Skills Test

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid using all except type questions. A better stem would be: Which of the following statins is water soluble?

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It is unclear. Depending on when the test was administered; how up-to-date the teacher, student, and textbook are, an argument could be made for any choice.

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There are two correct answers (A and C). Also, the answers do not present homogeneous concepts.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, the choices do not present homogeneous concepts (liver failure is not a disease). A better question would be: Which of the following diseases is caused by Strep A?

1. Rheumatic fever
2. Scarlet fever
3. Pleurisy

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, the answers do not present homogeneous concepts.
The question could be seen as a trick question as the correct answer, Hemolytic B, seems so wrong. It is an unsalvageable question.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, distractor A is unclear. Depending on which test is used, the results will be different.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, distractor B does not conform to the concept of levels asked for in the question – B deals with rate, A, C, and D deal with amounts. A better question would be: What is the most commonly used measure in confirming the diagnosis of AIDS?

1. Serotonin levels
2. Sedimentation rate
3. Number of pneumocystic carinii organisms
4. Number of CD4 cells

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid using all except type questions. And, the answers do not present homogeneous concepts. A better question would be: When should the gamma knife procedure be used on brain tumors?

1. When surgery is not feasible
2. When the tumor is carcinogenic
3. When the biopsy is negative.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid using all of the above and none of the above as responses. All of the above responses make the question easier, and none of the above responses make the question unnecessarily confusing. And, distractor B is implausible. Implausible distractors waste students’ time and increase the odds that a student will be able to make a lucky guess with the other choices. A better question would be: When should patient confidentiality be compromised?

1. The patient’s life or someone else’s life is in danger.
2. The patient’s parents insist on knowing.
3. The patient’s spouse demands to know.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid A & B type responses. The question writer’s goal is to have a single best answer and two or three other plausible answers. And, choice B is not homogeneous with A and C.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, choice D is implausible. Implausible distractors waste students’ time and increase the odds that a student will be able to make a lucky guess with the other choices. A better question would be: What is the function of Vitamin K in the body?

1. To promote the creation of CD4 cells.
2. To promote the creation of prothrombin.
3. To promote the creation of unsaturated fats.
4. To promote the creation of protein enzymes.

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Two of the choices (C and D) are completely implausible. Using implausible choices wastes your students’ time and increases the chances for rewarding a lucky guess. A better question would be: Which of the following could be the best choice for creating an opaque medium for x-rays?

1. Magnesium sulfate
2. Barium sulfate
3. Lead sulfate
4. Aluminum sulfate

Note: The stem had to be changed. Both lead sulfate and aluminum sulfate would create an opaque medium for x-rays, but either would kill the patient.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, choice C is implausible. Using implausible choices wastes your students’ time and increases the chances for rewarding a lucky guess. Calcium would be a better distractor for choice C.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, distractors B, C, and D are implausible. They are also non homogeneous. A better question would be: What do the majority of nitrate compounds increase?

1. Circulation
2. Digestion
3. Respiration
4. Heart rate.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid using none of the above responses. None of the above responses make the questions unnecessarily confusing. And, choice C is implausible. Using implausible choices wastes your students’ time and increases the chances for rewarding a lucky guess. A better question would be: What does COPD stand for?

1. Certain Opportunal Pulmonary Disease
2. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
3. Certain Opportunal Pulmonary Disease
4. Chronic Obstructive Pneumatic Disease

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Avoid using all of the above and none of the above as responses. All of the above responses make the question easier, and none of the above responses make the question unnecessarily confusing. Also, a case can be made that both A and B are correct answers. A better question would be: Why should antibiotics sometimes be prescribed for viral infections?

1. To protect against secondary diseases.
2. To change the DNA of viruses.
3. To cure some viruses.
4. To stimulate the patient’s own immune system.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid using all of the above and none of the above as responses. All of the above responses make the question easier, and none of the above responses make the question unnecessarily confusing. A better question would be: What is the most common symptom which leads people to think they are having a heart attach?

1. Indigestion
2. Leg cramps
3. Gall bladder stones
4. Temporomandibular joint syndrome.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. A better stem would be: What lab value(s) would suggest(s) treatment with thyroid supplements?

