MULTI-CHOICE QUESTIONS AND THEIR PROBLEMS WHEN USED FOR ASSESSMENT OF AIRCRAFT ENGINEERS EDUCATION

Abstract

Licensed aircraft engineers under the European Aviation Safety Agency, EASA, undertake academic training tocomplement their practical and type specific studies. These exams are mainly Multi-Choice Questions, MCQ, and four20-minute essays. The MCQ exams are as few as 16 questions to a maximum of 140 questions. A score of 75% is neededto pass each exam, and each question has three possible answers. This authors of this paper reviews the theory and designof the MCQ and asks if the assumptions are valid andthat it achieves the academic level assumed for engineers who willbe maintaining some of the most complex system in the world, and the safety of passengers. It will argue that there are failings and how this can be address, in particular, that repeated tests should have a higher pass level.