It is habitual that test-takers have a tough time answering multiple choice questions, this is because they consider multiple-choice questions as a stress-free set of a question when equated to another type of questions and so forget to pay attention to it.
Irrespective of the format of the question, test takers should concentrate on multiple choice questions a lot.
Many people take a guess to answer multiple-choice questions, but these type of questions require good skill and logic to answer them. Here are a few tips on how to solve multiple-choice questions.
Types of Multiple Choice Test Questions:
As time passed by, the complexity of the competition questions has also increased. Earlier there were only text type questions, but now people have started using graphs, pictures, scrambled images, etc in multiple-choice questions.
Basically, there are two types of multiple-choice questions, they are:
- Single answer questions
- Multiple answer questions
1. Single answer questions:
These are the type of questions where we will have the option of choosing only one answer. Here the choices will be provided in radio buttons.
2. Multiple answer question:
In this type of questions, we will be having the option of selecting multiple answers. Here the choices will be provided in checkboxes.
How to Answer Multiple Choice Questions like a pro?
Multiple choice questions are mostly tricky ones. But with a little smartness, we can crack them very easily. With a little knowledge on the subject and a good strategy, you can easily answer any multiple-choice questions.
Here are 6 tips for answering multiple-choice questions
- Understand the question properly
- Equate every answer to the question asked
- Chop out the wrong answer
- If every step fails, be confident and do the guesswork.
- Longest answers are often correct
- Grammatical aid can sometimes help
Secrets for Taking Multiple Choice Tests:
Not everyone is so comfortable answering multiple-choice questions. Now if you are also in the same line, then here are few tips which will be revealing for taking up multiple choice questions.
- Take up 1 question at a time
- Do not waste time if you are not getting the answer for any question
- You can always come back at the end
- Cover all the possible answers as fast as you can
- Take up mini-breaks
- Execute a rescue round
- If no idea, then make logical guesses
Tips to Answer Multiple Choice Questions with Negative Marking:
In most of the competitive cases, multiple-choice questions are used as a preliminary exam. In such type of exams, for every wrong answer, negative points are given. So you need to answer each and every question very carefully.
Here are the best ways to solve these multiple-choice questions
- Always try to attempt the maximum number of questions
- If you think the first option is correct, make sure that last option is not “all of the above“
- Follow the same rule for the option “none of the above“
- Check all the options even if you are sure about the answer
- If confused, then skip it and move forward
- If you have a little idea about the topic, then try to attempt
- Imagine the topic to think logically without looking at the options.
- If you have one gut answer and other knowledge answers, always go with knowledge answer
- Try to use a true or false method in case of negatively worded question
- Analyze well, and convince yourself before marking the answer
- Last but not least, as per research, your first guess will always be right.
What is the Most Common Answer on Multiple Choice Tests:
Usually, option C is implicated as the right answer in multiple-choice questions.
Multiple choice questions are not randomized when asked.
The best answer to guess in such question is C. It is better than leaving the answer spot blank. Like the saying goes something is better than nothing.
As the probability of being the right answer is not nil, it is better to choose the questions as C (which is like a standard answer among people). This does not work in tests where there will be negative marking for wrong answers.
How to Answer Multiple Choice Questions Correctly: 25 Smart Tips
The following mentioned are few multiple-choice test tricks and strategies on how to pass a multiple-choice test without studying.
1. Deterring conventional wisdom:
Many individuals who take up objective type questions have the habit of guessing the middle option as the answer if they do not know. They also avoid answers which show none, all, always and never.
William Poundstone who is an author opens up that this conventional wisdom will never help throughout the exam and so ignoring conventional wisdom is vital for answering a multiple choice answer.
2. Abolishing incorrect ones:
For answering a multiple-choice question, it is a fact that the multiple options are formatted in a tough manner.
All the options seem to be right in some aspect and so the test taker can pick out the wrong answers first and then choose the right answer.
3. True or false test:
Read the question carefully and if you’re muddled by looking at the options, give each option a true or false test. Cross out the false answers and by this way, the most appropriate answer can be found out.
4. Handling all of the above:
In a multiple-choice question when there is an option as “all of the above” be careful in answering such type of question. Check to see if more than two options are right if so the choice can be opted.
5. Check the sentence:
When your question ends with ‘a’, ‘an’ or ’the’, then the answer should start appropriate to the article and hence correct answer can be chosen appropriately.
Though this does not stand true for all questions, but can help for few which has articles in it. A few questions in English can be handled this way for picking the right option.
