Does your school use "K-type" questions?

[pinkyrx]

Does your school use K-type questions on exams? If so, what do you think about them?

I really dislike this style of question and almost always do worse than I would if it was a simple true/false question. Of course, the questions we get are much more difficult than the one below and ALWAYS more wordy.

For those of you that don't know what K-type questions are, here is an example that I found online:

Which of the following are muscle relaxants:

1. Atracurium
2. Vecuronium
3. Mivacurium
4. Valium

A. Choices 1,2 and 3 are correct.
B. Choices 1 and 3 are correct.
C. Choices 2 and 4 are correct.
D. Only choice 4 is correct.
E. All choices are correct.

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[bananaface]

Yes. They are trying to get us ready for the NAPLEX.

 

[pinkyrx]

Yes. They are trying to get us ready for the NAPLEX.

I was wondering if this was a common format for the NAPLEX. I couldn't think of any other good reason to use those type questions (vs multiple true/false questions) when it comes to testing comprehension of the material.

So, is this the way most of the questions will be setup on the NAPLEX or is there a mixture of types?

 

[ForgetMeNot]

So, is this the way most of the questions will be setup on the NAPLEX or is there a mixture of types?

I don't remember exactly how many there were on last year's NAPLEX, but I know there were quite a few "k-type" questions. There were straight forward questions, too.

 

[dgroulx]

Yeah, we get bunches of those type of questions. The only place we didn't was in purely essay exams like Med Chem and Pharmaceutical Outcomes.

 

[Glycerin]

We have them. I think they test your learning and understanding better than questions with only one right answer, because you can't always get the question right by process of elimination.

 

[alwaystired]

Does your school use K-type questions on exams? If so, what do you think about them?

I really dislike this style of question and almost always do worse than I would if it was a simple true/false question. Of course, the questions we get are much more difficult than the one below and ALWAYS more wordy.

For those of you that don't know what K-type questions are, here is an example that I found online:

Our questions make me crazy. Here is an example:

A. blah
B. blah blah
C. blah blah blah
D. Two of the above
E. Three of the above.

Some professors love these and they make me go insane. Say you are 100% about 2 out of the 3 (A-C) and you don't know one of them, you are SOL. You just have to guess your best answer. And let me tell you, it's not always easy to even logically guess

 

[bananaface]

I had an exam last week that had:

a) blah
b) blah blah
c) a and b
d) b only
e) none of the above

That's what happens when the professor sits down with a bottle of wine to write your exam.

 

[alwaystired]

I had an exam last week that had:

a) blah
b) blah blah
c) a and b
d) b only
e) none of the above

That's what happens when the professor sits down with a bottle of wine to write your exam.

haha. i love when they do that....and then they have to make an announcement to fix it and then they end up accidently giving the answer away........hahaha.

 

[shal]

That's what happens when the professor sits down with a bottle of wine to write your exam.

LOL! This is a great place to come to when I need a studying break.

 

[bananaface]

LOL! This is a great place to come to when I need a studying break.

Just before the exam he said. "This test only has 36 questions, instead of 40, because I only had half a bottle of wine this time. Remember that. It may be important." When the test came, there were only 33 questions. The last one was "what type of alcoholic beverage is your professor's favorite."

 

[Glycerin]

The last one was "what type of alcoholic beverage is your professor's favorite."

Do we have the same professor?

 

[pharmacology]

I had an exam last week that had:

a) blah
b) blah blah
c) a and b
d) b only
e) none of the above

That's what happens when the professor sits down with a bottle of wine to write your exam.

That is a bad question if "B" really is the right answer. Do you pick "B" or "D"? If you pick "D" then "B" can't be the only answer because both B and D are correct.

I like K type questions. They are designed to test your depth of knowledge rather than surface knowledge. They are basically a bunch of true/false questions.

I also like:

A. blah
B. Blah, Blah
C. Blah, Blah, Blah
D. A & B
E. B & C

These are similar to K type questions.

 

[ultracet]

That is a bad question if "B" really is the right answer. Do you pick "B" or "D"? If you pick "D" then "B" can't be the only answer because both B and D are correct.

I like K type questions. They are designed to test your depth of knowledge rather than surface knowledge. They are basically a bunch of true/false questions.

I also like:

A. blah
B. Blah, Blah
C. Blah, Blah, Blah
D. A & B
E. B & C

These are similar to K type questions.

you are the people we bitch about.....

 

[bananaface]

That is a bad question if "B" really is the right answer. Do you pick "B" or "D"? If you pick "D" then "B" can't be the only answer because both B and D are correct.

I like K type questions. They are designed to test your depth of knowledge rather than surface knowledge. They are basically a bunch of true/false questions.

I also like:

A. blah
B. Blah, Blah
C. Blah, Blah, Blah
D. A & B
E. B & C

These are similar to K type questions.

The question I referenced was lousy because it forces us to conclude that b and d aren't viable answers based on the structure of the question, rather than the answers listed thereafter. I don't mind that style of question, so long as it doesn't give me the impression that it was written in a drunken stupor, which it admittedly was.

 

[MutantClone]

At the NAPLEX open forum at AACP meeting, they were asked specifically about "K" questions. They indicated they feel these are a good test of candidates knowledge and they have no intention of getting rid of them. So expect them in pharmacy school too.

 

[lord999]

Yes there are K questions. However, "None of the Above" cannot be an answer choice on the NAPLEX or MPJE.

 

[lisi]

At the NAPLEX open forum at AACP meeting, they were asked specifically about "K" questions. They indicated they feel these are a good test of candidates knowledge and they have no intention of getting rid of them. So expect them in pharmacy school too.

That's incorrect. I was at the NAPLEX open forum and it was pointed out that extensive research has been done on the K questions. The research is pretty unequivocal in the conclusion that K questions are not good indicators of actual learning. In fact, several other licensure exams for other health professions have done away with K questions--some over 20 years ago. The representative from NABP stated that she would take that concern back for consideration of removal of K-questions from NAPLEX as well. However, if that change would be adopted, it is unlikely that a change would be seen in the near future.