Improve Your Scoring on Multiple-Choice Tests

Students view a multiple-choice exam in different ways. People think that it is the easiest type of exam because there are options to choose from. The chance of finding the right answer is high because it is right there. This might be true, but to some teachers, this is their opportunity to show their students that there is more to studying than memorization. In multiple-choice exams, you will be presented with answers that might sound or look correct. If you understand the subject of the exam, you will have enough reasoning to support your answers as you examine the choices.

Now that you are convinced that multiple-choice tests can be easy or difficult depending on how they are constructed, you must find ways to turn it into a win-win situation.

• We know that multiple-choice exams can be designed to confuse you, so you need to play the elimination game. The goal is to eliminate two or three options that you think are not the answer. Now, look at your paper. You are left with two answers, meaning you have a 50% chance of getting the right answer. Now it is time to go back to what you learned in school. Try to remember everything you have learned about the topic and make your choice.

• Sometimes, these exams come with a twist. A point will be deducted for every wrong answer you give. So what exactly are you going to do? Are you going to leave every number blank when you feel doubtful about the answer, or answer them anyway? Just when you are about to say, “The money is already in the bank,” you are hit with this twist. There are two ways to go. One is to leave the number blank for the time being and go back to it after you answer the last question. This is a good strategy, especially if the test has a very narrow coverage area, because sometimes the answer or a clue is in another question.

  The other strategy is simply to leave the number blank. This is good for questions you cannot answer no matter how much you think about them. You can be sure that you will not be given a deduction if you leave it blank. But if you leave it to Lady Luck, you have a 25% chance of getting the right answer and a 75% chance of getting the wrong answer. That means you are leaving a very large margin for error and a very big chance of getting the deduction.

• Of course, there are times when your teacher feels like a Good Samaritan and gives you a break. There are no deductions for wrong answers, and the questions are straightforward. You won’t have to pick a practice choice or encounter multiple answers. This is the time to give it all you've got. And don’t forget to say thank you to your teacher on your way out.

No matter how a multiple-choice exam looks or how difficult it is, the key to getting the right answer in multiple-choice questions is logic and reasoning skills. If you feel the need to practice, take a multiple-choice test or quiz on the Internet.