). It has been opined that the wrong answers or interpretations of text by students in response to short questions may be utilized to construct distractors(2).

I offer a few more suggestions to enhance the substance value of MCQs:

(a) The publishers must quote the reference books from which answers are accepted because of interauthors' variation while describing the same topic.

(b) MCQs must be published on one side of page while answers should be narrated on the overleaf of that page rather than printing the answers of all MCQs collectively at the end of book. Moreover, answers can be made descriptive in the form of statements instead of putting only the alphabet, i.e., (A,B,C,D) of options.

(c) Designing MCQs with more than one correct answer will compel the student to discern each option significantly rather than jumping on to possible single choice about which he or she may be vaguely aware of.

(d) During examination, if correction of inaccurate alternatives by candidate is incorporated, it will ensure that a scholar would read text book thoroughly.

(e) Various MCQs on a single topic can be evenly distributed throughout the book so that one page doesn't contain more than one MCQ from each title thereby allowing an admixture of various chapters in one page. Such format will help the students to understand the basic difference

between text book and published MCQs especially in initial and critical period of learning.
 

Ravi Goyal,
Consultant Pediatrician, 58i-A, Talwandi,
Kota 324 005,
Rajasthan, india.