Impact of Applying Guilford’s Formula and Its Modified Version for Correcting Guessing on the Distribution of Percentiles among Students of the Faculty of Education at Thamar University

Authors

  • Mohammed Abdullah Saleh *Alabrat

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53285/artsep.v8i2.3191

Keywords:

Guilford’s Formula,, Guessing Correction, Percentile Distribution, Multiple-Choice Tests.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of applying Guilford’s formula and its modified version for correcting the effect of guessing on the distribution of percentiles of students’ scores at the Faculty of Education, Thamar University, in multiple-choice tests. The descriptive-analytical method was employed and an achievement test consisting of 29 items was administered to a sample of 48 male and female students selected through comprehensive enumeration sampling. Difficulty indices, weighted scores, and percentiles were calculated before and after correcting for the effect of guessing using the original Guilford formula and its modified version. The findings revealed a decline in both percentiles and scores after applying Guilford’s formula, indicating a reduction in the effect of guessing and a decrease in score inflation. The modified version also demonstrated a relative improvement in percentiles compared with the original formula, although the percentiles remained lower than their levels prior to correction. Furthermore, the results indicated statistically significant differences among the three conditions, suggesting that correcting for the effect of guessing influences percentile distribution and more accurately reorders students’ relative standings. Based on these findings, the study recommended taking the correction of guessing effects into consideration when designing and scoring multiple-choice tests, as well as training teachers to use guessing-correction methods in order to improve the accuracy of student performance assessment.

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Published

2026-06-10

How to Cite

*Alabrat, M. A. S. (2026). Impact of Applying Guilford’s Formula and Its Modified Version for Correcting Guessing on the Distribution of Percentiles among Students of the Faculty of Education at Thamar University. Arts for Educational & Psychological Studies, 8(2), 103-133. https://doi.org/10.53285/artsep.v8i2.3191

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