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, the choices are so variable, that they do not examine a single concept. Furthermore, choice D is unclear. “Disease like psoriasis” in what way? Chronic, depressing, mildly to somewhat debilitating, one with no single clear-cut treatment? A better question would be: What body system does fibromyalgia affect?

1. Musculoskeletal
2. Digestive
3. Circulatory
4. Respiratory.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid A & B type responses. The question writer’s goal is to have a single best answer and two or three other plausible answers. A better question would be: What is the most prevalent symptom found in TMJ syndrome?

1. Ear pain
2. Migraines
3. Tinnitus
4. Toothache.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid using all of the above and none of the above as responses. All of the above responses make the question easier, and none of the above responses make the question unnecessarily confusing. A better question would be: An unconscious patient presents to the emergency room with unknown causation. What is the first course of action of a health care worker?

1. Send the patient to x-ray
2. Call a surgeon
3. Start CPR
4. Examine the patient.

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Matching questions should focus on a single topic or use related terms. The only commonality of these terms is that they all start with the letter A. However, this matching set did get something right – the number of matching terms was greater than the number of questions. Better groupings might be:

• Alveolus or Antibiotics
• Bronchus
• Antiseptics
• Lobe Antimiotics
• Hilus

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Bad questions Matching questions should focus on a single topic or use related terms. There is no commonality in these terms. However, this matching set did get something right – the number of matching terms was greater than the number of questions.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. A better stem would be: What is the main purpose of the digestive system?

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid using all of the above and none of the above as responses. All of the above responses make the question easier, and none of the above responses make the question unnecessarily confusing. A better question would be: What is the most common reason hormone replacement therapy is prescribed for women?

1. Enhancement of mental health
2. Prevention of congestive heart failure
3. Retention of bone density.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid using all of the above and none of the above as responses. All of the above responses make the question easier, and none of the above responses make the question unnecessarily confusing. A better question would be: The Women’s Health Study has recommended against hormone replacement therapy? What was their main reason?

1. The risk of blood clots is extremely high
2. The risk of dementia is extremely high
3. The risk of breast carcinoma is extremely high.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid using all of the above and none of the above as responses. All of the above responses make the question easier, and none of the above responses make the question unnecessarily confusing. A better question would be: What is the function of antibiotics?

1. To kill bacteria on contact.
2. To kill viruses on contact.
3. To inhibit the growth of bacteria.
4. To inhibit the growth of viruses.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, avoid A & B type responses. The question writer’s goal is to have a single best answer and two or three other plausible answers. Furthermore, the format of the choices should be similar. A better question would be: What is the basic difference between bacteria and viruses?

1. Viruses are larger than bacteria.
2. Viruses invade cells, bacteria do not.
3. Viruses are cells, bacteria are only proteins.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. A better stem would be: What part of the brain would show damage in a 65-year-old stroke patient who is severely depressed?

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, choice D is not homogeneous with the other distractors. A better question would be: Which of the following medications have side effects of sedation, increased appetite, and weight gain?

1. Anticonvulsants
2. Synthroid
3. Methyl testosterone
4. Antipsychotics.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. A better stem would be: The lack of what in certain brain areas is the cause of dementia of the Alzheimer type in females?

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The question is vague. Even though the stem is written as a complete question, the student doesn’t have any idea what is being asked of him/her until he/she reads the responses. Ideally, the student should be able to formulate a response mentally as soon as he/she reads the question. A better question would be: What body cells are most damaged by hypertension?

1. Brain cells
2. Muscle cells
3. Kidney cells
4. Bone cells.

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Stems should be written as complete questions. Also, the question is vague. The student doesn’t have any idea what is being asked of him/her until he/she reads the responses. Ideally, the student should be able to formulate a response mentally as soon as he/she reads the question. Furthermore, students tend to find poor grammar unnecessarily distracting. Choice D could be re-written as “Has a high mortality rate.” A better question would be: What is the success rate for pancreatic cancer treatments?

1. A high success rate with the “Whipple” surgical procedure
2. A high success rate with chemotherapy
3. A high success rate with radiation
4. A low success rate with all forms of treatment.