Assessments with multiple-choice questions are integral for an eLearning course that aims for continuous learner improvement. They help your learners to monitor and evaluate themselves.

Multiple-choice questions, or MCQs, are a popular assessment method that can be used for both formative and summative assessments. They are an effective tool to assess learning outcomes.

Here are the top 10 tips to write MCQs. Let’s get started!

You can read the tips below or view them in this video.

Tip 1: Ensure a Proper Question Format in your Multiple-choice Questions

Your MCQs need to be designed in a question format and not as incomplete statements. It is recommended that the question’s stem be a proper question. This helps your learners focus on answering the question. Also, a question format is ideal because that is the way we usually interact in real life – We ask with a question and are presented with information. This approach prevents learners from suffering from short-term memory problems by reconstructing an incomplete sentence for each alternative.
In rare scenarios, if you need to write an incomplete sentence stem, avoid using a blank space at the start. A blank space increases the cognitive load on the learner.

Pro Tip: For further guidance, resources like Vanderbilt University’s “Writing Good Multiple Choice Test Questions” and Bloom’s Taxonomy can offer deeper insights into effective question design.

Tip 2: Write Self-contained Questions

MCQs need to be independent of each question item. You do not need to include two questions that follow on from each other.

For example, both questions seem good by themselves here. However, when you put them together, major problems come to the surface.

While the two MCQs are phrased differently, there is a significant overlap in the areas of knowledge tested. For instance, if a learner knows the answer to the first question, he will most likely know the answer to the second question. Also, a learner’s answer to one question is heavily linked to the answer of the other question. For example, if a learner believes that dolphins are mammals, he is better equipped to answer the second question.

Tip 3: Avoid Negative Questions

Negative questions will have sentences such as, “Which of the following is NOT true about…?” The majority of e-learning experts do not recommend using negative questions. You may be tempted to use such questions because they are relatively easy to come up with. However, negative questions can be confusing for learners. In addition, it is liable to be exploited as learners could find an incorrect answer without knowing the correct option. Thus, you can’t really assess the knowledge retention of the learners.

Reference: For a deeper dive, see Chiavaroli (2017) “Negatively-Worded Multiple Choice Questions: An Avoidable Threat to Validity,” Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation.

Tip 4: Ensure Multiple-choice Question Stems Have All the Answers

As the first part of an MCQ, ensure the question stem provides all the relevant information needed to answer the question. It presents a clear problem or question for the learners.

You should write a stem that allows your learners to respond correctly to the question without referring to the alternatives. The stem is the part of the question that encourages higher-order thinking. Thus, it should contain all the information that a learner will need. The challenge for learners is to process the data. Then, apply their course knowledge to arrive at the correct answer. This could be difficult for the learner if the stem misses some vital information.

Encouraging Higher Order Thinking

While many multiple-choice questions focus on simple recall, you can craft stems that measure advanced skills like application, analysis, or evaluation. Align your stem with higher-level learning objectives from frameworks such as Bloom’s Taxonomy. Stems that require multilogical thinking—where the learner must draw on multiple facts or concepts—are particularly effective.

Here are a few practical ways to design MCQs that promote deeper thinking:

  • Item Flipping: Present the outcome or example in the stem, and have the options represent underlying rules or concepts. This approach requires learners to truly understand the content, not just recognize the correct answer.
  • Use of High-Quality Distractors: Ensure all alternatives are plausible and require thoughtful consideration. Sometimes, it’s helpful to ask for the “best” answer, making sure one option is clearly more correct based on a nuanced understanding.
  • Interpretation Tasks: Incorporate data, charts, or scenarios in your stem, and ask learners to interpret or apply information to select the correct response.

By designing, if question stems are self-contained, clear, and aligned with your learning objectives, you not only test knowledge but also encourage your learners to engage in meaningful problem-solving.

