Advantages and limitations of objective tests

An objective test is one which is free from any subjective bias either from the tester or the marker. It refers to any written test that requires the examinee to select the correct answer from among one or more of several alternative or supply a word or two and that demands an objective judgement when it is scored.
Some of the advantages of objective test are -
1. Objective test gives scope for wider sampling of the content .
 2. It can be scored objectively and easily. The scoring will not vary from time to time or from examiner to examiner.
3. This test reduces (a) the role of luck and (b) cramming of expected questions. As a result, there is greater reliability and better content validity.
4. This type of question has greater motivational value.
5. It eliminates irrelevant factors such as speed of writing, fluency of expression, literary style, good handwriting, neatness, etc.
6. It permit stencil, machine for clerical scoring. Thus scoring is very easy.
7. It measures the higher mental processes of understanding, application, analysis, prediction and interpretation.
Some of the disadvantages of objective test are -
1. Objectives like ability to organise matter, ability to present matter logically and in a coherent fashion, etc, cannot be evaluated.
2. Guessing is possible. No doubt the chances of success may be reduced by the inclusion of a large number of items.
3. If a respondent marks all responses as correct, the result may be misleading.
4. The demand more of analysis than synthesis.
5. Linguistic ability of the testee is not at all tested.
6. Printing cost considerably greater than that of an essay test.
7. Construction of the objective test items is difficult while answering them is quite easy.

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