Acing might be a stretch, but this article suggest there really are tricks that work.

In an effort to test the whether there was any merit to multiple choice test-taking strategies, author William Poundstone crunched the data on a sample of 100 multiple choice tests, 34 from schools and colleges and 66 from other sources. All told, he looked at a total of 2,456 questions. You can read the excerpt from his book in the article, but here are a few of his interesting findings:

Tips for True False Test Questions

• “True” answers are more common than “false” ones. The average split was 56% true and 44% false.
• The chance that the next answer will be different from the present one is 63%. That’s more than the expected 50% for a random sequence.

As a result, Poundstone suggests:

• Go through the entire test, marking the answers you know, before attempting to make any guesses.
• Look at the known correct answers of the items before and after the one(s) that’s left you stumped. When both neighbouring answers are the same (both false, let’s say), guess the opposite (true).
• Should the before and after answers be different, guess true (because true answers are more likely overall).

Tips for Multiple Choice Test Questions

• In my total sample, a none/all answer was correct 52% of the time that there was such an answer.
• On tests with three choices (call them A, B, and C), the options were about equally likely to be correct.
• With four options, the second answer (B) was slightly favoured, being correct about 28% of the time. That’s compared to the expected 25% for four answers.
• With five options, the last answer (E) was the most commonly correct one (23%). The middle choice (C) was the least favoured (17%).

That suggests you should pick the second answer (B) on four-choice tests and the fifth answer (E) on five-choice tests.

All told, his study supports what many of us have known all along: there’s more to test-taking than studying the content. You need to work the test format too.

I received this inquiry the other day:

“…my scores on 3 tests have been in the mid 60’s, not normal for me!! And on top of that the dreaded “select all that apply” I know the material and understand it with all the signs and symptoms but can’t seem to get through the instructors tests, which are so different from her lectures! Any suggestions?”

Like most multiple choice test problems, once you know the content, the real issue is the test format itself–multiple choice questions are a different way of looking at the material compared to how you learned it, and that’s tricky for some people.

The answer? More practice with the test format. You need to do as many sample multiple choice tests and questions as possible in the time leading up to the test.

But what if you can’t find any? What if your course material is unusual, or you’ve simply done all the sample tests you can find? No problem: just make your own.

How to Create Your Own Sample Multiple Choice Questions

1. Find A Few Friends

About five people is ideal. All they need is a familiarity with the material (they’re in the same class as you) and a willingness to put in less than an hour’s work.

2. Each Person Creates 20 Questions

Using their study materials, each person is responsible for creating 20 multiple choice questions. If you find 5 other people besides you, then each person in the group will end up with 100 new study questions.

3. Review and Reap the Rewards

Share the questions around. Do it by paper, shared online docs, email, whatever. That’s it!

The payoff for this is huge. Not only do you get 100 new multiple choice questions to practice with, but you get massive study gains from actually creating questions yourself!

Evidence continues to mount that sticking with your first gut answer on your multiple choice test probably isn’t the right choice.

The standard advice for multiple-choice tests is: if in doubt, stick with your first answer.

College students believe it: about 75% agree that changing your first choice will lower your score overall (Kruger et al., 2005). Instructors believe it as well: in one study 55% believed it would lower students’ scores while only 16% believed it would improve them.

And yet this is wrong.

One survey of 33 different studies conducted over 70 years found that, on average, people who change their answers do better than those who don’t (Benjamin et al., 1984). In none of these studies did people get a lower score because they changed their minds.  <source>

Next time you’re faced with the age-old multiple choice dilemma, it seems that the best choice is to let your head rule over your intuition…

Can you improve your multiple choice test results with sudoku?

Really?

Actually, yes. The biggest challenge most students face with the multiple choice format is the logic skills required. Multiple choice tests are fundamentally about the process of elimination – your goal is just as much to discard the wrong answers as it is to find the right ones.

Sudoku, if you pay attention, is a similar process. It’s a logic puzzle, which in it’s simplest form is a 9×9 grid in which each row, column and 3×3 sub-grid contains all of the numbers from 1-9, but only once in each. In order to complete the puzzle, you need to use a simple set of logic skills similar to that used in finding the correct answer for multiple choice questions.

Using Sudoku for Your Next Multiple Choice Test

There are two ways you can use these puzzle for multiple choice tests. The first is to use it during your test prep. Try doing a few puzzles before tackling a practice test, and see if you notice a difference. The second is to do a few puzzles immediately before an exam to get the right logic parts of your brain fired up. In my opinion, that not only helps you get through an exam faster, it also reduces multiple choice test anxiety.

