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Exam Strategies

The Nine Principles of Multiple Choice Test-Taking

Principle #1: Choose the answer which the test marker (i.e., your instructor) intended:

Try not to read into question qualifications and interpretations not intended by the instructor.

Tests measure how well you know the material AND how well the instructor has taught.

E.g. Darwin was considered to be the first person to advocate a theory of evolution.

True
False

Darwin alone was the first person to advocate a theory of evolution.

True
False

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Exam Strategies

The Nine Principles of Multiple Choice Test-Taking

Principle #2: Anticipate the answer, then look for it:

Read the question and anticipate (i.e., predict) what facts/aspects you think the answer will contain.

Look for these among the possible answers.

If the answer you anticipated is found among the options, it is probably correct.

Note. Even when you do not know the material, the question will often give ample (enough) clues as to what type of answer the examiner is aiming for.

E.g. You cannot hear sound in a vacuum because

sound can only travel through air
sound needs a medium for transferring mechanical information
sound travels so much slower than light
sound requires an electromagnetic medium

Note. In the above question, the examiner (i.e., your instructor) is looking for a reason why sound cannot be heard in a vacuum. You must find an answer which is a reason, rather than simply a fact about the transmission of sound. The correct response will be the most complete response given the question, and will most directly answer the question.

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Exam Strategies

The Nine Principles of Multiple Choice Test-Taking

Principle #3: Consider all alternatives:

Read and consider all the options, even if you find your anticipated answer among the options.

Remember that you must find the most correct answer.

Because students often jump at the first plausible (i.e., possible) option, test makers frequently place their most attractive “decoy” first.

E.g. Imitation, as a term used in psychology, is defined as:

the pairing of a conditioned stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus
copying
the sincerest form of flattery
behaviour that copies the behaviour of another

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Exam Strategies

The Nine Principles of Multiple Choice Test-Taking

Principle #4: Relate the options to the question:

When the answer you anticipated is not among the options, discard it and focus on the answers that are there.

Systematically consider how well each option answers the question.

Never deal with answers in isolation.

Although the answer may be a true statement, it must still be the correct answer to the question.

Even though the answer may be an incorrect statement, it could be the correct answer in relation to the question.

E.g. Which of the following is NOT true about instincts?

instincts are inherited
instincts are specific to a given species
instincts are learned
instincts are automatic responses to a stimulus

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Exam Strategies

The Nine Principles of Multiple Choice Test-Taking

Principle #5: Balance options against each other:

When several options look good, or even if none look good, compare them with each other.

If two options are highly similar, study them to find out what makes them different, one of these is likely the correct answer.

Look for which answer is more likely in comparison not just with your own anticipated answer but with the other choices given.

E.g. Kant referred to knowledge that is acquired through experience as:

a priori knowledge
a posteriori knowledge
faculty of the reason
the dualistic faculty
the monistic faculty

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Exam Strategies

The Nine Principles of Multiple Choice Test-Taking

Principle #6: Use logical reasoning:

Eliminate those options which you know to be incorrect as well as those which do not fit the requirements of the question.

If you recognize more than one of the options as correct, choose one of the remaining options which encompasses both of these choices.

E.g. Interneurons communicate with

sensory neurons
motor neurons
other interneurons
glial cells
a, b, and c

Note. In the question above, if you are able to eliminate the fourth option and recognize the first two options as correct, choose the last option since it encompasses both of those two choices.

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Exam Strategies

The Nine Principles of Multiple Choice Test-Taking

Principle #7: Look for special cue words

Check the stem of questions for special cue words.

Absolute terms, or words which create broad, sweeping generalizations, such as always, never, and without exception, tend to appear in incorrect statements.

Since many statements have exceptions, true statements often contain relative terms, such as sometimes or usually, and false ones often do not.

A statement which includes the word “always” must be true 100% of the time.

A statement which includes the word “never” must also be true 100% of the time.

Each part of the statement must be true, or the statement is false.

E.g. Your IQ is completely determined by heredity

True
False

You can sometimes tell what someone is thinking from facial expression

True
False

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Exam Strategies

The Nine Principles of Multiple Choice Test-Taking

Principle #8: Specific, detailed answers tend to be correct:

Although there will always be exceptions, options that are more detailed than others tend to be correct.

Pay special attention to options that are extra-long or highly specific.

E.g. If a researcher claims that the results of a study are statistically significant, it means that

The null hypothesis has been proven to be true
Inferential statistics should not be used for that study
The results of the study were probably not due to change and, if the research were repeated, the results would probably be similar

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Exam Strategies

The Nine Principles of Multiple Choice Test-Taking

Principle #9: Use information obtained from other questions and options

One question may contain information which may be helpful in answering some other questions, especially in tests which cover a small unity of information

E.g. Which of the following is true of Piaget’s studies of moral reasoning?

Piaget used the experimental method to study moral reasoning
Piaget merely examined the judgments of children
Piaget devised moral situations and questioned the children about why they answered in a particular way
Piaget noted that children younger than 8 use intention in their moral judgments

Piaget studied:

Drive reduction
Perception
Moral reasoning
Sensory coding

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