6. Longest options:
In the midst of many questions when you find options with variable size of answers, pick the longest answer. It is a fact that the question designers cannot format very short answers.
7. Patterns and similarities:
When there are options with many variables and so, look out for the options and its patterns and similarities. Pick choices that have the same patterns and leave out the outliners so that the nearest or right answer is picked.
8. Middle-order:
The middle-order option is something which should be chosen, for example, if the options are 100,150, 200, and 250 then choosing 150 or 200 can be the right choice.
In such cases mostly, the right answers are lesser than the maximum and higher than the lowest.
9. First impression:
Always remember that the first impression is the best one. Once you have read the question, pick the right answer immediately. As you keep on reading the options there is a chance to choose the wrong option.
10. Chary reading and understanding:
Test takers should make sure to read the question carefully though it is a timed test. Many individuals waste time without reading the question, hence it is important to read the question carefully and understand what is required.
11. Practicing:
Practicing well for the exam is one way to score maximum. Past test papers, practice exams or study guides can give you an idea on how to answer MCQ questions.
12. Planning time:
In order to use time appropriately, answer the questions for which you know the answers.
For ones which you have a doubt, leave the doubtful question and skip over, at the end again read out the questions which you have not answered and complete the question paper.
By this way, your confidence is elevated and you also find more time for hard questions.
13. Focusing on keywords:
The keywords in the question are to be identified and underlined which helps to narrow down the meaning.
By this way, the right option will match each and every part of the stem of the question. For the same paying attention to qualifiers, superlatives, negatives are important.
14. Pick the answer first:
Once the question is read, formulate the answer in your mind rather than looking into the options.
Once you have formulated the answers, look into the options and you can find the answer you formed.
15. Trust instincts:
You may have opted for the first option based on your first impression, you can also change the answer if you think another response is right.
Concrete reasoning is mandatory to make any changes and not just feeling.
16. Number games never work all the time:
Playing the odd doesn’t work out all the time and so playing with such type of methods can be avoided.
Guesswork and gameplay with multiple type questions can be avoided as they do not work well all the time.
17. Learn from mistakes:
It is always a good idea to learn from your mistakes. Once the paper is returned back to you, review the answers and find out the reason for the mistakes taken place.
Reason out if it is the question pattern or study material which has made you to pick an incorrect answer. In this way mistakes in the future can be avoided.
18. Answers hid in questions:
A complete reading of the question paper is one way to find out a few answers, this is because for some questions answers are found in the question itself. The questions may have a link and answers within it too.
19. Eliminate grammatically wrong answers:
It is a good way to eliminate grammatically wrong answers in a multiple-choice question. The answers would never make sense and hence grammatically wrong answers can be avoided.
20. Opposites can be the right answer:
In a multiple-choice paper, if two options are complete opposites then there is a chance that one of them might be the answer.
It is actually a trick used by the professors to check the knowledge of the students in the subject.
21. Single-word in many options:
There are many questions where one word appears in more than one options. The answer must be one of those choices which have the same word.
In this context eliminate the odd one and choose from similar options.
22. Unrelated answers:
Once the question is read the options would have answers related to the question, if there are answers which are unrelated to the question then they can be eliminated as the wrong answer.
23. Proper preparation:
It is true that multiple-choice questions concentrate on minute details in the subject which cannot be retained in mind effectively. Preparing at an early stage is what a multiple-choice exam requires.
Frequent reviews and early preparations are ways to hack the multiple-choice exercises instead of tricks and guesswork.
24. Scheduling:
It is mandatory for intense preparation for any multiple-choice paper, it would be advisable to pay attention to terms and concepts, observations, ideas and a lot more. These tips are important as this would be the ones which most commonly appear in the exams.
You can also make lists and tables of important ideas or events which makes learning easier.
25. Do not guess all the time:
Almost all students guess most of the time for multiple choice answers but guessing would not be apt for negative marking questions. Avoid guesswork for negative marking questions as they may lower your final total.
Conclusion:
These are a few hints which can be followed for answering the multiple-choice questionnaire, but these tips are not complete 100% true to yield successful results. These are a few tricks to handle the questions. They work for some situations but not completely for all exams, all time and all scenarios. Prior preparations and training are mandatory aspects for any multiple-choice exams.
The skill to tackle a multiple choice test paper is mandatory and hence good preparation on the subject along with these techniques is required to win over such exams. Test takers and students can run through these tips with proper preparation and hack their multiple-choice exams in the right manner rather than believing in guesswork.
