Research Examines How Men and Women Differ in Answering Multiple-Choice Test Questions

According to a recent study from the Centre for Economic Policy Research, multiple-choice questions may be negatively affecting women’s test-taking performance among the most high-achieving test takers. Multiple-choice tests are frequently used in graduate school admissions and job applications, however their validity in accurately measuring knowledge and ability is often criticized. Previous research has found men are more likely than women to engage in risk-taking behavior. This behavior can result in men being more willing to take a guess on a multiple-choice question rather than omit it.

The new study’s authors sought out to investigate how this behavior presented itself among the most and least successful candidates who took a multiple-choice Spanish medical profession test that is required for medical students to pursue internships. The authors examined data regarding the change in answering rates from 2014, when the test consisted of five potential answers, to 2015, when the number of potential answers was reduced to four options. They hypothesized that women would be more willing to guess, considering they had a higher probability of answering correctly with only four options instead of five.

In their analysis, the authors found that on average, their hypothesis was correct; reducing the number of potential options positively influenced candidates’ willingness to guess, resulting in an increase of nine more questions answered per test taker in 2015 compared to 2014. While there was little difference in the average number of omitted questions between men and women, gender differences were found among the highest and lowest performing candidates. Among those who scored in the 50th percentile and above, women were more likely to skip questions than men. The reverse was found for those in the 20th percentile and below – men were more likely to omit questions than women.

The authors suggest their findings provide evidence that penalties for incorrectly answering a multiple-choice question should be reduced, if not eliminated all together. Considering the selection process focuses on the highest-performing candidates, they suggest this change in multiple-choice scoring could result in an increased gender-equitable selection process.