Multiple-choice questions are the most common exam pattern noticed in almost every educational system all over the world. So, learning the proper way to approach multiple-choice questions is essential. The reasons why these MCQ-based exams can be perplexing have less to do with the difficulty level of the material and more to do with the arrangement of the exams.
College entrance exams, admission tests, and other competitive examinations contain multiple-choice questions. Many students believe that multiple-choice exams are straightforward and do not require rigorous hard work to solve. Since you will undoubtedly ask these types of questions on tests if you are preparing for admission tests or competitive exams, learning some techniques will benefit you.
You should have a better understanding of how to take the guesswork out of MCQ examinations if you understand how to prepare yourself and how to approach and evaluate the structure of multiple-choice problems. However, all tests are written by humans, and human nature makes it impossible for any test to be truly random.
According to William Poundstone, a well-known scholar and author of the popular book “Rock Breaks Scissors: A Practical Guide to Outguessing and Outwitting Almost Everybody“, says that various common patterns have been found in multiple-choice tests, including computer-organised exams like GRE or SATs.
After examining 200 tests, 2500+ questions in total, from various colleges and universities sources, high school and professional school exams, and even licencing exams for radio operators, Poundstone has found statistical patterns across all materials.
Multiple Choice Strategies
Since most of your admission tents semester exams are object-oriented and lengthy, knowing how to answer MCQs in a dead-on manner might comfort your mind.
So how do you manage it? How do you answer objective questions like a king?
Types of Multiple Choice Test Questions:
As years passed by, the complexity of the MCQs has also increased. Earlier, there were only text type questions, but now the examiner committee has started using pictures, graphs, flowcharts, scrambled images etc., in multiple-choice questions.
Basically, there are two types of multiple-choice questions: Single answer questions and multiple answer questions.
Single answer questions are the type of questions where you will choose only one answer. Here the choices will be provided in radio buttons.
In multiple answer questions, you will have the option of selecting multiple answers. Here the choices will be provided in checkboxes.
Tricks to follow for your MCQ exams:
Time management strategy
One of the most crucial success criteria hides how you can manage your time during exam time. So, here is how to deal with the constant fear of running out of time.
The step starts even before you sit for the examination. After that, you know the duration of the study and the number of questions to be asked.
So, make a plan to attempt every question. Plan the maximum number of minutes you can allot for each question. For example, suppose there are 100 questions and your time is 120 minutes. That means you have 1.2 minutes for each question. This way, you can ensure that you won’t spend more than a specific amount of time on each question.
Allot the first 20 minutes in skimming the paper. Then, read through all of the questions, and as you know, you will see some easy-to-go solutions straight questions, moderately calculative and extremely complex problems to you.
Here, you can use a common trick and mark D beside the question you think you can’t solve quickly, E beside the easy questions and M for moderately calculative questions.
Do this in a composed manner and complete this process as soon as possible. Don’t take too much time.
The next part of your plan involves solving the question starting from the most accessible questions that are the ones you mark “E”. This will boost your confidence, and you can process with the “M” questions and ultimately with complex questions.
Using elimination trick
The general trick for any multiple-choice question is to enrich the chance of the correct answer by omitting all possible incorrect answers. In many MCQs, you will observe you can just eliminate one solution promptly after reading the question.
It will save you ample time and minimise your time consumption. You also might get lucky and be left with only one option.
Attempting mock tests:
There is no substitute for attempting mock MCQ tests online or offline. You will get various MCQ question answer booklets with previous question papers. Allot a time for you to try at least one mock test in a day. Self-assessment is the best solution to eliminate your weakness and identify your strong points.
Consider “All of the Above”
If you get some idea about an “all of the above “or “None of these“- evaluate it a little more, and you may get your answer. If you feel at least one choice is correct, having no idea about the third one, perhaps all of the above is your answer. Like you take help from Assignment Provider, ask them to teach you various MCQ questions.
Using the right technique:
Brainstorming for each question is the real game for MCQ based questions. It is a technique many experts personally suggests while attempting MCQs. You can try to answer before looking at the options. It helps you distinguish the wrong answers from the correct ones (s). It also allows you to avoid those options that seem similar to the answer, but they are not quite it. So have an idea of what the answer might be.
Understand the question:
It is the foremost thing to understand the question is essential in answering. Every answer may seem correct, but not to every question. So, according to many experts, students should read every question at least three times and identify what it’s asking for.
With multiple-choice questions, you might also want to be careful with those “Not” and “Except” tricks. So take your time; otherwise, you might give the correct answer to the wrong question.
Check articles in questions:
When your question ends with ‘a’, ‘an’ or’ the’, then the answer should start appropriate according to the article, and hereafter precise answer can be selected appropriately. Though this does not stand correct for all questions, it can help a few that have articles in it.
Use basic Instincts:
You may have chosen the first option based on your first impression, and you can also change the answer if you think another response is accurate. Objective reasoning is mandatory to make any changes and not just feeling.
Answers covered in questions:
A complete reading of the question paper is the best way to find out a few answers. It is because, for some questions, solutions are found in the question itself. The questions may have a link and answers within it too.
Eliminate grammatically wrong answers:
It is an excellent way to eliminate grammatically wrong answers in a multiple-choice question. The answers would never make sense, and hence grammatically wrong answers should be avoided firmly.
Patterns and approaches:
When there are options with many variables, seek out the options and their patterns and resemblances.
Pick up those choices with the same patterns or styles and leave the space so that the nearest or correct answer is picked.
Examiners should read the question carefully though it is a scheduled test. Many students waste time without reading the question; hence it is essential to read the question carefully and comprehend what is compulsory.
Just the way you need dissertation help from experts, you will get mock tests online samples.
Practising well for the exam is one way to score maximum. Attempting mock tests papers, practice exams, or study guides can give you an idea of answering MCQ questions.
Stick to your first answers but not always:
It is an excellent way to stick with the answer you first chose after reading the question. According to many experts, it is counterproductive to constantly second guess yourself and changes your answer.
It breaks your faith oneself. But it doesn’t mean your first answer choice is essentially the correct answer choice.
While multiple-choice tests aren’t usually intentionally designed to trick or confuse students, they test students’ knowledge, reasoning and reading ability.
The options provided will often include the most common wrong answer among the choices or solutions that seem logical but ultimately incorrect or the best answer.
Opposites can be the correct answer:
In a multiple-choice test, if two options are complete opposites, then there is a chance that one of them might be your answer. It is actually a hoax used by the instructors to check the students’ knowledge of the subject. Don’t be confused with it.
Single-word:
There are many questions where one word appears in more than one choice. The answer must be one of those choices which have the same word. In this context, remove the odd one out and choose from similar options.
Conclusion:
These are fourteen great suggestions that can be followed for answering the multiple-choice questionnaire. But these tricks are not complete 100% real, so all students should experiment with approaches that are highly needed here—the skill to tackle 100 questions in 100 minutes strategy. Mock test participants and college students can run through these tips properly and hack their multiple-choice exams in the proper manner rather than believing in guesswork.
Author Bio:
Ethan Taylor is one of the best experts and scholars at MyAssignmenthelp.com. Ethan has been associated with the MyAssignmenthelp team for the last seven years with Essay Creator tool and provided essential tips and guides to international students.