Question Types

STAAR Test Maker features all question types found on the real STAAR exams.

Multiple Choice Test Items

The following are some of the guidelines we follow in constructing Multiple Choice test items:

• Multiple Choice test items take about one minute to answer.
• Multiple Choice test items have four answer choices. By default, these answer choices are labeled like the real STAAR test (A,B,C,D or F,G,H,I) for alternating items.
• All Multiple Choice test items have only one correct answer, and are presented vertically underneath the question.
• All distractors are plausible, relevant, and appropriate for the tested grade level.
• Test items are constantly reviewed to eliminate indications of bias. Masculine pronouns are not used to identify both sexes.

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Gridded Response and Fill-In Response Test Items

The following are just some of the guidelines we follow in constructing Gridded Response test items:

• Gridded Response and Fill-in Response items take an average of 1.5 minutes per item to answer.
• Bubble Grids used in Gridded Response test items contain four, five, six, or seven columns. Each column contains the digits 0 through 9 enclosed in bubbles.
• Test items are constantly reviewed to eliminate indications of bias. Masculine pronouns are not used to identify both sexes.

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Cognitive Complexity

STAAR Test Maker follows the Texas Education Agency’s guidelines when classifying the cognitive complexity of test items.

The cognitive complexity categories—low complexity, moderate complexity, and high complexity—form a description of the demands an item may make on a student. This classification is built-in to STAAR Test Maker’s test item creation process.

Educators can sort and select test items by cognitive complexity as appropriate for the tested benchmarks.