Give it a shot – after all, how often do you get test prep advice that tells you to procrastinate by playing games online?

– S.M.

Sudoku Tests Online:

• Web Sudoku
• Daily Sudoku
• sudoku.com.au

Reader S. writes:

I’m taking an introductory course in speech language pathology (SLP).  My professor gave us a mid-term consisting of 50 multiple choice questions and I only got 35 right. I was very disappointed and now I’m dreading the final…I don’t think my grade reflects my knowledge…I spent soo much time studying for the exam and I was certain that I knew the material.

Can you offer any sample multiple choice questions on communication disorders or suggest a study guide on communication disorders with multiple choice questions and answers so I can practise? I tend to do bad in multiple choice exams and I really need to practise.

First of all, yes – you do need to practice. See below for resources. But most importantly, if you’re certain you knew the material, than the problem isn’t really a lack of knowledge in SLP. It’s lack of specific skills for multiple choice tests. You even mentioned it yourself: “I tend to do bad in multiple choice exams.”

That indicates a problem not with the specific course, but with the MCQ test format. Use the resources below, sure, but be sure to focus specifically on the sample multiple choice questions. Before that, though, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of Mastering Multiple Choice. It’s available in print or e-book. The e-book version is guaranteed by yours truly.

Books With Sample SLP Tests or Practice Multiple Choice Questions:

Here area few speech language books focused on the Praxis examination. Check them out, and the “Customers who ordered this” section for some other possibilities:

• SLP/Praxis Study Guides

Other Resources:

• NespaExam.com has a few free resources (as well as paid material). They also offer a series of podcasts.
• How about an iphone/ipod touch app?
• Some sample questions (PDF)
• A free study guide with lots of book references

Good luck!

Let’s get straight to the point: one of the greatest challenges facing you on your next multiple choice test is not the questions. It’s how you feel about the test.

If that sounds a little flaky, hang on. Test anxiety is a crushing force when it comes to multiple choice test-taking. In fact, research shows that students with high levels of test anxiety score 15 points lower in math and English. Make no mistake – test anxiety is very real, and has a very real impact on your grades. (And, FYI, it also affects women up to twice as frequently as men.)

Conventional wisdom tells us that the better prepared we are for an exam, the lower our anxiety. The reality, however, is that for those students who are worried about the multiple choice test format, not the content, extra studying doesn’t make the fear go away. If you suffer from multiple choice test anxiety, you know first hand that weeks and weeks of test prep can go out the window in an instant when you’re faced with that first confusing multiple choice question.

We’ve offered up multiple choice test anxiety tips before, but we’re going to back up a stage in the process this time. Instead of tackling MCQ anxiety by the brute force of studying harder or longer, let’s try something different: examine why multiple choice tests are in fact easier.

Why Should They Be Easy?

Multiple choice test anxiety isn’t about content. You might pass a written test with flying colors, but put that same test in multiple choice format and you crash and burn.  The issue isn’t the knowledge. It’s being scared shirt-less about the format.

Think about it: if you actually believed that multiple choice exams were easier than other test formats, how would that change your anxiety level?

But here’s the good news. Multiple choice exams are easier. Honestly – they really are. They offer a clear advantage to the test-taker, provided they’ve learned the test format.

To start our new optimistic outlook, here are five reasons why the phrase “multiple choice” should be music to your ears:

1. The Answer Is Given To You – That’s right.  Somewhere in the list of responses is the right answer.  What could be easier?
2. You Can Guess – You may hear that you shouldn’t guess.  I’m telling you right now it’s not true.  (The Mastering Multiple Choice system teaches you how to guess properly.)
3. Basic Brainwork – Many multiple choice exams tend to emphasize basic definitions or simple comparisons, rather than asking students to analyze new information or apply theories to new situations.  In other words, they’re often easier.
4. More Questions – What!  I thought more questions made it harder! That may be true, but more questions means each question is worth less overall.  That lowers your risk on each question.
5. Grammar Don’t Count – You don’t have to be Shakespeare to write multiple choice.  At the most you just have to neatly color in circles.  So you don’t have to be Picasso either.

Still freaked? If you feel like your test anxiety is related to the test style, not the content – that is, you’re more freaked out by multiple choice questions than, say, anatomy or statistics – then try Mastering Multiple Choice. It works, and it’s guaranteed. – S.M.

Note: The GRE uses the multiple choice format liberally. If you want the links to the GRE sample questions, just scroll down. If you’d like an overview first, and some GRE-specific multiple choice strategies, keep reading! -SM

The Basic GRE Structure

Three of the four GRE test sections are in multiple choice format – that makes this exam, like others, a challenge for anyone who feels like MCQ’s give them a hard time.

