Multiple-choice exams seem simple but are very complex.
We present 7 tips that will allow you to choose the right answers and beat uncertainty.
Answer first what you know, think things twice and read the sentences well are three good tips.
Multiple-choice exams often generate doubts, hesitations, and frequent mistakes in college students. Although at first glance they seem simple - they would not require more complexity than indicating the correct answers between two or more given alternatives - this type of exam can be even more complex than a traditional question and answer test.
If you are preparing for a multiple-choice exam for college, the following tips will guide you to obtain better results:
1. Answer what you know first
If you answer in order, you will probably never get to the last question. Concentrate on answering the ones you are really sure about first. In this way, you can divide the remaining time into the most complex ones.
2. Cover the options and think about the answer
Seeing the options can be confusing. It is best that you read the questions with the possible answers covered and that you try to answer them yourself. Then you can see the options and evaluate which one is closest to your answer
And tick it.
3. Be careful with the words of the sentence
In the statement itself may be the trap, so it is convenient to pay attention to its reading. If the question says "which of the following is NOT ..." remember that it is NOT denying the preposition.
4. None or all of the above answers
The best way to deal with this question is to judge each sentence individually as true or false. If two of the answers fall into the category “none or all” it is likely that the other options do as well.
William Poundstone, American writer and author of a guide that helps to obtain the best results in this type of tests, assures that the answer "none of the above" or "all of the above" will be correct in 52% of the cases.
5. Choose the longest answer
Poundstone himself recommends opting for the longest answers. According to the expert, this explains that the creators of the tests must make sure that the answers are unquestionably true, and that usually requires a long enunciation.
6. Eliminate outliers
In some tests the answers are randomly assigned by computers, which makes it common to find questions that do not respond to any pattern of answers. Remember that regardless of their order, answers that are inconsistent are often wrong.
7. Answer what is left to chance
If checking an incorrect answer does not subtract points, then it is worth answering the remaining questions at random, because we will maintain some chance of getting it right.