Assessing Higher-Order Thinking with Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)

Note: If you are just getting started on developing your own MCQs, we recommend starting with our resource Developing More Meaningful Multiple-Choice Questions, and then coming back here to dive deeper. 

There are many frameworks for categorizing students’ learning. Most focus on the type of thinking or processing required for success, while others provide options for levels of difficulty or complexity. You have probably encountered some of these frameworks while developing your learning outcomes, which should form the basis of your assessments. 

Bloom’s taxonomy is a popular framework that categorizes the level of performance across three domains: 

  1. Cognitive 
  2. Affective 
  3. Psychomotor 

Many educators focus on the cognitive domain, but it is important to consider how your course and program seeks to impact students’ attitudes and values, as well as their ability to perform certain movements and physical tasks. For the purpose of writing multiple choice questions, we will concentrate on the cognitive domain.  

Consider your course learning outcomes throughout the development of your MCQ tests, always asking yourself if any given question can meaningfully assess whether a student has achieved a specific outcome.  

You should generally avoid questions that rely on a simple recognition of facts and basic concepts, unless you are developing low-stakes or ungraded formative quizzes for students to test their knowledge. Although remembering and understanding are necessary building blocks in any education, our aim is to help students develop their higher-order thinking skills to use that knowledge for application, analysis, evaluation, and creation. It’s not often enough to know the facts. How are they related? What do they imply? How can they be used? This better prepares students for dealing with real-world situations within (or beyond) their field.  

The following suggestions will demonstrate how to design stems that address the apply, analyze and evaluate levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. Although there have been attempts to assess students’ ability to create using MCQs, constructive alignment would suggest students should actually be creating, designing, or developing something rather than being asked MC questions about such a process.  

Single question/prompt and response

Processing Level according to Bloom’s Cognitive Domain Student’s Performance Indicator Examples about the Chemistry of Water Examples about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Remember Recall and recognize facts and information What is the chemical symbol for water?

  1. HO2
  2. H2O [ANSWER]
  3. CO
  4. CO2
 Which need is at the base of Maslow’s hierarchy?

  1. Safety needs
  2. Physiological needs [ANSWER]
  3. Belongingness and love needs
Understand Translate and interpret the meaning of knowledge What best explains why water is considered a polar molecule?

  1. Because the oxygen atom attracts electrons more strongly than hydrogen, creating partial charges [ANSWER]
  2. Because the combination of hydrogen and oxygen can dissolve both salts and sugars
  3. Because the solid state is the polar opposite of the liquid state
 Why are physiological needs considered foundational in Maslow’s hierarchy?

  1. Because they relate to social belonging
  2. Because they are essential for survival before higher needs can be pursued [ANSWER]
  3. Because they involve personal growth and self-actualization
Apply Apply knowledge to different contexts and situations or to solve problems  Which property of water would most help a plant survive a sudden cold snap? 

  1. The ability to ionize in temperature changes 
  2. The ability to form hydrogen bonds 
  3. The density anomaly when water freezes [ANSWER] 
 How would you apply Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to improve employee motivation in a workplace? 

  1. By providing financial incentives tied to performance. 
  2. By first ensuring all employees have job security and receive proper salary to meet their basic needs. [ANSWER] 
  3. By implementing mandatory team-building activities that will foster a sense of belonging. 
  4. By offering professional development opportunities to help employees meet their career goals. 
Analyze  Break down and differentiate information into distinct components, identify relationships between concepts, and understand underlying structures of knowledge systems.  A beaker contains water and ethanol. Which factor most explains why water molecules cluster together, rather than mixing with the ethanol? 

  1. Water molecules form stronger hydrogen bonds with each other than with ethanol [ANSWER] 
  2. Water molecules are heavier than ethanol molecules 
  3. Ethanol molecules repel water molecules due to polarity differences 
 An employee is highly engaged in creative projects but often skips meals and sleeps poorly. Which interpretation best explains this situation using Maslow’s hierarchy? 

  1. The employee has fully satisfied physiological needs and is focused on self-actualization 
  2. The employee is prioritizing higher-level needs despite lower-level needs being unmet [ANSWER] 
  3. The employee’s unmet safety needs prevent progress toward belongingness
Evaluate  Make and justify judgments based on critical examination of evidence, criteria, standards, theories, or processes.   Which experimental setup would best test the effect of temperature on water’s surface tension? 

  1. Measure surface tension at various temperatures both inside and outside to account for other differences 
  2. Measure surface tension in various temperatures while keeping other variables constant [ANSWER] 
  3. Measure the surface tension in different temperatures, air pressures, dew points, and humidities.  
 A company decides to cut wellness programs but increase salaries. Employees argue about the validity of these changes. Which critique is most valid based on Maslow’s hierarchy? 

