Practice test format moderates the testing effect: mixed-format (g = 0.80) and multiple-choice (g = 0.70) practice tests produced larger effects than short-answer tests (g = 0.48)¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q4 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q4 i2 All practice test formats produced moderate to large effects, but mixed-format and multiple-choice formats significantly outperformed short-answer formats. → Adesope 2017

Evidence¶

Adesope 2017¶

Adesope, O. O., Trevisan, D. A., & Sundararajan, N. (2017). Rethinking the Use of Tests: A Meta-Analysis of Practice Testing. Review of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316689306

q4 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r3

Moderator analysis of practice test format (Table 2): free-recall g = 0.62, cued-recall g = 0.58, multiple-choice g = 0.70, short-answer g = 0.48, mixed-format g = 0.80; between-levels QΒ(7) = 27.02, p < .001. Post hoc tests showed mixed formats significantly higher than free-recall, cued-recall and short-answer.

"Post hoc analysis also revealed that multiple-choice practice tests were associated with higher weighted mean effect size than short-answer tests, and differed significantly from them."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The classroom testing effect transfers to mismatched test formats, but consistent quiz–exam formats yield a significantly larger effect (g = 0.531 vs. g = 0.399). — related
• Short-answer (production) and multiple-choice (recognition) retrieval practice produce no statistically significant difference in undergraduates' reading comprehension on a final MCQ test — reports the opposite
• Evidence on whether initial short-answer questions produce more learning than initial multiple-choice questions is mixed, with recent studies finding little or no difference — reports the opposite
• Multiple choice practice items produce significantly higher performance during retrieval practice than short answer items, with applied short answer the most difficult condition — related
• Practice retrieval performance did not differ significantly between the three retrieval strategy conditions — related
• A single practice test produced a larger effect (g = 0.70) than two or more practice tests (g = 0.51) — related
• Taking a practice test before a final test produces a moderately large, statistically significant benefit for learning overall (g = 0.61 fixed-effects; g = 0.70 random-effects) — a broader claim this one bears on
• Testing effects are stronger when practice and final test formats are identical (g = 0.63) than dissimilar (g = 0.53), supporting transfer-appropriate processing — related
• The benefits of retrieval practice do not depend on an exact match between initial retrieval practice conditions and the final test format — reports the opposite