Everyone’s taken a multiple-choice test before – they’re one of the most popular test formats in the world. However, they can be pretty difficult to do well in. Examiners often try to trip you up by writing confusing questions or making all the answers vaguely similar. Because of this, it’s so important that you know how to deal with multiple-choice tests successfully!
- Read the question carefully
- Cross out wrong answers
- Don’t skip questions
- Check your answers
- Maths MCQs
Read the question carefully
With MCQ tests, you might try to rush through the questions because the answers seem so simple. Not so fast – take your time to consider each and every question. Underline any key information the question is asking you to find, and only then start thinking about what the right answer is.
Cross out wrong answers
If you’re not sure about a question, cross out any wrong answers first to help you work out the right answer by the process of elimination. Even if you’re pretty sure you know the answer, cross out the wrong answers so that you have to think more carefully about your answer.
Don’t skip questions
If you really don’t know the answer, just take a guess! When guessing, I try to find the most average answer and just choose that, since it’s probably right. There’s a 1/4 or 1/5 chance that you’re right, so just fill in any answer. Also, be sure to mark the question, so you know to come back to it when you’re done.
Check your answers
This is especially important for really long MCQ tests with 50 or more questions. Please make sure that you check your answers – not just for accuracy, but also to make sure that you’ve filled in the correct bubble. This is so important – you don’t want to lose marks just because you’ve written all your answers shifted one bubble down.
Maths MCQs
For maths MCQs, make sure that you work out the answer first. Examiners will often tempt you with answers that seem correct but aren’t actually, so make sure that you work out your answer first, then choose an answer from the options.
