Test taking is a skill that is best learned by students when they are in middle school or high school. They are skills, strategies and techniques that help them to be accurately tested on their knowledge and attain the grades and scores that best identify their skill level.
Studying for a test that is to be a multiple choice exam is different from preparing for a test that is short answer, fill in the blank or essay. And even though these tests include the answer somewhere in the choices can actually be more difficult because of the high number of questions and information the student must know, and familiarity that the student must have with a large number of specific facts.
Multiple choice tests also have a higher number of badly written questions or poorly crafted answers. They are more difficult to write than an essay question so students may get more bad questions that increase the risk of ambiguity in the answers.
But even with the potential challenges there are some strategies that help to increase the ability of the student to excel at the multiple choice question student. Start by preparing correctly for the test, studying the correct information, acquiring a wealth of facts that will be tested and learning to relax before the exam.
When you get to the test read over the questions and preview the test. Answer the multiple choice questions first, which may give you information you will need later in the essay questions. Find out how many questions there are to answer and how much time you have to take the test. One of the worst problems that a student will face is getting to the end of the time and having questions left to answer.
If the test is over an hour take a few short breaks where you sit quietly with your eyes closed and take a few deep breaths. This helps to stay fresh during the test keep you productively answering questions.
When you take a multiple choice test answer the questions you are confident about first. Read the questions and the answers carefully and thoroughly. Mark any questions you don\’t know the answer to and go back to them later but try to keep that to less than 10% of the total number of questions.
Be careful of the \”all of the above\” or \”none of the above\” questions. They are sometimes the correct choice but can also be used to distract or confuse the student.
If a question has negative words such as \”none\”, \”not\”, \”never\”, or \”neither\” then you are looking for a catch. Be positive that you know and understand the question because there will be an answer even if your thinking is backwards.
Never overanalyze a question or assume to much about the information being given in either the question or the answer. Eliminate the answers that are obviously wrong and take it down to two possible answers. Figure out how those two answers are different and how they relate to the question. If there is no difference between the two possible answers then the right answer may be one of the ones that you already eliminated.
Know the rules of the test – if there is no penalty for guessing then you should eliminate the options and make a good educated guess. However, if you are penalized for guessing then it is best to leave the question empty. Use any hints you can get from the questions you already know and be sure that if you are changing any answers you are sure about the corrections.
Multiple choice questions are challenging. Most students learn that they aren\’t nearly as easy as they once hoped but by incorporating these tips into your test taking strategies students are able to improve their outcomes and scores.