Strategies for Different Exam Types

Multiple-Choice Questions

• Read the instructions carefully as there may be more than one right answer. If there are multiple right answers, does the instructor expect you to choose just one, or do you need to mark all correct options?
• Read each question carefully and try to answer it in your head before reading the answer options. Then consider all the options. Eliminate first the options that are clearly incorrect. Compare the remaining answers with your own answer before choosing one and marking your paper.
• Look for clue words that hint that certain option answers might be correct or incorrect. Absolute words like “never,” “always,” “every,” or “none” are rarely found in a correct option. Less absolute words like “usually,” “often,” or “rarely” are regularly found in correct options.
• If you have to read a passage before choosing a multiple choice answer, read the question first so that you read with more focus.
• Be on the lookout for the word “not” in the stem phrase and in the answer choice options; it is an easy word to miss if you are reading too quickly, but it completely changes the meaning of the possible statements.
• Reread the question before it (the “stem”). Do any of the answers not follow grammatically from the stem? If they don’t, they are probably not correct.

True-or-False Questions

• Most of the tips for multiple-choice questions apply here as well. Be particularly aware of the words “never,” “always,” “every,” “none,” and “not” because they can determine the correct answer.
• Answer the questions that are obvious to you first. Then go back to statements that require more thought.
• If the question is stated in the positive, restate it to yourself in the negative by adding the word “not” or “never.” Does the new statement sound truer or more false?
• If you still are unsure whether a statement is true or false and must guess, choose “true” because most tests include more true statements than false (but don’t guess if a wrong answer penalizes you more than one left blank).

Matching Questions

• Start by looking at the two columns to be matched. Is there an equal number of items in both columns? If they are not equal, do you have to match some items in the shorter column to two or more items in the longer column, or can you leave some items unmatched? Read the directions to be sure.
• If one column has a series of single words to be matched to phrases in the other column, read all the phrases first, then all the single words before trying to make any matches. Now go back and read each phrase and find the word that best suits the phrase.
• If both columns have single words to be matched, look to cut down the number of potential matches by grouping them by parts of speech (nouns with nouns, verbs with verbs, and so on).
• As always, start by making the matches that are obvious to you, and then work on the ones that require more thought. Mark off all items you have already used so you can easily see which words or phrases still remain to be matched.

Subjective Questions

Subjective questions such as short answer and essay questions require planning, outlining, drafting, and revising. You will bring in memorized material, but you must expand on it in your own way, often bringing in your own arguments and examples.

Short Answer

• Short answer questions are designed for you to recall and provide some very specific information (unlike essay questions, which also ask you to apply critical thinking to that information). When you read the question, ask yourself what exactly the instructor wants to know. Keep your answers short and specific. Do not “information dump” everything you know; craft a clear paragraph.
• Read the question very carefully.
• Repeat key terms in the question.
• Understand the qualities of a good argumentative paragraph: topic sentence, evidence, explanation of evidence, concluding sentence.
• Use full sentences, and take some time to add transitional expressions (e.g., “furthermore,” “for example,” “however”) so that you are clearly linking ideas together.
• Budget some time to proofread!

Essays

• Essay questions are used by instructors to evaluate your thinking and reasoning applied to the material covered in a course. Good essay answers are based on your thoughts, supported by examples from classes and reading assignments.
• Careful planning is critical to answering essay questions effectively. Note how many essay questions you have to answer and how difficult each question seems, and then allocate your time accordingly.
• Read the question carefully, underlining or circling key words. Watch for words that describe the instructor’s expectations for your response. Pay particular attention to verbs (action words), such as “discuss,” “explain,” or “compare” (see table 6.1).
• Create a quick outline for your essay. This helps to ensure that you don’t leave out key points, and if you run out of time, it may pick up a few points for your grade. Write a preliminary thesis, some topic sentences, and jot down specific information you might want to use, such as examples, figures, dates, or places.
• Double space so that you have room to rewrite or revise.
• Introduce your essay answer, but get right to the point. Remember that the instructor will be grading dozens of papers and avoid “filler” text that does not add value to your answer. For example, rather than writing, “In our study of the Civil War, it is helpful to consider the many facets that lead to conflict, especially the economic factors that help explain this important turning point in our nation’s history,” write a more direct and concise statement like this: “Economic factors help to explain the start of the Civil War.”
• Revise with an eye to the “hot spots,” areas that can make or break your essay: the first sentence, the thesis statement (i.e., main argument in the introduction), topic sentences, and conclusion. Make sure that these sentences are as clear as can be, and check that the topic sentences beginning each paragraph have a crystal clear connection to the thesis statement.
• Add transitional expressions.
• Don’t waste time erasing or using correction tape. Simply cross out sentences and passages that you don’t want the instructor to read.
• Write neatly and watch your grammar and spelling. Allow time to proofread.