Bloom’s Taxonomy

“Bloom’s Taxonomy” was released in 1956 by educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom. Bloom’s Taxonomy categorizes cognitive and learning functions into six general categories shown in the left side of the table below.

Knowledge	arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce state
Comprehension	classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate
Application	apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write
Analysis	analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test
Synthesis	arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write
Evaluation	appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, select, support, value, evaluate

Bloom’s six categories range from the simple recall or recognition of facts as the lowest level, through increasingly complex and abstract mental levels, to the highest order of cognitive activity which he classified as evaluation. Verb examples that represent intellectual activity on each level are listed on the right side of the table, above. Consider what you will want your students to be able to do upon completion of the course.

In theory, the more exam questions, the better the evaluation of a student’s progress. In practice the student taking the exam is constrained by the time allotted. Exams should not require more than one hour on average to complete. Some types of questions are more quickly answered than others. Exams need to have the greatest number of questions that can be answered in the time allowed, while demanding the requisite level of thinking on the part of the student. The chart below can help you select question types based on the time normally required to answer them.

Question Type	Average Time Needed to Answer
True-False Questions	15 to 30 seconds per question
Multiple choice (brief questions)	30 to 60 seconds
More complex multiple choice questions	60 to 90 seconds
Multiple choice questions with calculations	2 to 5 minutes
Short answer (one word)	30 to 60 seconds
Short answer (longer than one word)	1 to 4 minutes
Matching (5 premises, 6 responses)	2 to 4 minutes
Short essay	15 to 20 minutes
Data analysis/graphing	15 to 25 minutes
Drawing models/labeling	20 to 30 minutes
Extended essays	35 to 50 minutes

Make sure you allow enough time for slower students to finish the examination.