How to you attack multiple choice exams?

[DrReo]

I was wondering how you guys attack them? Anyone else frequently pick the wrong answer (trap), granted they "know" the material?

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[DrDDSman]

I was wondering how you guys attack them? Anyone else frequently pick the wrong answer (trap), granted they "know" the material?

Yes, unfortunately. Usually on the types of questions where you over analyze and or think too much.

 

[Kneecoal]

i find the

a) I
b) II
c) III
d) I and III

etc. questions to be diabolical. those questions in cell bio particularly were the worst!

 

[notin]

i find the

a) I
b) II
c) III
d) I and III
e) all OR none of the above

etc. questions to be diabolical. those questions in cell bio particularly were the worst!

fyp. i had a biochemistry teacher do this. it was horrible.

 

[proteinmachine]

I had nonmultiple choice tests where you had to circle all that apply with around 5 choices on average. Miss one or circle one too many, and it's completely wrong. That was hell

 

[phungy]

.

 

[La fea]

I do too.

But I try to answer the question before reading the choices. It helps a lot.

 

[marcusnasland]

I found that I got way better at multiple choice exams just by practising... I hated multiple choice tests in first year but now in third year i prefer them because you don't have to study as hard.

 

[whateveryoulike]

I quietly look at the answer choices and then POUNCE on the correct one. I find that choosing the right answer tends to give me pretty good results.


on a serious note, i have NEVER met someone who answered the trick questions and didn't claim to "know" the material. the problem arises in their definition of "know". if they actually "know" the material then they wouldn't consistently answer trick questions incorrectly. I say this because I know many people who consistently do poorly and blame trick questions, only to find that when I try to study with them it is quite clear they don't know as much of the material as they think they do. If you're having this problem, try to be more practical with the material and less regurgitating with it. just food for thought, no pun intended.

 

[whateveryoulike]

I found that I got way better at multiple choice exams just by practising... I hated multiple choice tests in first year but now in third year i prefer them because you don't have to study as hard.

I don't want to sound preachy but your comments seem counter productive. Are you in school to get good grades or to learn? The ease of the test shouldn't affect how hard you study. The ease of the material should be determining that.

 

[ArmyDDS2013]

I quietly look at the answer choices and then POUNCE on the correct one. I find that choosing the right answer tends to give me pretty good results.


on a serious note, i have NEVER met someone who answered the trick questions and didn't claim to "know" the material. the problem arises in their definition of "know". if they actually "know" the material then they wouldn't consistently answer trick questions incorrectly. I say this because I know many people who consistently do poorly and blame trick questions, only to find that when I try to study with them it is quite clear they don't know as much of the material as they think they do. If you're having this problem, try to be more practical with the material and less regurgitating with it. just food for thought, no pun intended.

Definitely agree here. Many people fall into the trap of barely understanding material and then flying through sample tests or study guides only to get pwned on the real test.

The real trick of doing well on multiple choice tests is to mentally figure out the correct answer before looking at the answer choices and then going from there. This if course not going to work on @sshole questions such as: which of following is true:
a) I
b) II
c) III
d) two of the above
e) all of the above
f) none of the above

 

[219122]

I much prefer M/C exams because the answer is right in front of you. Yes you have to know the material but there are things that will trigger your memory. I also like it when you have a long test and the answer to a question is actually written in another question a couple pages back (this happens a lot in pharmacology and pathology I've found). Y'all are complaining about those questions, chew on this type:

Statement 1: the sky is blue
Statement 2: rainclouds are often grey

Chose the correct combination
A) Statement 1 is true, statement 2 is false
B) Statement 1 is false, statement 2 is false
C) Statement 1 is false, statement 2 is true
D) Statement 1 is true, statement 2 is true and they are causally related
E) Statement 1 is true, statement 2 is true and they are unrelated

THE WORST!

