by Matt Bird

Created on: July 03, 2009

Ew, the dreaded multiple choice test. Some students revel in these things, thinking them a good way of ensuring you have a fair chance of getting the right answer; I, personally, hate them to death. I once had a Psychology class that was nothing BUT multiple choice tests, and I consequently failed the course the first time through.

Love or hate 'em, though, all students have to put up with them eventually. Here are some tips for making sure you survive a multiple choice test, and hopefully pass it with flying colors.

- Check how many questions you have to answer. Gauge the amount of time you have to respond to each one based on the number of questions on the test and whether you have more to do once you're done with multiple choice. On average you shouldn't spend more than 20 or 30 seconds on each question. If you get stuck on one for longer than that, move on.

- Read the questions very, very carefully. Don't stop halfway through the question and assume you know the rest of it. It's surprisingly easy to get tripped up just by not checking over the complete question. Pay attention to tricky phrasing and single words that change the entire gist of the question.

- Read the answers very, very carefully. Many answers are made to sound almost identical aside from one little difference, and that one little difference can cost you a mark. With any luck you'll read the question and know the answer without even looking at what's been supplied on the sheet.

- Make sure you're putting your answers in the right spots. Lots of teachers love to use Scantron sheets these days because the computer basically does the marking for you. It's very easy to put one answer in the wrong bubble, however, thereby putting every other question in a similarly incorrect bubble. You could ace a test and walk out with incredible confidence but still fail because your answers were all offset. For this reason, always do multiple choice tests with a pencil and eraser handy.

- If the test has multiple components - say, multiple choice, short and long answer - keep problem questions until later. Every now and then your brain will just need a little mental jog to get working again on a particular problem. Don't dwell on unanswerable questions; move on and see if your synapses connect somewhere down the line, then come back and fill in the problem question with the right answer.

- Don't change answers unless you're absolutely positive you made a mistake. Second guessing one's initial intuition is almost always a bad idea.

- And, most important of all, leave no question empty. You have a one in four or one in five chance of getting it right, so if you have absolutely no clue then just go with your best guess. Keep using that same letter or number on the other empty questions, as well, especially if you've got a whole mess of them. One of my teachers actually advised using a set pattern when answering questions you don't understand, as you'll increase the chances of getting some of them right as opposed to just guessing blindly.

The key, as with any test, is to study. If you know the material it won't matter what form it takes on an exam.

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