RYERSON UNIVERSITY LEARNING SUPPORT SERVICES

Writing Multiple Choice Exams General Strategies: 1. Read the general directions carefully. The directions will likely ask you to choose the most correct or the best answer. 2. Look at the total number of questions and the time limit; determine how much time you should spend on each question. 3. Start from the first question and work your way through, question by question. Check your watch regularly. The first time through, dont spend a long time on difficult questions. Try the following:

Go through the test in one sweep, answering the questions youre absolutely sure of. Mark those you find difficult so that you can return to them later. Do not guess at this point. You may come across a later question that will give you a clue to the answer of a previous one. After the first sweep, return to the hard questions. If you are reasonably sure of an answer, fill it in and then move one. If you still have time, go through again and work on any unanswered questions.

Determining the correct alternative: 1. Read the stem first and find the main idea or key terms that you must understand to answer the question. EXAMPLE : What are the strengths of multiple choice tests? If possible, try to simplify the question by turning it into a statement that the options complete. The above question becomes EXAMPLE: The strengths of multiple choice tests are . . . 2. Watch for not and except in the stem. Try rephrasing the question so that you take out not or except. Then mark all the options you are confident are true. The option left will be the answer to the original question. EXAMPLE: Which of the following workshops is not offered by Learning Support Services?

REPHRASE: Which of the following workshops are offered by LSS? (a) test preparation T (b) time/task management T (c) athletic performance (answer to original question) (d) motivation T EXAMPLE: All of the following authors are Canadian except REPHRASE: All of the following authors are Canadian (a) (b) (c) (d) Margaret Laurence T Margaret Atwood T Farley Mowat T Patrick White (answer to original question)

If youre left with more than one alternative, leave the question and return to it later. 3. Try to think of the answer before you read the choices, but dont panic if you cant come up with the answer immediately. 4. Look for the correct option systematically. Cover all options except A. Read A and put a tick (right), a cross (wrong), or a question mark (questionable) beside it. Do the same with each of the remaining options until you have answered the question. 5. Read all the alternatives before you pick one. Remember that you are looking for the most correct or best answer. 6. Sometimes none of the above or all of the above is the correct answer. BUT dont choose all/none of the above unless all/none of the alternatives apply totally to the stem. EXAMPLE : Use an adverb to describe (a) (b) (c) (d) a verb an adjective another adverb all of the above

7. Alternatives that contain absolute terms like none, never, all, every, and always are more than likely incorrect. Alternatives that contain qualifying words such as some, many, few, more, most, usually, often, seldom, least likely, most likely, and may are more than likely correct.

8. In questions with combinations of choices, focus on each choice first. Decide if each is true or false. If one is false, the combination is not the correct alternative. EXAMPLE: Ryersons Learning Support Services offers workshops in a. athletic performance F b. time management T c. test preparation T d. a and c [This alternative is incorrect because a is false.] e. b and c [This alternative is correct because b and c are true.] 9. Once you have eliminated all wrong alternatives, you may be left with two alternatives that seem correct. Look for what is different in the key words or phrases in each choice. EXAMPLE: When exams are over is an example of a/an (a) (b) (c) (d) participial phrase prepositional phrase dependent clause independent clause

If you recognize that When exams are over is a clause, determine the difference between dependent and independent clauses. Then decide how When exams are over reflects that difference. 10. If you just cant decide between two alternatives, make an educated guess using one of the following means. (a) Try to imagine each alternative as the answer. One will likely feel wrong to you, so eliminate it and go with the other. (b) If the two alternatives are exact opposites, choose one of them. (c) If one alternative is longer, choose it. REMEMBER: Guessing is a last resort. Be sure there is no penalty for guessing. NOTE: There will not be any trick questions. If you think a question is a trick, you are likely reading too much into it. Take the question at face value. Changing Answers If you have time to go back over the test, should you change answers? If you are sure the answer is wrong, change it. It isnt true that people always change from "right" to "wrong"; they also change from "wrong" to "right." Dont get nervous if you detect a pattern in answers, such as six Bs in a row. Repeated choices are not a sign that your choices are wrong.