 

[whateveryoulike]

Definitely agree here. Many people fall into the trap of barely understanding material and then flying through sample tests or study guides only to get pwned on the real test.

The real trick of doing well on multiple choice tests is to mentally figure out the correct answer before looking at the answer choices and then going from there. This if course not going to work on @sshole questions such as: which of following is true:
a) I
b) II
c) III
d) two of the above
e) all of the above
f) none of the above

i agree entirely. its always best to get the answer in your head before looking at the available choices whenever possible.
ive also had MC test questions like the one you listed, it sucks. looks a lot like DAT Destroyer question, lol.

 

[ChrisM07]

From my experiences, what I have found works, is to read the question and each answer. Then, try your best to eliminate completely erroneous answers. Even if it is just one answer, you are in a better position than if you had never eliminated it. If you can eliminate 2 out of 4, you have a 50% chance of guessing right. I learned this when I took Bio 101. The tests were absolutely brutal. Class average? 45%. The real secret: being able to eliminate answers on the test. That was the teacher's goal. To prepare people for professional school since most of the people were applying to professional school. It has carried over to my other classes as well, not just Bio. I have found that some tests are like a game. It's not really whether or not you can know completely everything there is to know (although, that helps), it's to be able to see through the question and eliminate answers that don't relate.

Hope this helps!

 

[Kneecoal]

this all being said, i am currently taking my first upper level bio class that is all strictly essay questions... he gives us a TON of different material, and then gives us 3 or 4 questions and expects us to go into minute detail about a couple of topics. i have come to hate his exams more than any other kind.

 

[enfuego]

Thank god my high school took time to teach us how to take tests.

Muliple choice tests aren't bad at all. First you have to eliminate the wrong answers. There should usually be one or two answers that are obviously wrong if you actually know the material. Then you have to be able to detect the subtleties between the other choices, which takes some thinking.

I think that when people know they're taking a MC test, they study just enough to be able to recognize the answer rather than really learning everything. The problem is that when you study like that, it's really easy to get tripped up on the similar answer choices. You should study for it like you're going to take an essay test.

This if course not going to work on @sshole questions such as: which of following is true:
a) I
b) II
c) III
d) two of the above
e) all of the above
f) none of the above

I agree, those questions are terrible.

OR the ones that have "there is not enough information to determine the solution" as an option because that makes you start questioning whether there's even actually an answer to the question.

 

[BillytheEchidna]

A lot of the time, I will psych myself out of the right answer, even if I know it. This speaks more of my lack of confidence than lack of knowledge. This is where being "tricked" comes into play. If you think you know the answer, but don't have 100% faith in yourself, the distractors can seem like good options, even though your first hunch usually proves correct.

My biochem II professor comes up with some crazy-hard questions. She told us that she typically spends 1/2 hour writing each one! Here's an example:

"Which of the following is (are) true of the oxidation of 1 mol of palimate (a 16-carbon saturated fatty acid; 16:0) by the beta-oxidation pathway, beginning with the free fatty acid in the cytoplasm?

1) Activation of the free fatty acid requires the equivalent of two ATPs.
2) Inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) is produced.
3) Carnitine functions as an electron acceptor.
4) 8 mol of FADH2 are formed.
5) 8 mol of acetyl-CoA are formed.
6) There is no direct involvement of NAD+.

a. 1, 2, 4, and 5.
b. 1, 2, and 5.
c. 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6.
d. 1, 2, 3, and 5.
e. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5."

The correct answer was b. I chose d. Not sure why I thought Carnitine was an electron acceptor... I knew that it was involved as a shuttle, since the molecule is more than 12 carbons long, but my understanding broke down there. I sometimes try to run on vague concepts, and that doesn't cut it in biochem. But the point (if there is one!) is, I got 3/4 of the correct choices, but zero points for it. That's the stinkiest part about multiple choice tests, in my opinion. Especially when you get into these complicated answer choice combos, like some of the previous posters have mentioned.

