Blame it on Physics

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Blame it on the Physics

The first multiple choice tests were developed in about 1915 by Frederick Kelly, an education specialist. This test was a timed reading test, produced because Kelly viewed human judgement of reading skills fundamentally flawed. The idea was to make testing more objective. This worked and was widely adapted. Just 22 years later physics teacher Reynold Johnson devised a method of identifying pencil marks against a key to automatically grade them, saving countless hours of hand grading. Johnson was hired by IBM to develop the device. Multiple choice test became the premier testing vehicle – to this day. This first device recognized the marks electronically. However, in 1955, the first patent to recognize marks optically was issued to Everett F. Lindquist, an education professor. The rest is history, and modern history at that.

Remarkable is the fact that multiple choice tests are but a century old. This implies some of our greatest scholars not only taught a large number of courses while pursuing their research, but graded every exam question by hand – no choices given. If may also partially explain why only end-of-course exams were given.

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Kraft Foods is now marketing a new salad dressing. Called Russian Collusion, it was tested on 300,000,00 persons. Survey information indicates it tastes great to 30%, tastes terrible to 30%, and is tasteless to the remainder.

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