Guidelines to Taking Multiple Choice Questions

Taking multiple choice questions is not a walk in the park as some would believe, it requires in-depth knowledge and a deep understanding of the subject at hand. Therefore, it is vital that students have a good strategy for answering such questions. Here are tips and guidelines that have been proven effective in answering multiple choice questions:

1. Skim over every question

2. Identify manageable questions

3. Answer in your mind first

4. Read every answer option

5. Use elimination method

6. Make an educated guess

7. Go through the questions one more time

1. Skim over every question

Skimming over every question is a wise technique that gives you an idea of what the test is going to cover. It tunes your mind towards a single direction that helps you think of the required answers. Moreover, you will be priming your brain for each question when you skim over the questions. Some of the questions will be outrightly easy and you will have the answers even before looking at the choices. It is important you mark them so that you can get back to them as fast as possible once you finish skimming over the paper.

2. Identify manageable questions

After identifying the questions that are very easy, read each questions keenly and entirely in order to understand questions – which might not necessarily be easy – but are manageable. Read the question and understand what it requires before glancing over the answer section. Try and see whether you can answer the question without looking at the choices given in the paper. Start by answering the easy and then the manageable questions, this helps save on time while it increases your motivation in carrying on with the test. Ensure you cross-check on the right answer and be entirely convinced that you picked the right choice before proceeding to the next question.

3. Answer in your mind first

Especially for the easy and manageable questions, ensure that you answer the questions in your mind first before considering the choices. In most cases, answering the question in your mind first prevents the likelihood of a student talking themselves out of the correct answer. Thereafter, look at the answer options and eliminate them promptly to ensure your answer is as you know it. This method is very effective and should be used in every question that is deemed manageable or easy even more to the hard ones.

4. Read every answer option

Multiple choice questions can be tricky and even tempting. They usually tempt the student to quickly read the question and skim for answers they are familiar with. In most cases, the right answer is usually disguised in a complicated statement as a wrong answer is simply made clear and open for one to easily choose. More often than not, students end up choosing the wrong answer while they firmly believe it was the right one. After understanding the requirement of a question and answering it in your mind, go through every answer option and ensure the right answer is within the choices. Cross check for the second one to ascertain the accuracy of your choice.

5. Use elimination method

Use elimination methods to dismiss answers that you are 100 percent sure that they are wrong before choosing the right answer. This helps improve the probability of choosing the right answer. Even when you are certain of the correct answer, first eliminate the wrong answers and remain with the correct choice.

6. Make an educated guess

This is the epitome of this article, making an educated guess for hard and nigh impossible questions for you. As you use the tips in this post, you will come across certain questions that you are unfamiliar with, even those you cannot fathom. Now do not feel guilty, it is normal for any human to not know everything, that’s the point of education, to know what you never knew. However, since you are a determined student who wants the best grades, it is eminent you make the best out of every question, harnessing all possible marks. Making an educated guess is a trick that will help you get marks even when you never knew the answer to the question – the only advantage that is accrued to multiple choice questions. In doing so, look for clues within the choices that will narrow down into the correct answer. Use the psychology of people which shows certain human flaws when it comes to setting multiple choice questions.

First, note that C is never automatically the correct answer; it was, until it became a cliché, now ever exam setter knows the obvious choice of students. In a recent statistical research over 100 multiple choice exams, William Poundstone who authored Rock Breaks Scissors, illustrate the human bias that is associated with multiple choice questions. He notes that – in over 83% of the times, C was the least favored letter for correct choices while B took the lead. Moreover, the author noted that most questions had the continuity bias, in that if the answer was a continuity of the question so that it was grammatically correct, then it was probably the correct answer. What is more, Poundstone also ascertained that correct answers of the same letters occurring consecutively was less likely.

Now you have it, you can make an educated guess based on statistics, which never fails. Remember that adequately preparing for the exam is more efficient than any other method – there is no trick that beats adequate preparation.

7. Go through the questions one more time

Lastly, it is important that you go through the whole paper one more time question by question. Never assume that you had the right answer the first time. Going through the paper also enables you to know your overall performance in the paper as it also allows you to correct mistakes done when choosing the paper.

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