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Education QUESTION #6750
Question 1
A test developer calculates item difficulty (p-value) for a four-choice MCQ and obtains p = 0.92. What is the MOST appropriate interpretation and action?
  • The item has excellent discrimination and should be retained as-is
  • The item is very easy; it should be reviewed and possibly replaced unless the purpose specifically requires mastery-level warm-up items✔️
  • The item has optimal difficulty for a norm-referenced test since p-value is above 0.5
  • The item discrimination index will necessarily be high because many students answered correctly
Correct Answer Explanation
For a four-alternative MCQ, the optimal p-value is approximately 0.62. A p-value of 0.92 means 92% answered correctly — the item is very easy. In NRT contexts this reduces discrimination power. Items above p = 0.90 need careful review. High p-value does not guarantee high discrimination; in fact, near-universal correct responses often yield near-zero or negative discrimination.