Write clear instructions for each section of the test.
Increase the number of options. Multiple choice tests are commonly written with three to four responses per question. Raise test effectiveness by increasing the choices to five or six responses per question. This will be added work for the test maker, but lowers the frequency of blind guesses being correct.
Use plausible distractions from the correct response. Joke responses or clearly implausible ones are easy for students to pick out and eliminate.
Avoid clues in grammatical structure that give away the correct answer. Verb tense, punctuation and pronouns in responses that don't match to the stem of the question will be clues to the test taker.
Avoid absolutes such as "Always" and "Never." Absolutes in responses are suspicious and raise red flags for test takers that the response is likely not correct.
Do not write questions where the answer has been given away somewhere else on the test, either in a stem or a correct response.
Write questions in a format where all responses are valid, but only one fully answers the question or answers the question best. By writing responses that are all valid, the test taker will need to make a value judgment by assessing the content of each response. Questions using this format must have all answers be valid.
Use the stem, or introduction, of the question to give additional information that adds context and real world scenarios. For example, "David had an apple, a slice of pizza and a doughnut for lunch. Which item in David's lunch was a fruit?" requires more critical reading than "Which of the following is a fruit?"
Write questions that require an ability to interpret cause and effect. Assessing cause and effect requires logical inference skills rather than simple memorization of a sequence of events. For example, instead of writing "Which of the following is what happens to the stock price of fruit in the event of a drought?" ask "Why does the price of oranges rise during periods of drought in Florida?"