ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the two written testing formats most commonly utilized in health professions education: the constructed-response (CR) and the selected-response (SR) item formats. This chapter highlights some key concepts related to the development and application of these testing modalities and some of the important research evidence concerning their use. This chapter is not intended to be a complete item writing guide or a comprehensive and in-depth critical review of the current theoretical and research literature on written testing or a scholarly defense of written testing in either modality. Rather, the objective of this chapter is to provide a practical summary of information about developing and effectively using CR and SR methods to test cognitive achievement in health professions education, with some suggestions for appropriate use.
