Answering Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple choice questions are nearly part of each examination. They may look easy on the face but they can become complex even when you have mastered the topics. Scenario based questions, where you may think "a" and "b" both option look right and you have another options as completely wrong option and another option as "all of these". Well these situations are common for all students. Thats where examiners check how knowledgeble you are. Given the scenario will you be able to take right choice and show the knowledge and skill to the world. Here’s a guide that should help you to answer questions correctly and also also ensure you manage you time effectively during an exam.Success in exams often depends on a student’s mastery of the subject, test strategies help you to go a mile further and achieve better success

Answer Simple Questions First

This is a test strategy you’ll need for every type of examination. Answering simple questions first is essential for effective time management. Imagine in a test of 30 min with 50 questions. You could finish up 15-20 questions in less than 5 min. This means you have completed 30%-40% of the exam. Rest of 60% to 70% you have 25 min to complete. Implementing this test approach, you get more confident and are able to successfully complete the test.

Don’t rush to mark your answer in the test

It happens to all of us. Sometimes we read the first few words of a question and we think we already know the answer. However, this can be costly mistake.We may miss important key words. For instance, examiners often use words such as; never, sometimes, not, or always. As such, missing one of these words can make you choose an answer that fits a given part of the question but not the whole of it. Also, pay attention to choices such as “all the above” and “none of the above.” Besides, when there are two answers that seem correct in the choices, it is safer to choose “all the above” if it’s given as an option. Not rushing also means reading all the given choices. Examiners often bait students by making the first choice as close as possible to the correct answer. The only way to be certain that your answer is correct therefore is to go through all the choices.

Eliminate the wrong answers

The elimination method is an effective way of answering multiple choice questions correctly. It involves first doing away with options that you’re sure are incorrect. Once you’ve eliminated these options, you can then choose the best possible answer from the remaining choices. However, only use this method when you’re not sure of the correct answer. If you know the answer, choose it and move to the next question to avoid wasting time.

Predict Answers to the question

Test makers do an excellent job of creating a test which has confusing answers. There is a high likelihood that some choices may be so confusing that it could be hard to ascertain the correct answer. The best way to avoid spending too much time on such questions is by first answering the question in your mind. Consequently, if you encounter too close choices, look for context clues. If the contextual clues are not present, is there a benchmark solution which has an answer to the question you are attempting. If nothing works for you its always advisable to choose the one you first thought of unless there’s a strong reason not to. Also, trusting your instincts can be useful when you’re uncertain of the correct answer and you need to make a guess.

Difficult words in the questions

You are attempting a question and there are multiple words you dont understand. There is only one option which carries some meaning to you. Do not immediately choose that option. Try and dissect difficult words for you to make sense. Remember Test-writers are the ones who are trying to evalutate you. Notice words like may, can, will often, rarely, etc. Often an answer choice will be wrong because it doesn’t contain these words but has definitive words like ‘exactly’ and ‘always’ which leaves no room for exception

Phrases in the question

Be aware of answers that repeat word for word a portion of the question. It’s usually a wrong answer. Most correct choices paraphrase a point.