Important Test-Taking Strategies for Answering True/False

Many candidates often fear standardized questions in the exams, specifically the True/False format. These can be tricky and the candidates must pay time and attention to each question before they mark the answer finally.

Test Taking Tips for True/False Questions

• You should carefully read every word of the question while keeping in mind that minor detail can affect the answer. You can lose the mark for picking the wrong one if you don't pay attention to the sentences meticulously.
• You must pay attention to the negative words or the prefixes. This is because prefixes such as un, non, etc can impact and can altogether change the meaning of the statement.
• Never let the negatives create any sort of confusion and these negative words like no, not, should not be confused. Without the negative word, determine if the sentence is true/false, if the sentence is true then the correct answer will be false.
• You must read through carefully across the double negative words such as “not unlikely”. If it is mentioned “not unlikely” it simply means that it is a likely occurrence. Just remember that the statement that has two negative words is always positive. Negative words include the words beginning with the prefixes- dis-, im-, in-, and not, cannot.
• One should look for qualifying modifiers. For example- words like usually, sometimes, might, etc when they are used in the true statements.
• Look for extreme modifiers words such as always, never, absolutely, only, the best, no one, the worst. They may make a statement false which may seem as true in the first place.
• You should always remember that the questions that seem to be partly true are false. Most test-takers can often prefer them but they can be tricky.
• Long sentences should be examined carefully. This is because long sentences often contain groups of words and phrases that are separated or organized by punctuation. Every word set and phrase should be read in the statement individually and carefully. If anyone word set or phrase in the statement is false then the entire statement is false and the answer is "false".

How to approach the True/False questions?

• Every statement must be approached as if they are true.
• Next, it should be determined if there is any part of the statement that is false. If there is any false part in the entire statement then it is false.
• Every part of the sentence must be true, for it to qualify to be “true”.

When to make use of an educated guess?

When the exam does not involve negative marking for a wrong answer and you are not sure of the answer then you should make an educated guess. There are 1 in 2 chances of being right in true and false statements. However, often true/false tests contain more true answers than false. If the statements seem completely unsure, think it logically from real-life situations. Based on your experience and question read, go with your best guess.

Reason statements tend to be often false.

Whenever there are statements that define specific reasons then they tend to be false. This means that the words including “because, reason, since” usually indicate a “reason” statement.

Time should be budgeted effectively.

Whenever you are in the process of answering before beginning take a look at the entire test and see how many questions are there. If there are approximately 60 questions and the allotted time limit is 1-hour time then you must not spend more than 1 minute on each one of them. Some questions may require more time than others, therefore you cannot spend more time on questions.