Your Table of Specifications says item 14 must be Analyzing — but writing a genuine analysis question at 11 PM is harder than it sounds. Bookmark this cheat sheet: question stems and sample items for all six Bloom’s levels, plus the verbs that keep your objectives and items honest, and the trick to writing higher-order multiple choice.
Why it matters: checkers (and good assessment) want items spread across thinking levels, not 50 recall questions. A learner who can recite the parts of a cell but can’t explain why a damaged organelle harms the cell hasn’t really learned — and only a higher-order item reveals that.
The six levels at a glance
| Level | The learner can… | Strong verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Remembering | recall facts | define, list, identify, name, state |
| Understanding | explain ideas | explain, summarize, classify, compare, interpret |
| Applying | use it in a new situation | solve, demonstrate, compute, use, implement |
| Analyzing | break it apart, find relationships | differentiate, organize, attribute, examine, infer |
| Evaluating | judge with criteria | justify, critique, defend, appraise, recommend |
| Creating | produce something new | design, construct, compose, propose, formulate |
The first three are LOTS (lower-order thinking skills); the last three are the HOTS every checker looks for.
Stems and sample items per level
Remembering — What is…? / Who…? / List the…
Sample: “What is the basic unit of life?”
Understanding — Explain why… / What does ___ mean in your own words? / Which example shows…?
Sample: “Explain why lungs and gills perform the same function for different animals.”
Applying — Solve… / What would happen if…? / Use the rule to…
Sample: “A sari-sari store sells 3 candies for ₱5. How much will 18 candies cost?”
Analyzing — What is the relationship between…? / Which part caused…? / What evidence supports…?
Sample: “Based on the data table, which month’s rainfall best explains the low harvest?”
Evaluating — Which option is best, and why? / Do you agree with…? Justify. / What criteria would you use…?
Sample: “Two barangays proposed different flood solutions. Which is more effective for a coastal area? Defend your answer.”
Creating — Design a… / Propose a plan to… / Compose a…
Sample: “Design a one-week meal plan that meets the daily nutritional needs of a 10-year-old using locally available foods.”
Verbs to avoid in objectives (they can’t be tested)
Know, understand (as a verb), appreciate, learn, be familiar with, realize — none of these is observable. Swap them for something you can actually check:
| Vague (avoid) | Observable (use) |
|---|---|
| “know the parts of a cell” | “label the parts of a cell” |
| “understand photosynthesis” | “explain photosynthesis in your own words” |
| “appreciate honesty” | “justify why honesty matters in a given scenario” |
Making multiple choice reach the higher levels
A common myth is that MCQ can only test recall. Not true — the trick is putting the thinking in the stem:
- Give a scenario, data table, or short passage, then ask the analysis/evaluation question about it.
- Ask for the best answer among defensible options, not the only true one — that’s evaluation.
- “Which statement is supported by the graph?” is Analyzing in MCQ form.
Pure Creating usually needs constructed-response or performance tasks — which is exactly what your Performance Tasks component is for.
A balanced test, by the numbers
A common, defensible distribution for a 50-item summative test: ≈60% LOTS / 40% HOTS — for example:
| R | U | Ap | An | E | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 4 |
Adjust to your competencies’ nature and your division’s guidance, but lock the split in your TOS before writing items — then item-writing becomes fill-in-the-blanks. (Generating with AI? Tell it the level per item — see our AI quiz workflow.)
Frequently asked questions
Is the order strict — must learners master each level before the next?
The taxonomy describes cognitive demand, not a forced sequence. Good lessons move up and down it within one period.
Are difficulty (easy/average/difficult) and Bloom’s level the same?
Related but not identical: a Remembering item can be difficult (an obscure fact) and an Applying item easy (a familiar computation). Your TOS may track both.
How do I tag existing items by level?
Look at what the learner must do, not the topic: recall → R; explain → U; compute in context → Ap; interpret data → An; judge with criteria → E; produce something new → C.
Can young learners handle HOTS items?
Yes — with age-appropriate content. A Grade 2 learner can evaluate (“which lunch is healthier, and why?”) just as a Grade 11 learner can; the context changes, not the cognitive move.
How many HOTS items should a quiz have?
For a quick formative quiz, even a couple is fine. For summative tests, aim for the ~40% HOTS share above, planned in your TOS.
Generate items at the level you specify
Skoolari’s TOS-based generator writes test items to your cognitive plan — tell it item 14 is Analyzing under a given competency and that’s what it drafts, from your own uploaded material, with the answer key and a print-ready test paper.