Tips for Writing Effective Stems:

  • Be Clear and Direct: Write simple question stems. Avoid unnecessary complexity or overly technical language unless you are specifically assessing mastery of that vocabulary.
  • Avoid Irrelevant Material: Any extra details not essential to the question can confuse learners and reduce the reliability of your assessment. For example, instead of including background that doesn’t directly relate to the question, focus only on what’s needed to answer.
    • Less Effective:
      The abolitionist movement was organized to end the practice of slavery in the United States. Which of the following was the first state to abolish slavery?
    • More Effective:
      Which of the following American states was the first to abolish slavery?
  • Present a Single Problem or Idea: Each stem should describe only one problem or central idea. Students should be able to determine the question being asked without needing to read the answer choices first.
    • Non-Meaningful Question:
      Which of the following is true?
    • Meaningful Question:
      The Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was founded in Britain by:
  • Avoid Negative Phrasing: Negative questions (“Which of the following is NOT true…?”) can be confusing and are best avoided. If a negative is necessary, highlight it for visibility, but use it sparingly.
    • Negative Question:
      Which of the following is not an example of a law or policy designed to keep black Americans “separate but equal” in the United States?
    • Better-Phrased Question:
      Which of the following is an example of a law or policy intended to end racial segregation?
  • Steer Clear of Double Negatives: Double negatives (“Which of the following is least unlikely…?”) increase cognitive load and are particularly confusing for non-native English speakers.

Remember: A well-crafted stem gives your learners everything they need to focus on applying their knowledge, not deciphering the question.

Encouraging Higher Order Thinking

While many MCQs focus on basic recall or comprehension, you can also use them to assess higher-order thinking skills such as application, analysis, or evaluation (think Bloom’s Taxonomy). To do this:

  • Align your stem with higher-level objectives: For example, instead of asking only for facts, frame your question so that learners must apply concepts, analyze a scenario, or evaluate outcomes.
  • Require multilogical thinking: Craft questions that require knowledge of more than one fact or concept, compelling learners to synthesize information to arrive at the answer.
  • Include high-quality distractors: Make sure all alternatives are plausible and require careful examination. This prevents learners from easily dismissing wrong answers and pushes them to evaluate each choice.
  • Ask for the “best” answer: Sometimes, all options may seem correct to some degree, but one should be clearly superior. This challenges learners to discern subtle differences and apply critical judgment.

Recommended Reading: Scully, D. (2017). “Constructing Multiple-Choice Items to Measure Higher-Order Thinking,” Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation.

Tip 5: Use Simple Language

Write MCQs with a simple structure that learners can easily understand. Aim to be as accurate as possible in your language. Use precise and unambiguous wording in your question items. MCQs are not meant to test the comprehension skills of your learners. Avoid designing MCQs that are needlessly complicated. Stay away from using double-negatives. Be cautious of using irrelevant details that might confuse your learners. Unless you are testing the technical vocabulary of learners, avoid using complex words.

Keep Language Clear and Direct

This is especially important if your audience includes learners whose first language may not be English. Simple, precise phrasing ensures that all learners—regardless of language background—can focus on demonstrating their knowledge rather than deciphering what the question is asking.

Avoid negative or double-negative questions such as, “Which of the following is NOT true about…?” or “Which of the following is least unlikely to be correct?” These constructions are confusing, even for native English speakers, and can easily trip up learners who might otherwise understand the content. For example:

Confusing (Negative) Question:
Which of the following is not an example of a law or policy designed to keep black Americans “separate but equal” in the United States?

  1. Black Codes
  2. Jim Crow Laws
  3. The Civil Rights Act of 1964

A better approach is to phrase the question positively:

Clearer Question:
Which of the following is an example of a law or policy intended to end racial segregation?

  1. Plessy vs. Ferguson
  2. Jim Crow Laws
  3. The Civil Rights Act of 1964

By keeping language straightforward and avoiding tricky constructions, you ensure the focus of your MCQ remains on assessing knowledge, not on deciphering the question itself.

Tip 6: Have Just One Answer for each Multiple-choice Question

Many e-Learning authors add the instruction, “Select ALL that apply”. This approach doesn’t inform learners of the correct answers in the MCQ. This approach is lazy because it fails to isolate functional assessment pieces to test learners effectively.

Always ensure there is just one correct answer. Once you start writing the alternatives, make sure they aren’t potentially correct answers. A good practice to follow is having one correct answer and three incorrect options. Avoid adding wrong answers that look obvious. Don’t come up with options to have more alternatives. Fewer good distractors are better than having many poor distractors.

Tip 7: Use Plausible Alternatives

While MCQs need to have one correct answer, you should also focus on making the other alternatives plausible but incorrect. The purpose of incorrect options is to act as distractors. Implausible options do not act as distractors and thus should be avoided.​

Your learners should not be able to eliminate the distractors because they are easily discredited. Generally, it is best practice to use three distractors and one correct answer. A good strategy is to use common errors made by learners as plausible distractors.​

All distractors should be high quality and believable—there shouldn’t be any obvious giveaways that make the correct answer stand out. Avoid including hints or clues in the options that make it too easy to spot the right choice. Instead, require your learners to evaluate each alternative thoughtfully.

