Item-Difficulty Sequence in Achievement Examinations: Examinees' Preferences and Test-Taking Strategies

Abstract

Elementary, secondary school, and university students were asked for the test-taking strategy usually used in taking an achievement test and for the sequence of difficulty preferred for achievement test items. The majority preferred an easy-to-hard strategy with items in order-presented as second choice, and the hard-to-easy strategy chosen least often. No conclusions were drawn as to the effect of students' usual test-taking strategies on research with various item-difficulty sequences. The data on students' preferences for item sequences support the use of the easy-to-hard or random arrangement over the hard-to-easy.