The three multiple choice sections on the GRE are:

• Verbal: This section tests language abilities using questions involving sentence completion, antonyms,  and analogies. Normally about 30 multiple choice questions and 30 minutes.
• Quantitative: This section tests high school mathematics. Typically about 28 MCQ’s, 45 minutes.
• Experimental: The GRE often includes new test questions so that they can be benchmarked for difficulty. The good news is that these questions won’t count towards your score. The bad news is that you won’t know which ones they are, if any – they’ll be blended right in with the rest of the questions.

For our multiple choice purposes here, that’s enough background. If you want to get into scoring algorithm and other nitty-gritty details, check out the GRE Wikipedia page.

GRE Multiple Choice Tips

• Practice your CAT skills: The GRE is a computer adaptive test (CAT). That changes the game a little – make sure you download the software (below) and check out our list of computer adaptive test tips.
• Nail the First Five Questions: they count for more. After that…
• …Answer Everything: There are no penalties for wrong answer on the GRE. Make sure you answer every multiple choice questions. In fact, you can’t skip a question, so get comfortable using the process of elimination to improve your odds.
• Choose current study guides: the GRE has changed dramatically over time (there was a particularly big update in 2007) so make sure the materials you’re using for reference are up to date, particularly the stuff that relates to test format and content.
• Practice, practice, practice: I’ve heard the GRE referred to as “uncoachable.” Not true. You definitely can raise your marks by tapping into as many sample questions as possible. As with all multiple choice exams, GRE practice tests and questions are going to be your best use of study time. With that in mind let’s get to the…

…Free GRE Practice Tests

First, the obvious stuff:

• ETS, the folks who actually write the GRE, offer a free GRE sample test in PDF
• They also offer GRE software you can use to emulate the real deal, interactice sample questions, and a math-specific PDF.
• There are new resources occassionally – check out the ETS page here.

Once you get past that, however, try some of these resources. Remember – the more practice GRE questions you can get your hands on, the better.

• Best Sample Questions
• Syvum
• Peterson’s has a free practice test
• GraduatesHotline.com offers sample questions for the verbal portion of the GRE
• 800score.com has a free download of the GRE math section
• GRE guide
• Princeton Review offers a free GRE demo test
• So does Kaplan, but you’ll have to register (free)
• West Texas A&M offers practice GRE math questions
• MicroEdu.com offers 30 free GRE multiple choice questions with answers
• Examville has full, math, and verbal practice tests, but you’ll have to register first
• TestPrepReview.com (they’ve also got a massive collection of links to various sites to help with specific GRE skills)
• Majon.com has free GRE verbal and math samples and answers
• 4Tests.com has about 50 free questions total

Paid GRE Practice Tests

For a great list of GRE prep books with the “must-have’s” noted, visit this post on the Happy Schools Blog. If you can’t afford the books, consider this idea from the Grad School Application Process blog for getting your hands on more GRE sample tests:

there are a number of books filled with old GRE paper exams. These are a great place to start as well. Honestly, I would just camp out in Barnes and Noble or Borders and use their books without having to purchase them. It’s not a bad way to go.

There are tons of GRE sample tests you can pay for – online, or in book form.

If you find a broken link, or another resource for GRE practice questions, contact me to let me know!

Multiple choice testing has changed dramatically over time. The earliest tests were marked by hand, question by question. Then came answer keys – templates that test markers could place over the tests to identify which bubbles were filled correctly. Later, computers were able to score the bubbles.

Over the years, however, computer based tests (CBT) or computer based exams (CBE) have become more popular. In these tests, students use computers to input their answers to the multiple choice questions. This has evolved into two main styles of computer-based testing, and a need for some specific strategies for taking the tests.

CBT/CET Multiple Choice Tests: Like Paper, Only Not…Paper
The first type of computer based test is the simplest, where the test is turned from paper to digital format, and the rules stay pretty much the same. Instead of filling bubbles to answer the multiple choice questions, you’re clicking a mouse or using a keyboard. You can work your way forwards or backwards through the test, in sequence, just like you would on a standard paper multiple choice test.

CAT Multiple Choice Tests: A Different Beast Altogether
Computer Adaptive Tests, or CAT’s, are tests that change based on how well you perform. Each question you answer impacts the next question. Answer incorrectly, and your next MCQ will be at the same difficult level. Answer correctly, and the test will, in theory, select a harder question for you to answer next.

