Tips for MCQs

October 18, 2013 Tips for objective test taking 1
I. AN OBJECTIVE TEST CAN HAVE A
I. AN OBJECTIVE TEST CAN HAVE A
VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TEST ITEMS LIKE:
VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TEST ITEMS LIKE:
1.
1.
Free –
Free –
response
response
items
items
2.
2.
True – false
True – false
3.
3.
Fill in the blanks
Fill in the blanks
4.
4.
Completion items
Completion items
5.
5.
Match the items
Match the items
6.
6.

Multiple – choice questions or MCQs, and
Multiple – choice questions or MCQs, and
7.
7.
A variation or combination of these types.
A variation or combination of these types.
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II. Strategies for objective
tests taking.
A. Preparation for taking objective tests –
general suggestions.
1. Briefly look over the entire test to see what
is ahead of you.
2. Read the instructions for the whole test and
each subsection and make sure you
understand them. If in doubt, ask. Many
students are in such a hurry to start the
test they do not read the instructions and
make careless errors as a result.
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3. Note the number of items and figure out
how much time you have to answer each

one. For example, if there are 50 items
and your teacher limits the testing time
to 50 minutes, then you obviously have
only about a minute to answer each
question. The point here is that you
should time each item with a stopwatch.
Simply monitor your progress periodically
to make sure that you do not get caught
in a time crunch. Remember to allow time
for:
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3.1. Answer the easy items first to get the
maximum number of points. This relieves
tension and gives you confidence, thus
loosening up material from your mind as
you proceed.
3.2. If a test is more than 1 hour in length,
give yourself 5 or so minutes to clear your
mind, stretch, and go to the restroom.
3.3. Check to see that your responses were
marked in the correct places on the
answer sheet.
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3.4. Are there penalties for guessing? If not,
answer every answer.
3.5. If you think you know an item but are not
sure, mark your response and come back to the
question. However, first impressions or
intuitions tend to be correct, so if you do
change your answer be sure you have a good
reason to do so; research indicates that in 3
out of 4 times your first choice was probably
correct.
3.6. If the question seems intelligible, reword it
or break it down into part.
3.7. Return to questions you couldn't answer
initially and try them again.
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3.8. Don't waste time reviewing answers of
which you are confident are correct.
3.9. Beware of mandatory words such as
“never” or “must” or “always”. The obvious
answer might not be correct if there are
exceptions to the statements.
3.10. Words such as “seldom”, “normally”,
and generally” or ‘usually” allow
exceptions, however.
3.11. Use information from other test

items. Often the answer to a question is
found in another.
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B. Tips for types of objective
tests taking.
1. True – False questions:
1.1. Watch for qualifiers or mandatory
words such as "always," never," or
"must."  If they are present,
chances are the statement is "False,"
since few things are "always, "never,"
or "must."
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•
Example: (Comprehension Unit 7 –
English 12, 7 years)
•
Question b (page 102): American
men always shake hands when they
meet. T / F
•
The obvious answer here is false (F).

And questions c, f, h in this unit have
the same forms as the example above.