 

[ihearttennis]

My strategy that I found really helpful:

I cover up the answer choices while reading the question.

After reading the question, I anticipate the right answer, and possible trick answers. I even might jot it down.

I scan the answers, and select the one that I originally thought of (sometimes having to refer to my quick notes in the margins to make SURE that I thought of the right answer and didn't just get confused once I scanned the answer choices)

--Why this works:---

1) Going with your gut USUALLY leads you down the right path.
2) Spending a little more time at the beginning saves time and the "Crap, is the answer A or C" debate later on


This strategy worked particularly well for Micro and Anatomy.

 

[whateveryoulike]

this all being said, i am currently taking my first upper level bio class that is all strictly essay questions... he gives us a TON of different material, and then gives us 3 or 4 questions and expects us to go into minute detail about a couple of topics. i have come to hate his exams more than any other kind.

my genetics class was like this. the worst part about these kinds of tests is the subjectivity of them. you could have the right answer by most peoples standards but if it isnt right by your teachers standards then oh well, its getting marked wrong. if a teacher is fair and has time to grade these kinds of tests, they may hold a real advantage in proving who actually knows the material. a kid that crammed the night before can still guess the right answer on a multiple choice test, good luck using the cram strategy on a short answer test though.

 

[armorshell]

How about this, which I actually had on a recent exam:

Which of the following is/are true:
A. Blah
B. Blahblah
C. A and B
D. B only

 

[219122]

hahahahahaha that's kinda ridiculous. So the answer is both B and D if B is right? What are you supposed to mark?

 

[phungy]

.

 

[BillytheEchidna]

How about this, which I actually had on a recent exam:

Which of the following is/are true:
A. Blah
B. Blahblah
C. A and B
D. B only

ha ha! Were you able to eliminate B and D then?

 

[Waitlisted2009]

.

 

[BillytheEchidna]

You can eliminate B and D being the same answer choice. Eliminate C because we know B is not correct. So the answer is A

We don't know that B isn't correct information/part of the correct answer. We only know that "only B" (B and D) are incorrect. It could be either A or C, assuming the question was written correctly.

 

[setdoc7]

A lot of the time, I will psych myself out of the right answer, even if I know it. This speaks more of my lack of confidence than lack of knowledge. This is where being "tricked" comes into play. If you think you know the answer, but don't have 100% faith in yourself, the distractors can seem like good options, even though your first hunch usually proves correct.

My biochem II professor comes up with some crazy-hard questions. She told us that she typically spends 1/2 hour writing each one! Here's an example:

"Which of the following is (are) true of the oxidation of 1 mol of palimate (a 16-carbon saturated fatty acid; 16:0) by the beta-oxidation pathway, beginning with the free fatty acid in the cytoplasm?

1) Activation of the free fatty acid requires the equivalent of two ATPs.
2) Inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) is produced.
3) Carnitine functions as an electron acceptor.
4) 8 mol of FADH2 are formed.
5) 8 mol of acetyl-CoA are formed.
6) There is no direct involvement of NAD+.

a. 1, 2, 4, and 5.
b. 1, 2, and 5.
c. 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6.
d. 1, 2, 3, and 5.
e. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5."

The correct answer was b. I chose d. Not sure why I thought Carnitine was an electron acceptor... I knew that it was involved as a shuttle, since the molecule is more than 12 carbons long, but my understanding broke down there. I sometimes try to run on vague concepts, and that doesn't cut it in biochem. But the point (if there is one!) is, I got 3/4 of the correct choices, but zero points for it. That's the stinkiest part about multiple choice tests, in my opinion. Especially when you get into these complicated answer choice combos, like some of the previous posters have mentioned.

This test question and the useless information it contains remind me that all undergrad and basic science courses are useless. As a practicing dentist, I can unconditionally assure everyone that I do not use this information ever in the clinical practice of dentistry, and this type of course should be avoided at all cost.