A term coined by Arther (1970) for the deliberate placement of a false distracter item among other items on a Peak of Tension test that the examiner has hinted is the correct item. Arther reported it to be a useful diversion of attention of the innocent examinee who does not know the true key or critical item. The false key is the most plausible item in a list for the naive examinee, though it is by design the incorrect item. The false key is used exclusively in Known Solution Peak of Tension tests. No published research is available on the use of the false key.
