Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are a popular assessment format used in many educational settings. MCQs are efficient and convenient for both the teacher and student. However, MCQs are not always easy to master, and many students struggle to achieve high scores on MCQ exams.
I only started working on MCQ’s later on in my academic life, as my tests were usually in ‘question and answer’ form. It took me a while to really start feeling confident during mcq’s, until I learned these tips through a lot of trial and error! In this article, we will discuss some techniques that can help you improve your MCQ scores and perform better during these types of exams.
Table of Contents
1. Read the Questions Carefully
This step might seem a little dumb, but it might be one of the most important ones here! This is especially true for multiple-choice questions, since they can be very tricky sometimes.
In fact, not reading and simply skimming through the questions can easily lead to getting incorrect answers!
A great idea is to look for keywords and phrase that can help you identify the correct answer.
Pay attention to words like ‘not‘, ‘except‘ and ‘always‘ as these can completely change the meaning of the question.
Once you’ve read the questions properly and have understood it, you can then go on to reading the choices! This little trick can guarantee you get better mcqs scores!
2. Read the Choices Carefully to Get Great MCQS Scores
It’s also really important to pay attention to the choices! Don’t forget, the answers are what will get you the marks you deserve!
There will be a lot of hidden clues throughout the answers that will give you a hint about the answer. For example, you should try to look out for answers that seem the same, as these are the ones that will confuse you the most!
Multiple-choice questions are designed to make you choose between already written answers. Whilst this may seem simpler than writing your own answer, it’s also really easy to get confused by the choices. That’s why you need to read through everything dilligently, one simple detail can throw you off and make you choose the wrong answer!
Also, some of the words I mentioned in the previous step will be used in the choices, so remember to look out for them too!
3. Manage Your Time Wisely
TIme management is key to performing well in your MCQS, as well as other types of assessments!
It is important to pace yourself and allocate your time wisely. Really, time management is simply a fine line between not spending too much time on any question, but also not rushing!
If there’s a question that is really troubling you, skip it and go back to it later. The reason you should do this is so that you give yourself the time to answer the other questions!
In fact, you can even choose to answer the easier questions first and tackle the more difficult ones towards the end.
Another important point with regards to time management is that you leave enough time to review your answers! If you manage to do that, you can ensure that you can make any necessary connections that you might have missed! Of course, the best way to go about this would be to practise MCQS past papers, whilst timing yourself!
If you’d like some help with time management in general, check out my article geared to guide you through it!
4. Cross Out the Wrong Answers to Ensure you Ace your MCQS
This is known as an elimination process and it has fantastic results!
In fact, using the elimination method could be the difference between simply passing or acing your MCQS with flying colours!
The idea is to rule out every incorrect answer, whilst you leave the correct answer as the final one! This is absolutely perfect for MCQS since you need to narrow your options down to get the correct answer.
In fact, this method is especially beneficial when you are stuck on a specific question. Some mcqs seem like they are right, but are actually wrong. Remember, they’re designed to seem like that! It’s up to you to use the process of elimination properly to ensure you get the right one!
Better still, if you’re successful in eliminating at least 2 out of 4 answers, your chances of getting the question right jump up to 50%! Remember, reading through your questions carefully will better help you eliminate the wrong answers, if you rush through this process you won’t get good results!
5. Check for Patterns
Sometimes, (although not always) the choices in your MCQS may have a certain pattern.
For example, you can look for keywords in the question that will help you define the answer. I’ll explain in a little more detail.
Let’s say one of the questions asks ‘What is the capital of Germany?’. In this case, the keyword is actually ‘capital‘, so the correct answer has to be a city!
Once you begin to pay attention to the keywords, finding the right answers will be much easier. MCQ’s are kind of like puzzle pieces, and once you work on them enough, your ability to see these patterns and use them to your advantage will improve!
What if Finding Keywords isn’t Working?
In that case, you can look at the choice that includes all the relevant information. Usually, these choices are the right ones – but you obviously have to know your material really well. Some people think that randomly guessing answers is a good option for these types of tests, but the likely-hood of you getting a good grade is low. You need to know the ins and outs of your material, enough to know all of the relevant and detailed information and spot it in a question!
Conclusion
MCQS can sometimes be a little overwhelming, but with these tips and tricks they don’t have to be! Different kinds of exams have different strategies, and these are specifically tailored for MCQ’s, so why not try them out and assess the results for yourself?
Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments!
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