Reliability and validity of a multiple choice instrument

This methodological study investigated the reliability and validity of a locally constructed multiple-choice instrument to measure educational outcomes in a sample of RN-to-BSN students. The test consisted of 94 multiple-choice questions that were developed by the faculty at this institution. Ninety-eight students provided usable data. Responses were then evaluated to determine discrimination and item difficulty for each test question. Divergent validity was assessed between scores for those students who had completed each course and scores for those who had not. Results revealed that the instrument is an adequate measurement of outcomes for this sample of RN-to-BSN students.