Extended matching items/questions (EMI or EMQ) are a written examination format similar to

multiple choice Multiple choice (MC), objective response or MCQ (for multiple choice question) is a form of an objective assessment in which respondents are asked to select only correct answers from the choices offered as a list. The multiple choice format is m ...

questions but with one key difference, that they test knowledge in a far more applied, in depth, sense. It is often used in

medical education Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, including the initial training to become a physician (i.e., medical school and internship (medical), internship) and additional training thereafter (e.g., Re ...

and other healthcare subject areas to test diagnostic reasoning.

Structure

The structure has three key elements: ;Answer option list :Sources suggest using a minimum of eight answer options to a

ratio In mathematics, a ratio shows how many times one number contains another. For example, if there are eight oranges and six lemons in a bowl of fruit, then the ratio of oranges to lemons is eight to six (that is, 8:6, which is equivalent to the ...

of five

scenario In the performing arts, a scenario (, ; ; ) is a synoptical collage of an event or series of actions and events. In the ''commedia dell'arte'', it was an outline of entrances, exits, and action describing the plot of a play, and was literally pi ...

s or

vignettes Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...

to ensure that the probability of getting the correct answer by chance remains reasonably low. The exact number of answer options should be dictated by the logical number of realistic options. This ensures that the test item has

authenticity Authenticity or authentic may refer to: * Authentication, the act of confirming the truth of an attribute Arts and entertainment * Authenticity in art, ways in which a work of art or an artistic performance may be considered authentic Music * A ...

and

validity Validity or Valid may refer to: Science/mathematics/statistics: * Validity (logic), a property of a logical argument * Scientific: ** Internal validity, the validity of causal inferences within scientific studies, usually based on experiments ** ...

. ;Lead in question :This should be as specific as possible and on reading the lead in question it should be understand exactly what the student needs to do - without needing to look at the answer options. If you need to look at the answers to understand the question, the item has not been well written. ;Two or more scenarios or vignettes :There should be at least two vignettes, otherwise this becomes an

MCQ ''McQ'' is a 1974 American Panavision neo-noir crime action film directed by John Sturges and starring John Wayne. It costars Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur, and Al Lettieri, and features Colleen Dewhurst, Clu Gulager, David Huddleston, Julian Chri ...

. Because the item allows for an in depth test of knowledge each of the scenarios should be related to one another by a theme that summarises the question overall. Each scenario should be roughly similar in structure and content, and each has one 'best' answer from amongst the series of answer options given.

Research evidence

Students sitting this test item format have a greater chance of answering incorrectly if they cannot synthesise and apply their knowledge as shown through the work of Susan Case and David Swanson (1989). Evidence suggests that this format works best when there is a single best answer to each successive

or vignette.

Other variants

There are some instances where EMIs do not follow the evidence based format. These other uses of the term have been criticised as they do not apply the key principles of the EMQ as stated abov

E.g. a question where two lists are offered, one of terms and one of descriptions is often referred to as an EMI. Example of an EMI variant * This organelle stores the genetic information of a eukaryotic cell. * This organelle synthesises polypeptides using information provided by mRNA. * This organelle, found in plants, contains chlorophyll. List of options # Chloroplast # Mitochondrion # Lysosome # Nucleus # Endoplasmic reticulum # Peroxisome # Golgi apparatus # Ribosome Answer Key # 4 # 8 # 1

References

External links

Extended matching items (EMIs): solving the conundrum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Extended Matching Items Educational assessment and evaluation