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Categorizing questions in terms of thinking skills can be difficult. Technically speaking, all questions are “knowing,” but the goal is to go beyond basic recall to other levels of thinking. This process requires looking deeper and identifying what the questions are really asking. When making these decisions, remember the following tips, along with constantly referring to the NC Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) Levels of Thinking and Reasoning Skills chart with definitions:

  • When questions incorporate more than one thinking skill, classify them based on the highest level involved.
  • It would be easy if every time a particular word is used, those questions would fall into a specific thinking skill, but this is not the case. (i.e., The word “best” has been used by the state in items that have been classified in many of the different thinking skills.)
  • Some questions are classified based on the foils and in what direction they take. Here is some supporting information:
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