A helpful approach is to ask learners to select the “best” answer, rather than simply the “correct” one. This means that while only one is fully correct, other options may appear partially correct, requiring deeper analysis. The correct answer should always be clearly “more correct” than the distractors, but all options should be reasonable enough to prompt genuine thinking rather than guesswork. By crafting distractors that are both plausible and challenging, you elevate the quality of your MCQs and ensure they effectively measure understanding—not just the ability to spot the obvious.

Guidelines for Effective Distractors

  • Plausibility is Key: Distractors should make sense in the context of the question. Easy or obviously incorrect distractors reduce the validity of the assessment, making it easier for learners to guess the correct answer.
  • Consistent Length and Detail: All alternatives should be roughly the same length and level of detail. Learners may pick up on patterns, such as a longer answer often being correct, so keep your options balanced.
  • Optimal Number of Distractors: While three distractors and one correct answer is a common standard, research shows that quizzes with two plausible distractors (for a total of three options) perform just as well as those with four or five. Focus on quality, not quantity—avoid adding distractors that learners don’t choose, as these are just filler.
  • Avoid Double Negatives: Steer clear of confusing constructions like double negatives or negatively worded questions. For example, “Which of the following is least unlikely to be a speculative purchase?” can easily trip up learners, especially non-native English speakers.
  • Don’t Use “All of the Above” or “None of the Above”: These options let test-takers use partial knowledge to deduce the correct answer without truly understanding the material. Instead, provide distinct, plausible alternatives.
  • Randomize Answer Order: Avoid predictable answer patterns. For instance, don’t always make “B” or “C” the correct answer. Mixing up the order helps prevent learners from guessing based on position.

Tip 8: List Alternatives Logically

Present your alternatives logically in a non-random order. For instance, list a sequence of events beginning from first to last and a set of numbers from lowest to highest. Arranging the alternatives logically helps to avoid cognitive overload and confusion for your learners. It also encourages a more random selection of the correct option. When presenting sets of alternatives that possess a natural order, list them in ascending order.

Examples:

• Values: 2, 4, 8, 12
• Ranges: 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20

In addition to organizing alternatives logically when appropriate, be intentional about the placement of the correct answer among your options. Instructors sometimes, even subconsciously, make the correct answer “b” or “c” more often than others. This creates patterns that savvy learners might exploit, reducing the effectiveness of your assessment. To avoid predictability, mix up the order of your answer choices throughout your quiz or exam. Avoid establishing any patterns in the placement of the correct answer—randomization keeps students focused on content rather than test-taking strategies.

By arranging alternatives logically when there is a natural order, and ensuring the correct answer is not consistently in the same position, you can create MCQs that are both clear and fair, while also discouraging guessing based on answer patterns.

Tip 9: Avoid Easy Distractors

The difficulty of an MCQ depends on how hard it is to eliminate the distractors.
E-Learning professionals often distinguish between functioning and non-functioning distractors. Basically considered as a filler option, a non-functioning distractor is defined as one that is selected by less than 5% of learners. These are alternatives that are obviously wrong.
Although you may have never heard of Thomas Edison, it is pretty easy to know the correct option by ignoring the non-functioning distractors. MCQ distractors play a crucial role in determining the difficulty of the assessment.

Original MCQ (Easy due to non-functioning distractors)

Question:
Who is credited with inventing the electric light bulb?

Options:
A. Thomas Edison
B. Mickey Mouse
C. Santa Claus
D. SpongeBob SquarePants

✅ Correct Answer: A. Thomas Edison
🧠 Why it’s easy: Options B, C, and D are non-functioning distractors—they’re obviously incorrect and easily eliminated by any learner, making the question too easy.

Here is an updated version of the same MCQ:

Revised MCQ (Harder due to functioning distractors)

Question:
Who is credited with inventing the electric light bulb?

Options:
A. Nikola Tesla
B. Thomas Edison
C. Michael Faraday
D. Alessandro Volta

✅ Correct Answer: B. Thomas Edison
🧠 Why it’s harder: All options are functioning distractors—each person made significant contributions to the field of electricity, making it harder to eliminate the incorrect choices without more profound knowledge.