  1. This supports self-actualization by improving financial security 
  2. This may neglect belonging and esteem needs, reducing overall motivation [ANSWER] 
  3. This ensures all needs are met because salary is the most important factor 

Contextual Question Sets

Contextual question sets chunk items into test sections that provide students with content to work with, rather than relying on their memory of content they may have studied.  

Scenario- and story-based items 

In this case, you can write a story or scenario on which to base multiple test items that ask students to engage with the material by analyzing or evaluating the text, or applying learned concepts to new situations. Some examples include: 

Summary of research findings from a hypothetical study 

  • identify a potential conclusion from the study 
  • identify missing information 
  • provide a valid criticism of this study 
  • suggest future directions or a logical follow-up study 

Hypothetical methodological design for a research study 

  • identify flaws in, or limitations to the design 
  • select the types of variables represented or what is being studied 
  • suggest improvements to the study design  

A short story or excerpt from a core piece of literature 

  • analyze the passage for literary devices, perspectives, character roles, etc. 
  • determine key lessons 

An account of some significant historical event 

  • apply theories or principles to suggest alternative courses of action or outcomes, or to hypothesize chosen actors’ reasoning 
  • identify sociocultural or political phenomena 

A hypothetical argument or debate 

  • Decide who/which side is most correct 
  • Identify logical fallacies 
  • apply theoretical, ethical or philosophical frameworks 

A social or medical case study 

  • determine causal and other related factors 
  • evaluate potential methods for assessment, or steps to testing 
  • hypothesize potential diagnoses, treatment plans, referrals, etc. 
What other examples could you come up with? How can this be applied to your discipline/courses? 

Visual and Graphic Prompts

Providing multiple items related to a single visual or graphic prompt is much the same as the scenario-based approach outlined above. In this case, you may present a graph, chart, diagram, photo, video, or artwork, accompanied by instructions. Then the stems of the following items may include extra context relevant to the question, or simply ask questions that prompt application, analysis, and evaluation. Examples may include: 

  • trend analysis of a graph 
  • predicting outcomes of some presented data 
  • identifying variables or computational steps for problem solving 
  • medical diagnosis or prognosis based on scan results or image of tissue  
  • evaluating the efficacy of a new medication based on presented results 
  • interpreting data analysis 
  • examination of creative techniques, influences, or artistic mediums 

And the list goes on. Think about how you might make use of visual and graphic prompts to help diversify your test items, and challenge students in new ways. 

Visual Accessibility 

Please note that when using visual and graphic prompts, you should ensure appropriate usage of alternative text. When a description might unintentionally provide an answer, consider other ways to describe the image, or ask questions about the meaning, application, or analysis of the image instead of what it shows. For more information, refer to the CPI resource on Recognizing Visual Bias in Teaching and Assessment Strategies, as well as the NWEA Image Description Guidelines for Assessments. 

Computational Problems

Although computations are better suited for written exams in which students can show their work and demonstrate their reasoning, it is possible to include such questions in MCQ tests. In this case, you will want to think through the common misconceptions and errors that would lead to alternative results, rather than using random numbers as distractors. If many students commit a common error, choosing the same distractor as their response, this will provide some insight into who is struggling with which concepts. On the other hand, if the common error is not represented with a distractor, the student may either guess, or keep problem-solving until they get a number that matches one of the responses.   

Example (adapted from Zimmaro): 

Students in a small seminar course recently completed a midterm test. The individual scores obtained were: 70, 74, 74, 77, 82, 86, 94, 98. What is the mean score of midterm results for this course? 

  1. 74 
  2. 77 
  3. 81 [ANSWER] 

This is introductory information tested at an application level. Students don’t just need to complete a calculation, but they need to know what a mean is and how to determine it’s value based on the data presented. Alternative options present the mean (c), median (b), and mode (a), which are all measures of central tendency sometimes confused by early math learners.  

You may also choose to present a problem or data set, and have students answer successive questions leading them through the process of identifying relevant variables, data analysis/calculation, and interpretation of the results.  When doing this though, keep in mind the cumulative effect on student performance if they make an error on the first question. Consider whether they can still correctly answer subsequent items. If not, you may provide additional standalone items to assess individual skills (i.e., variable identification, choice of formula or equation, calculation with given numbers, interpretation of given results). 

References & Additional Resources

License for this resource 

This resource is available for use and adaptation under the CC BY-NC-SA license, and should be referenced as: 

Centre for Pedagogical Innovation, Brock University. (2025). Assessing Higher-Order Thinking with Multiple-Choice Questions. Retrieved on XXXX. Available under CC BY-NC-SA license. 

Adapted from 

Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning, University of Saskatchewan. (2025, February 28). Creating Multiple Choice Questions that Assess Higher Order Thinking. Retrieved November 10, 2025. Available under CC BY-NC-SA license. 

Zimmaro, Dawn M. (2016). Writing Good Multiple-Choice Exams. Faculty Innovation Center, University of Texas at Austin. Available under CC BY-NC-SA license. 

References & Additional Resources