Qualitative Analysis of the Objective “X2 Type” Question in the New National Board Examination of Japan

Abstract

It is well known that even examinees with incomplete knowledge can figure out the correct answer on an objective test. The Examination Committee of the Ministry of Health concluded that objective tests using answer code (K type questions) can not adequately evaluate an examinee's knowledge. For this reason, the Committee recommended using X2 or X3 type questions on the national board examination instead of K type questions. The X2 type question is a multiple true-false method of testing with 2 true and 3 false items.
I believe that the Committee has been mislead, since the X2 type question is really a test with ten answer codes, and an examinee with incomplete knowledge can still figure out the correct answer for it.