Anyone else despise multiple choice exams?

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Perfoman

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I figured I would share my extreme hatred for multiple choice exams. I disagree with everything about them. They were OK for middle school... but that is as far as it goes. I just don't see the purpose of testing your ability to memorize obscure sentences and exact definitions from readings that were barely touched in lecture.

The thing I can't stand more than anything else (and makes me actually want to punch things) is why in the world professors think that writing grammatically incorrect, ambiguous, and trick questions (that hinge on ONE word mentioned only obscurely in a textbook definition) is the best way to test knowledge of a subject. Its counterproductive to constantly point someone in the wrong direction in order to see if they know the right way. Not only that, but the fact that you know professors write in these dumb trick questions also throws you off. So while you are taking a test - this crap happens...
"Ok cool this question is easy we just went over this like 3 days ago" NO! its a trick question based completely on your textbook author's opinion instead of widely accepted scientific opinion, stupid you for falling for the scientifically correct answer... and stupid you for doing any kind of reading outside of the required textbook. Did you forget that this isn't actually a science class, it's just a glorified book review?
Then the next question... "Ha! I know this is a trick question glad I caught that! [pat self on back]" NO! wrong again! That wasn't a trick question, that was just a entirely grammatically incorrect sentence that in it's lack of coherence has no real answer... stupid you for trying to interpret an otherwise nonsensical question.

I wouldn't be so angry if I didn't consistently make B's on exams I should be acing. I am perfectly fine with missing a question because I either didn't know the material or made a dumb mistake... what I am not fine with is missing a question completely because of ambiguous semantics (if you actually KNOW the material then semantics matter that much more!). So what ends up happening is I show up to the prof's next office hours armed with copies of journal articles and random other citations trying to argue my way back up to an "A." It just kills me to look at my scores for the semester on anything non-multiple choice and see consistent 95-100 (including other exams) and then have my MC exams staring right back at me with 80-85's. gg college.

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I often kick the asses of any multiple choice exams I am given.

That said, I vastly prefer well-made exams to poorly made ones.

But I still have a soft spot for the poorly made ones.

Multiple choice exams are freaking awesome.
 
aren't med school exams always multiple choice? i imagine it might be different for PBL but i honestly hav eno idea.

someone thats actualy in med school can back me up or prove me wrong on this one. but i've been told numerous times, by professors and by med students, that the multiple choice questions in med school are much like the things youve described.
 
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Multiple-choice exams kick ***. You have a 25% chance of getting it right, assuming you have four possible choices. What sucks are poorly-written exams, which you have singled out to be multiple-choice, but it doesn't matter in what format a poorly-written exam is given...it's still poorly written and therefore a poor indicator of one's knowledge on the subject. I wish you better luck on future exams not being crappy...I /hate/ getting those myself. :mad:
 
Multiple-choice exams kick ***. You have a 25% chance of getting it right, assuming you have four possible choices. What sucks are poorly-written exams, which you have singled out to be multiple-choice, but it doesn't matter in what format a poorly-written exam is given...it's still poorly written and therefore a poor indicator of one's knowledge on the subject. I wish you better luck on future exams not being crappy...I /hate/ getting those myself. :mad:

the way my anatomy professor writes multiple choice portions of exams is that he'll have a-d or whatever it is, but every single one may be correct, or none of them may be correct. you never know. so really you have to read each one independent of the rest kind of like they are all T/F questions. its pretty difficult.
 
Are you sure that website was against multiple choice tests?

I know it was. But their argument sure was pretty convincing that multiple choice tests are fairly accurate ways to gauge material knowledge.

Did you see those examples they used? Jesus. Talk about objective examples.
 
Welcome to the MCAT. The king of multiple choice ambiguous and trick questions.
 
the way my anatomy professor writes multiple choice portions of exams is that he'll have a-d or whatever it is, but every single one may be correct, or none of them may be correct. you never know. so really you have to read each one independent of the rest kind of like they are all T/F questions. its pretty difficult.

Ugh, I fail to see how that teaches the material; my condolences.
 
OP: I suggest you start liking multiple choice exams.

Most medical school exams are multiple choice, and the USMLE (which will determine which specialties you can apply to) is multiple choice.

However, it sounds like the multiple choice exams you have are sort of stupid. Most medical school exams are reasoning questions, not memory questions.
 
OP: I suggest you start liking multiple choice exams.

Most medical school exams are multiple choice, and the USMLE (which will determine which specialties you can apply to) is multiple choice.

However, it sounds like the multiple choice exams you have are sort of stupid. Most medical school exams are reasoning questions, not memory questions.

QFT
 
op, sorry to break it to you, but med school is the world of multiple choice. the boards are MC, so they make all your tests MC to prep you.

I do understand your pain, though. I just finished a medical immunology class where every answer had TEN mc options. A-J. It sucked, hardcore.
 