This leads to some unique characteristics for computer adaptive multiple choice questions:

• Each test-taker will get different MCQ’s
• The questions will be in a different order
• You can’t go backward and review your answers, or return to a previous question to change it
• Unusual scoring algorithms, that take into account how long you take to answer a question or how many questions you skipped

Strategies for Computer Based Tests
Although the content and questions may be more or less the same, here are a few tips that will make a difference if your exam is computer-based:

• Use scratch paper: because the MCQ’s are going to be presented on a screen, you may not be able to see all the information on screen at one time. Having and using scratch paper will allow you to jot down details, formulas, etc. while you look at other areas of the screen. This is going to save you a lot of up and down scrolling.

• Try a Sample: Some exams, like the GMAT, will have a tutorial so that you become familiar with the test interface. If you can give this a shot before the exam, you can focus on the questions instead of the format during the exam itself.

• Watch Your Time: This is particularly important. On paper, it’s easy to cycle through questions over and over again. On screen, it can be slow and awkward. You’ll need more time for cycling. On CAT’s, it’s not allowed, so you’ll need to structure your time even more. You won’t be able to skip the hard stuff, or get hung up on one question for too long.

• Practice with a Ticking Clock: Some MCQ tests, like the GRE, have an actual clock on screen that counts down. This can cause some serious anxiety if you’ve never taken a test with a clock counting down in your face all the time. Try a few practice runs using a clock or watch.

• Get The First Ones Right (CAT): Some CAT tests, like the GRE, will place more scoring emphasis on the first ten questions. That means you need to do your best to nail those ones, so you’ll want to allocate more time to them.

• Know the Rules Up Front: Don’t be complacent about the format. Just take the few minutes to find out the scoring system and any details you can about the multiple choice question format, and how the computer handles it. It’s one less thing to worry about on test day.

The LARE (Landscape Architecture Registration Examination) is made up of five sections.  Each section receives a pass or fail score independently from the other sections.  All five sections must be passed before licensure.

LARE includes a good helping of multiple choice, so I thought I’d break down the nuts and bolts, and offer up a few sample tests and test-taking tips.

The Basics of the LARE multiple choice questions:

• Three of the five sections are multiple choice
• The exam uses computer-based testing in a testing centre
• Each item is worth one point each
• There are two types of multiple-choice questions used in the examination. The most common is the multiple-choice item with four answer choices.  The second type of MCQ may have up to nine answer options.

LARE Multiple Choice Test-Taking Tips

Points are NOT subtracted for wrong answers, and each MCQ is weighted equally, so answering all questions, even if you’re guessing, is in your best interest!

Because the MCQ’s are taken on computers, cycling is hard, and so time management becomes more critical. Landscape Architecture Resource has some great LARE test-taking tips, as well as some excellent suggestions for budgeting your time:

Section A – Project and Construction Administration

• 70 questions
• 1 hour 45 minutes (plus 15 minute tutorial)
• = 1.5 minutes per question

Section B – Inventory, Analysis and Program Development

• 90 questions
• 2 hours (plus 15 minute tutorial)
• = 1.33 min per question

Section D – Design and Construction Documentation

• 120 questions
• 3 hours (plus 15 minute tutorial)
• = 1.5 min per question

The link to The Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) for the LARE sample test isn’t working, but CLARB offers a number of LARE resources. Free LARE questions seem hard to come by, but you can get:

• a free Step by Step Guide (which includes sample LARE questions)
• LARE Multiple-Choice Orientation Guide

You can also purchase a multiple-choice practice test from CLARB.

You’ve likely heard the adage, “Don’t change your answer.  Your first guess on a multiple choice question is usually right.”

This advice is based on the notion that your brain knows the true answer before your consciousness, and once you start thinking about a problem, you may be led astray from the true answer. While this may be true, research also shows that if you have a good reason to change your answer, then change it.

A study published in The Teaching of Psychology (Ludy T. Benjamin, et. al., 1984) found that students more often change their answers from wrong to right, not the other way around. In fact, according to their analysis of many separate studies:

• % of students changing from Wrong to Right — 57.8%
• % of students changing from Right to Wrong — 20.2%
• % of students changing from Wrong to Wrong — 22.8%

According to the data, you’re nearly three times more likely to switch from a wrong response to a correct one!

Your first guess is only as good as the logic and facts you have to back it up. If you can make a case for changing your answer, go for it – the odds are in your favor. If you’re changing your answer because you’re second guessing yourself, though, or are having trouble with multiple choice test anxiety, you’re best to just leave your answer as it is.