Writing Good STEM Test Questions

KEY POINTS

• Use a variety of question types in your tests.
• Make test content relevant and meaningful.
• Don’t dwell on the specifics.

Although a large portion of STEM education thrives on hands-on learning experiences, it is still necessary to occasionally test students to ensure they have a strong understanding of core STEM concepts. With this in mind, it’s important to choose the right questions for your tests to ensure that you are fully evaluating the knowledge and skills of your students.

MIX-UP THE QUESTIONS

When writing test questions, it’s important to consider all of the different ways that knowledge can be evaluated. It’s especially important to remember that some students do better with certain question formats over others. Because of this, you should include several question types in each of your tests: multiple choice questions, true/false questions, short answer questions, etc. This will not only keep test content fresh, but it will also maximize your students’ chances of doing well and demonstrating what they know.

KEEP IT RELEVANT

Once you’ve decided upon the layout you would like to use, it’s time to determine what content will make it on your test. Go back through the lessons you previously completed with your students and identify the material that is most important, valuable, and relevant to the concept or topic being explored. Consider what content is the most useful and meaningful for your students. Then, work that content into the form of questions. Try to avoid trick questions and keep things clear and straightforward to avoid confusion on the day of the test.

FOCUS ON THE MAJOR CONCEPTS

The ideal STEM classroom is one that thrives on hands-on, active, project-based learning.In these kinds of environments, a student’s ability to understand core STEM concepts is much more important than their ability to simply memorize a series of facts. Therefore, it’s important to write your test questions with this in mind. Instead of testing their ability to recall facts and figures, focus on evaluating how well your students have grasped the underlying, foundational ideas that you have explored with them in previous lessons. Orienting your test questions in this manner will make your tests more interesting and engaging. It will also help your students understand how the STEM skills and knowledge they have acquired can be used as tools in the real world.

— Dr. Jake Roark