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I like multiple choice exams (and wish I had them through undergrad) simply because it eliminates grading biases with the teachers

...kids were getting away with murder as long as they were nice to the prof
 
I wouldn't be so angry if I didn't consistently make B's on exams I should be acing

Maybe you should try adjusting how you study for these types of examinations. Unfortunately disdain for multiple choice exams is not going to have any effect on how profs decide to test their students.

And lets not even talk about the MCAT...ALL MULTIPLE CHOICE...nuff said

What are you going to do when you get to medical school and you are tested similarly to how you are currently being tested.

I am definitely not trying to chastize (might be mispelled...what can I say...my name is not Akilah...ha) you. I am just trying elicit you to recognize that your pride is preventing you from making adjustments that will allow you to move up and out of that realm of "B"dom

best of luck to you
 
I like multiple choice exams (and wish I had them through undergrad) simply because it eliminates grading biases with the teachers

...kids were getting away with murder as long as they were nice to the prof

:thumbup:
 
Welcome to the MCAT. The king of multiple choice ambiguous and trick questions.

compared with the tricky stuff some of my professors would pull, I thought the MCAT was pretty straightforward. I like multiple choice exams as long as they are well-made and carefully edited. The MCAT was good b/c the exam was quality enough to be able to get inside the test-maker's minds. Some of my undergrad exams were not, however, and those are the ones that are frustrating.
 
Maybe you should try adjusting how you study for these types of examinations. Unfortunately disdain for multiple choice exams is not going to have any effect on how profs decide to test their students.

And lets not even talk about the MCAT...ALL MULTIPLE CHOICE...nuff said

What are you going to do when you get to medical school and you are tested similarly to how you are currently being tested.

I am definitely not trying to chastize (might be mispelled...what can I say...my name is not Akilah...ha) you. I am just trying elicit you to recognize that your pride is preventing you from making adjustments that will allow you to move up and out of that realm of "B"dom

best of luck to you

Yeah, I agree with you for sure and I know its something i'll have to deal with from now on.

A well written MC exam IMO does do a pretty decent job of evaluating a students knowledge, however, well written MCs are few and far between. Good MCs take time to write, and it seems like profs don't want to put in the time it takes. The result is a 50 question test consisting of nothing more than definitions/identifications, a couple T/F's and maybe a couple questions actually written by your professor. Most of the time questions are pulled directly from question banks included with the textbook which are designed to see how well you read their book (again, specific details and definitions) and may or may not align with lecture. For example, the other day I saw a question on my last physics exam posted verbatim on yahoo answers dated 3 weeks before my exam.

I dunno, I know it just sounds like I'm b***ing... because I am haha. There is plenty of academic research that shows using MC-exams as a primary tool for evaluation drives students to learn only what is specifically correlated to doing well on the test. I guess I just don't like the idea that higher education is less about actually getting an education, and more about learning to do well on the next test.
 
compared with the tricky stuff some of my professors would pull, I thought the MCAT was pretty straightforward. I like multiple choice exams as long as they are well-made and carefully edited. The MCAT was good b/c the exam was quality enough to be able to get inside the test-maker's minds. Some of my undergrad exams were not, however, and those are the ones that are frustrating.

Agreed. Quality control is the key. There is a huge difference in a MC test written by a committee or a department and a MC test "written" by a single professor.
 
Ugh, I fail to see how that teaches the material; my condolences.

i wasnt complaining! hes actually one of the best professors at this school and the best professor that I've ever had. hes one of the reasons I chose to go where I did and has been amazing throughout my entire college career!

and i know the material quite well. you have to if you are going to get the correct answer.
 
i actually like it:


recall memorization is muhc harder than recognition memorization.
 
i actually like it: recall memorization is muhc harder than recognition memorization.

Exactly! If the professor says the exams are multiple choice, I automatically make a mental note to study about 1/3 to 1/2 as much as I would have if the tests were free answer. But, I also study differently.

You might groan that the MCAT and Step 1 are multiple choice, but have you considered the alternative? :eek:
 
the way my anatomy professor writes multiple choice portions of exams is that he'll have a-d or whatever it is, but every single one may be correct, or none of them may be correct. you never know. so really you have to read each one independent of the rest kind of like they are all T/F questions. its pretty difficult.

They can be twisted like that which is bogus.

I prefer multiple choice tests despite this for one simple reason. When you are right, you are right. They is no crap about the teacher not liking your answer, you are going against the test instead of the teachers opinion.
 
My anat and phys professor gave us "multiple multiple choice" tests.

Like someone above said: questions that all 5 could be correct, or none of the 5 could be correct, all graded.

So essentially, every question is like 5 true/false questions.

Imagine our final: 100 of these questions. 500 True/False Questions.

That said, they were my favorite tests ever.
 
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