Human Self-Assessment in Multiple-Choice Testing

Research indicates that the multiple-choice format in itself often seems to favor males over females. The present study utilizes a method that enables test takers to assess the correctness of their answers. Applying this self-assessment method may not only make the multiple-choice tests less biased but also provide a more comprehensive measurement of usable knowledge-that is, the kind of knowledge about which a person is sufficiently sure so that he or she will use the knowledge to make decisions and take actions. The performance of male and female undergraduates on a conventional multiple-choice test was compared with their performance on a multiple-choice self-assessment test. Results show that the difference between test scores of males and those of females was reduced when subjects were allowed to make self-assessments. This may be explained in terms of the alleged difference in cognitive style between the genders.