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Multiple Choice Tips Read the whole question carefully and try to decide what the answer is before reading any of the options.
Read all of the answer options, and then choose the one that most closely matches her answer.
When unsure, eliminate answers that are clearly incorrect.
If forced to guess, choose the longest, most detailed answer.
Multiple choice questions usually include a phrase or stem followed by three to five options:
Test Strategies
•Read the directions carefully
•Know if each question has one or more correct options
•Know if you are penalized for guessing
•Answer easy questions first
Answer Options
Improve your odds; think critically. Cover the options, read the stem
and try to answer. Treat each option as a true-false question and
choose the “most true.” Select the option that most closely matches
your answer.
Strategies to Answer Difficult Questions
•Eliminate options you know to be incorrect
•Question options that grammatically don’t fit with the stem
•Question options that are totally unfamiliar to you
•Question options that contain negative or absolute words. Try
substituting a qualified term for the absolute one, like “frequently”
for “always” or “typical” for “every” to see if you can eliminate it.
•If you know two of three options seem correct, “all of the above” is a strong possibility
•Toss out the high and low and consider the middle range numbers
•In the case of “look alike options,” probably one is correct. Choose
the best, but eliminate choices that mean basically the same thing and
thus cancel each other out.
•Echo options: if two options are opposite each other, chances are one of them is correct
•Favor options that contain qualifiers: the result is longer, more inclusive items that better fill the role of the answer
•If two alternatives seem correct, compare them for differences, then refer to the stem to find your best answer
Guessing
•Always guess when there is no penalty for guessing or you can eliminate options
•Don’t guess if you are penalized for guessing and if you have no basis for your choice
•Don’t change your answers unless you are sure of the correction
•Use hints from questions you know to answer questions you do not know.
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