CNE Assessment Design Practice Questions (50 Flashcards)

The primary function is to ensure **Content Validity**. A blueprint acts as a map that aligns test items with Course Student Learning Outcomes (CSLOs) and content weighting. It prevents construct underrepresentation (failing to test important topics) and construct irrelevant variance (testing material not taught). **NLN Exam Tip:** The NLN emphasizes that a blueprint is the first step in evidence-based assessment to ensure the exam measures what it intends to measure. It provides a rational basis for the number and type of questions assigned to each topic based on the importance and time spent on the content.

Negative stems increase cognitive load by requiring students to switch mental sets from identifying correct info to identifying errors. They often test reading comprehension rather than clinical knowledge. If a negative is necessary, it must be capitalized or bolded (e.g., EXCEPT). NLN emphasizes positive stems focusing on the most or best action to reflect clinical priority. Exam Tip: Watch for NOT or EXCEPT in exam questions; they are often used to test your ability to identify the outlier in a set of correct principles.

This is a **non-functional distractor**. A functional distractor must be selected by at least 5% of the examinees (or at least one student in the lower-performing quartile). Non-functional distractors fail to distract, effectively turning a 4-option item into a 3-option item, which increases the guessing factor and decreases the item's reliability. **Action:** Revise or replace the distractor to make it more plausible to lower-performing students.

The Bow-Tie item is a hybrid assessing the entire NCJMM process. Actions to Take (Left) typically maps to Take Action (Layer 3). Parameters to Monitor (Right) maps to Evaluate Outcomes. The center (Condition) maps to Generate Hypotheses. Exam Tip: NLN emphasizes that educators must ensure these items reflect real-world clinical complexity where multiple steps of the NCJMM occur simultaneously.

Matrix Multiple Choice items typically use the 0/1 scoring method. Each row is treated as a separate sub-item. If the student selects the correct radio button for a row, they earn 1 point; if incorrect, 0 points. Total points = sum of correct rows. Exam Tip: NLN emphasizes that educators must understand partial credit models to ensure fair grading in internal assessments. Unlike Multiple Response, Multiple Choice matrixes do not use +/- scoring because the student is forced to choose only one per row, eliminating the risk of over-selecting to game the system.