Measuring higher-order cognitive skills with multiple choice questions –potentials and pitfalls of Finnish teacher education entrance

This mixed methods study examines the structure of multiple-choice exam for student selection in Finnish teacher education. Through qualitative content analysis, we categorized questions into items that assessed lower- and higher-order cognitive processes based on Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Exploratory confirmatory factor analyses yielded four factors represented processing skills comprehension empirical theoretical items. These were associated with matriculation examination grades, especially average grade mother tongue grade. When developing future exams admissions, recommend emphasizing role source materials.