Myth-busting and misconceptions
Phrase a common mistaken belief as a statement and ask people to judge it.
Question types
True or false questions
The simplest objective format: a single statement judged true or false. Fast to grade, easy to write badly. Here's how to write ones that measure understanding.
Definition
What is a true or false question?
A true or false question presents one statement and asks the participant to decide whether it is correct. With only two responses, it is the quickest format to answer and to grade. It suits clear factual claims, a rule, a threshold or a definition, that are unambiguously right or wrong.
The honesty problem is well known: with only two options, someone who knows nothing still has a 50% chance on any single item. That base rate is far higher than for a well-built multiple choice question, so a true/false item carries much less information alone. The fix isn't to abandon the format but to dilute luck across a test.
The other common failure is the ambiguous statement. A claim that is “mostly true” or “true in some cases” makes a poor item, because a knowledgeable participant can defend either answer. Good statements are absolute and testable: no vague qualifiers, no double negatives, and exactly one idea to judge.
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When to use it
When true or false is the right format
Reach for it to check clear-cut facts quickly, especially across many items.
Fast knowledge sweeps
A run of short true/false items covers a lot of ground quickly, ideal for refreshers.
Unambiguous facts
Rules, thresholds and definitions that are plainly right or wrong are what the format handles best.
Not when nuance matters
If the honest answer is “it depends”, use short or long answer so participants can show reasoning.
Short answer questions →In TestSetGo
How TestSetGo handles true or false
True or false questions grade automatically the instant an attempt is submitted, like other objective types. Each carries its own points, and you can attach an explanation participants see after submitting. That matters here: a bare right-or-wrong result teaches nothing, while a one-line explanation turns a myth-busting statement into a small lesson.
To manage the 50% guessing rate, lean on the test as a whole rather than any single item. Use several true/false questions so a run of lucky guesses is unlikely, mix in multiple choice and short answer so the test doesn't rest on coin-flips, and keep roughly as many true statements as false so participants can't game a pattern.
The dashboard shows per-question accuracy, so a statement everyone gets right is easy to spot and either too obvious or worth replacing. If a statement proves ambiguous after answers arrive, apply a correction and affected attempts regrade automatically.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a good true or false question?
Test one idea per statement, make it unambiguously true or false, and avoid vague qualifiers like “usually” or “sometimes” and double negatives. Absolute, clearly-testable claims make the best items.
Aren't true or false questions too easy to guess?
On their own, yes: the base guessing rate is 50%. Manage it by using several items, balancing true and false statements, adding explanations, and mixing in other formats.
How many true or false questions should a test have?
Enough that guessing across all of them is unlikely, a handful at minimum. Because each item carries little information alone, true/false works best in numbers or alongside richer question types.
Should there be more true or more false statements?
Aim for a rough balance. Participants who spot that most answers are “true” can exploit the pattern, so keeping the split even keeps the test honest.
Create a true or false test
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