In nursing education, multiple-choice tests are commonly used to evaluate student learning, with perhaps the best example of this being a high-stakes entry-to-practice multiple-choice examination. Although using multiple-choice questions is practical when dealing with a large body of knowledge and large class sizes, combining this format with collaborative learning can offer a way to assess knowledge and also be an innovative teaching and learning tool in the form of collaborative 2-stage testing. Collaborative 2-stage testing combines the benefits of testing and collaboration. Course content is delivered in the classroom (eg, via lecture), followed by students completing an individual in-class multiple-choice test immediately after the lecture (stage 1). After class, the stage 2 test is administered. The stage 2 test has the same, or similar, test questions compared with the stage 1 test and is completed by students in small groups, either in a classroom or online. Collaborative 2-stage testing creates the opportunity to reflect on the test questions, review relevant literature or class resources, and collaborate with peers, thereby reinforcing class material. Furthermore, because this approach repeats the same/similar test questions, it uses the learning phenomenon called testing effect.1 Importantly, the testing effect has a stronger effect on retention compared with other learning techniques such as rereading-students remember information longer. Collaborative 2-stage testing, therefore, offers the benefit of improved learning and retention for students and, as a result, can be an effective teaching strategy within nursing education.

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