Alternative response and scoring methods for multiple-choice items: An empirical study of probabilistic and ordinal response modes

Binary, probability, and ordinal scoring procedures for multiple-choice items were examined. In a situation where true scores were experimentally controlled by the manipulation of partial information, it was found that both the probability and ordinal scoring systems were more reliable than the binary scoring method. A second experiment using vocabulary items and standard reliability estimation procedures also showed higher reliability for the two partial information scoring methods relative to binary scoring