Now, the same question seems much more complicated. This is because none of the names in the options looks out of place. Each of them has made a life-changing contribution to the field of electricity.

Tip 10: Perform Self and Peer Review

Once you’re done writing the MCQs, ask yourself, “Are the questions still answerable?” Take some time to go through the tips mentioned in this video. Prepare a checklist with all the requisite aspects to review.
After you are satisfied that the MCQs fit the requirements, share the assessment with a fellow author. Peer review always paves the way to design high-quality assessment questions.
Besides, it helps that MCQs get a perspective from a different set of eyes, as we are at times oblivious to our errors. The more reviews you conduct and feedback you receive, the better your MCQs will become practical assessments. Remember these tips when writing your next set of Multiple-Choice Questions to ensure a useful experience for your learners.
Thank you for going through this video.

Tip 11: Avoid “All of the Above” and “None of the Above”

Including options like “all of the above” or “none of the above” as possible answers can undermine the purpose of your MCQs. These choices often allow learners to use partial knowledge or simple elimination techniques to guess the correct answer without truly understanding the material. For instance, if a test-taker recognizes that more than one option is accurate, they may pick “all of the above” without recalling specific facts. Similarly, encountering “none of the above” only requires the learner to spot a single correct answer among the choices to rule it out safely.

This approach doesn’t genuinely assess knowledge retention or understanding. Instead, it can weaken your assessment by providing too many clues. For more effective evaluation, stick to straightforward, well-constructed alternatives rather than these catch-all options.

Tip 12: Keep Distractors Consistent in Length and Detail

Ensure all distractors are of similar length and include comparable levels of detail. When incorrect options noticeably differ in length or depth from the correct answer, savvy test-takers may use these differences as clues, rather than relying on their actual knowledge of the subject. For example, a significantly longer or more elaborate option might stand out as the likely answer.

By crafting all alternatives to be uniform in wording and detail, you help maintain the integrity of your assessment. This approach ensures learners are genuinely engaging with the content, not simply scanning for “giveaways” based on how answers are presented.

Tip 13: Use Correct Grammar and Spelling

It’s essential to pay close attention to grammar and spelling when crafting your MCQs. Mistakes in language can unintentionally mislead learners or distract from the question’s purpose. Often, students may be inclined to choose the option that “sounds” grammatically correct rather than relying on their actual knowledge of the topic.

To maintain the integrity of your assessment:

  • Carefully proofread each question and option.
  • Ensure subject-verb agreement and consistent tense.
  • Check for spelling errors that might blur the meaning or create confusion.

By presenting well-written and error-free questions, you prevent learners from making choices based on language cues rather than content knowledge, ensuring that your MCQs genuinely assess understanding of the material and not simply a keen eye for editing mistakes.

Tip 14: Encourage Explanation and Graphical Interpretation

Another effective technique is to ask learners to justify their selected answer—particularly when MCQs involve interpreting graphs, charts, or experimental data. After making their choice, prompt students to briefly explain why they think their answer is correct, or why they eliminated the other options. For example, you might provide a line graph from a famous study and ask which trend is most accurately represented, then have students support their choice with evidence from the graph.

This approach deepens understanding by moving beyond simple selection and requiring analysis and reasoning. It also helps instructors assess not just what students know, but how they think through the options—making the MCQ both a testing and learning tool.

Tip 15: Use Item Flipping to Encourage Deeper Understanding

Item flipping is a helpful approach when you want to create MCQs that challenge your learners beyond basic recall. Instead of asking learners to choose a fact or definition, you present a scenario or example and require them to select the correct underlying rule or concept from the answer choices.

This method supports higher-order thinking in several ways:

  • Focuses on Application: Learners must apply their understanding of concepts rather than simply recognizing correct answers from memory.
  • Discourages Guesswork: By requiring a deeper grasp of distractor concepts, item flipping makes it more difficult to answer correctly through elimination or test-taking strategies alone.
  • Promotes Conceptual Linking: Learners need to draw connections between practical situations and theoretical frameworks, mirroring real-world problem solving.

For example, rather than asking, “What is Newton‘s second law?” you could describe a scenario involving force and motion, then ask learners to identify which law is being demonstrated. This technique pushes learners to engage with the material more meaningfully and ensures your assessment goes beyond surface-level knowledge.