National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Introduction/Section 1 Page | 2

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 1 Page | 3

Stem: The stem consists of the question and

all of the information needed to answer the

question.

It is comprised of the Vignette and Lead-In.

Vignette: The vignette is a patient scenario that gives examinees the

information they need to answer the question.

Lead-In: The lead-in is the final sentence of the stem. It poses the question

to be answered.

The lead-in shown in the previous slide is stated as a direct question. It

also is possible to phrase the lead-in as an incomplete statement, for

example:

Based on this history and physical examination the most likely

diagnosis is:

While we prefer the direct question format, the incomplete statement is

acceptable.

Options: Options are the possible answers. Correct Answer: The correct answer is also called the key.

Distractors: Distractors are incorrect answers. The distractors should be

comparable in length to the correct answer.

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 1 Page | 4

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 1 Page | 5

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 1 Page | 6

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 1 Page | 7

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 1 Page | 8

Quiz Review

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 1 Page | 9

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 1 Page | 10

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 1 Page | 11

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 1 Page | 12

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 2 Page | 13

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 2 Page | 14

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 2 Page | 15

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 2 Page | 16

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 2 Page | 17

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 2 Page | 18

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 2 Page | 19

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 2 Page | 20

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 2 Page | 21

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 3 Page | 22

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 3 Page | 23

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 3 Page | 24

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 3 Page | 25

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 3 Page | 26

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 3 Page | 27

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 3 Page | 28

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 3 Page | 29

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 3 Page | 30

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 3 Page | 31

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 3 Page | 32

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 4 Page | 33

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 4 Page | 34

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 4 Page | 35

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 4 Page | 36

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 4 Page | 37

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 4 Page | 38

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 4 Page | 39

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 4 Page | 40

Practice Items

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 4 Page | 41

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 4 Page | 42

National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial

Section 4 Page | 43