It’s impossible to avoid multiple choice questions on major tests and exams. Multiple choice questions make up almost 90% of questions on many admissions tests for college, university, board and bar exams. You can’t even get a driver’s license without correctly answering a battery of multiple choice questions. Multiple choice questions require a person to demonstrate their ability to use quick thinking. But there are tips you can use to help you succeed in correctly answering multiple choice questions.
Answering multiple choice questions is all about budgeting your time. Some multiple choice tests are designed with too many questions and not enough time to complete them all. This test is measuring your ability to think under pressure. The first rule is, don’t panic. Usually these questions are not difficult to answer, and often points aren’t taken off for wrong answers.
The second rule is to be shrewd with your time. Go through this type of multiple choice test quickly, skipping harder questions. If the answer of a question doesn’t come to you right away, go on to the next one. Come back to it if you have a chance, but don’t spend more than 25 seconds on one question.
It’s also wise to leave long answer questions until after going through the test once, answering any multiple choice questions you are sure of. Come back to long answer questions later.
Some multiple choice tests ask fewer questions, and some of these questions are more difficult than others. Usually you are given more time to write these types of multiple choice tests. This test is designed to demonstrate your actual knowledge on a subject. Because the test is not rushing you, it is assumed that you are not guessing on your answers, so keep in mind that points are taken off for incorrect answers.
When writing these types of multiple choice tests it’s important to carefully read through all choices provided before choosing an answer. In order to test your knowledge, there’s often tricky wording or contradictory statements thrown in confuse you in this type of testing.
A distractor is sounds similar to the correct answer to a question, but has a different meaning. A foil is an answer that seems totally different from the other choices. Both of these ‘trick questions’ are designed to try and throw you off your game, but won’t work if you know your material, if you read through the question carefully, and if you think it through logically before answering.
When answering multiple choice questions thy eliminating the answers you know are wrong. Once the choices are narrowed down you are better able to make the correct choice.
And remember, your gut feeling is usually right. Don’t change your answer unless you are positive the first one is wrong. |
Article Details
