 |
|
Six Hints for Taking Multiple Choice Examinations
Collected by NICET
Multiple choice examinations are not easy; especially if the persons creating the exam are aware of the ways in which multiple choice questions can be made easy; i.e., offering essentially a question for which not all of the options even have to be read—a knowledgeable candidate has only to read option A to realize that there must be an option D that is "none of the above".
There are, however, some techniques that you can effectively use when taking multiple choice examinations.
First: Read the questions. Answer only those that you know on the first pass, flag the others for later review. Reading ahead, you may sometimes find the answer to a question that was perplexing.
Second: Read the questions. Read each question carefully. Do not skip over words as you may not notice that the question is asking for the exception.
Third: Read the questions. Read each question, and then read each answer. If the right answer does not pop right up, read the question and answer A, read the question and answer B, etc. That way the correct answer may be the only one that makes a great deal of sense to you. (Hint: sometimes you can grasp the sense of a question without readily remembering the correct answer).
Fourth: Read the question. Read only the question. Answer only the question. Do not try to out-think the question and decipher the exact meaning behind it and the possible exceptions to it. Take the question as it is; one question in splendid isolation and answer it, and only it, accordingly.
Fifth: Watch the time. Know how many questions are on the exam and how many minutes you can devote to either each one or to each section of five or ten questions. Stick to your time limit. This way you have a good shot at finishing the entire exam instead of getting stuck somewhere in the middle.
Sixth: Change your answers. If you think you answered incorrectly the first time, don't hesitate to change your answer to the one you now feel is correct. It is only a myth that your first choice is always the best choice; most often if you think of a good reason to change your answer, you should change it. But don't change it unless you have a reason to do so.
Feel free to refer to the following links to additional web sites that have relevant information on test taking:
www.socialpsychology.org/testtips.htm
homepages.cambrianc.on.ca/tutorial/
thetutorialcentre/mathscience/science/
PREPARING%20FOR%20MULTIPLE%20CHOICE%20EXAMS.html
academic.udayton.edu/legaled/barpass/MultipleChoice/mc00.htm
www.yorku.ca/cdc/lsp/eponline/exam4.htm
www.coun.uvic.ca/learning/exams/multiple-choice.html
|
|
 |