Results/Data Analysis

From the 4 graphs, it seems that the general probability distribution goes up, then down, peaking at some spot in the middle. Usually, the peak is around 20% of the full score. Many students do get a score of 0; while it is very rare, if not nearly impossible, to get a perfect score. When there are 20 questions on the exam, it seems like it is nearly impossible to achieve higher scores. The graphs show that it is nearly impossible to score higher than 60%, when there are 20 questions on the exam.

Another key observation is that of shifts. The graphs of “5 Answer Choices” resembled their respective “4 Answer Choice” graphs, but shifted left. More students got a score of 0 when there were 5 answer choices on the exam. Also, fewer students got high scores on an exam with 5 answer choices.

It seems like it is harder to achieve a specific score (percentage wise) with 20 questions on the exam instead of 10 questions on the exam. The graphs suggest that fewer students get a score of 0, when there are 20 questions on the exam. Lastly, the “20 Question” graphs are more evenly distributed. The curves are quite smoother than the “10 Question” graphs, and there are no scores with a big majority of students receiving it.

It seems like that having 20 questions on the exam is more effective in preventing flukes than having 10 questions. The “10 Question” graphs show that it is quite likely to obtain a passing score when purely guessing on the answers. However, it is not so likely to pass, when the student is taking a 20 question multiple choice exam.