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A comparison of three- and four-option English tests for university entrance selection purposes in Japan

The present study investigated the effects of reducing the number of options per item on psychometric characteristics of a Japanese EFL university entrance examination. A four-option multiple-choice reading test used for entrance screening at a university in Japan was later converted to a three-option version by eliminating the least frequently endorsed option in each item, and was given to a separate group. Responses to the two tests indicated that using three options instead of four did not significantly change the mean item facility or the mean item discrimination. Distractor analyses revealed that whether four or three options were provided, the actual test-takers’ responses spread, on the average, over about 2.6 options per item, that the mean number of functioning distractors was much lower than 2, and that reducing the least popular option had only a minimal effect on the performance of the remaining options. These results suggested that three-option items performed nearly as well as their four-option counterparts.