During item analysis, one distractor is selected by almost no examinees. What is the most appropriate interpretation?

Correct answer: The distractor is probably non-functioning. A distractor chosen by almost no examinees is not attracting anyone, so it is probably non-functioning.

• The keyed answer is probably incorrect. Rarely chosen distractors say nothing that suggests the keyed answer is wrong.
• The item therefore has strong discrimination. A non-functioning distractor does not by itself mean strong discrimination.
• The item therefore has strong construct validity. A non-functioning distractor does not by itself show construct validity.