Item analysis of multiple choice questions

Background: Item analysis is the validation of a MCQs after it has appeared in a question paper. This post validation is done by analyzing the student’s answer to each item. When formalized, the procedure is called item analysis. Aim & objectives: To study MCQs of subject Hospital Administration among Post graduate doctors and carry out item analysis and to review MCQ’s and suggest improvements for defective items and also to list the uses of item analysis. Study design and methods: Cross-sectional questionnaire based study carried out among 300 post graduate doctors in a period of one year. Results: Analysis of data was done on 3 factors i.e. difficulty index found to be 50 %, discrimination of the question to be 0.4 and the distract or effectiveness to be 10%. Conclusion: Result of the study concluded that item analysis can be used for the evaluation of the MCQs indicating the strength of questionnaire through difficulty level.