How to Take a Multiple-Choice Test
Things to Find Out First:
1) How are the multiple-choice items graded? If there is no penalty for wrong answers, then you should answer every question, even the ones about which you are clueless, because in four-option questions you have a 25% probability of hitting a right answer through random chance; if you can eliminate one or two options, your odds are correspondingly better. However, if there is a penalty for wrong answers, then you should leave unknown questions blank unless you can eliminate enough possibilities to make the odds more in your favor (i.e. in four-option questions you would want to be able to eliminate two possibilities).
2) How much time will you have? Check over
the test and figure out how much time you want to budget for different sections.
This is not easy to foresee exactly, but you should have rough targets that you
can use to pace yourself.
Strategies:
1) Read over the question carefully, ALL alternatives. Mark your preferred answer. Move along quickly.
2) If you are not clear about the answer, reread the question, then proceed as above.
3) If two readings do not reveal the answer, then mark the
question in some way, so that you know you have temporarily skipped it, and move
along. Even though you will probably eventually want to answer the question, it
is better to skip it temporarily than stare at it, not only because of the time
factor but also because, if you keep going, your memory may be jogged by some
information found in a later question.
Common Mistakes:
1) Not reading through all possible choices carefully. Even if an early answer looks right, a later option that also seems correct can be a stimulus for rethinking. Moreover, even if a) is right, the possibility remains that the best answer is "d) all of the above."
2) Taking too much time. Multiple-choice questions often constitute only one part of a test. Try to get through them as quickly as possible. If you spend most of a test contemplating multiple-choice options, you may not have sufficient time to write essays, identifications, etc.
3) Second guessing. Many studies--and all teachers--will tell you that second guessing yourself on multiple choice answers is a losing strategy. Students more often talk themselves out of right answers than out of wrong ones (this is statistically understandable if over 50% of your answers are right and you are randomly changing the answers on items on which you feel clueless). Even if, when changing answers, you manage to break even, you will still have wasted time that could have been better spent on other parts of the test.
4) Overlooking words in the question that "reverse the flow." A normal four-option multiple choice question includes one right answer and three wrong ones, However, certain words in the question can reverse this pattern and ask you to look for the one wrong answer amidst three right ones. These words include "not," "least," etc. For example, "Among the following theories, the least probable explanation for the fall of the Roman Empire is..." is a question that would require you to discard the better answers and choose the worst one. To avoid problems here, read each question carefully. And note that some teachers may attempt to help you out by using italics or bolding or underlining to signal words that reverse the flow.