Tips on Taking Multiple Choice Standardized Exams

After three long days of Internet deprivation, I’m back blogging. The main culprit is the three-day achievement test, too bad. Now, you understand why I’m writing this post.
Students just like multiple-choice type of questions, right? If you don’t know the answer, you still have a 1/n where n is the number of choices chance of getting the right answer.
Here are some tips (from a standardized test achiever, I guess) in answering those multiple-choice standardized exams (also applicable on non-standardized exams):
- Try to start at the back. Some standardized exams have the easiest questions at the back. Just trust me!
- Read the questions as fast as you can. Try to answer the easiest questions with obvious answers. In subjects dealing with numbers such as Math and Physics, try to answer the questions that doesn’t require solving.
- Don’t stay too long in a problem, unless those hard questions are the ones left. Try to skip them as much as you can, you can answer them later anyway.
- Use elimination method. This is a method in which you try every answer. If it turns out to be wrong, then eliminate it. It increases the chances of getting the right answer on unsure questions.
- When you don’t know the answer to a solving problem, try to multiply, divide or add all the given data. Sometimes you find the product, quotient, sum or difference on the choices.
- Find the most realistic answer. For example, more than a thousand Kelvin is an unlikely answer in Chemistry problems. Standardized exams uses realistic problems, not idealistic.
- If you don’t know the answer, trust your instinct as much as possible.
- Lastly, rely on your luck. I recommend you doing this on the last minutes of the exam when you’re hopeless to answer the remaining questions. Don’t leave a single question unanswered, unless if there’s a deduction for a wrong answer.
I hope it helps! Sorry, I’m no good writer!


Conrad Miguel E. Gozalo is a 17-year old guy from General Santos City, Philippines. He is currently taking up his BS Computer Science at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is a proud Linux user since August 2008. He is also a big fan of Free and Open Source Software. Know more about him on the 

5 Responses to “Tips on Taking Multiple Choice Standardized Exams” (join them?)
February 17, 2008 at 7:55 pm
nahilo ako sa achievement test!
hahahaa
karla’s last blog post..EYE HALVE A SPELLING CHEQUER
February 19, 2008 at 10:47 pm
ok yang ganyan. hehehe magawa nga minsan
July 6, 2009 at 2:26 pm
[...] To help you get started, here are a few resources you can check out. Conrad Miguel has some good tips and strategies on taking multiple choice exams on this site: http://conradmiguel.com/tips-on-taking-multiple-choice-standardized-exams [...]
July 28, 2009 at 7:50 am
maghanap ka kya ng tungkul man sa nle strigy,,
August 15, 2009 at 1:08 pm
also, an obviously effective and yet largely overlooked solution: STUDY! STUDY YOUR EYEBALLS OFF!!! lol. ;P
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