Personal Tempo in Taking Tests of the Multiple-Choice Type

Abstract

Test score and time to test completion were recorded for final examinations of 399 psychology students in four classes and 240 chemistry students in four classes. For half of the classes, score and time were also recorded for the midterm examinations. All tests were of the multiple-choice type and were administered without time restriction. Analyses of the data indicated that time to completion was (a) positively skewed, (b) stable, and (c) not correlated with test scores. Several reasons for the absence of relationship between test scores and time to completion were suggested.