Taking Tests: Strategies for Typical Test Questions

True-or-False Questions

When faced with true-or-false questions, keep the following tip in mind:

• Read the statement carefully. Often, one word can change a statement to true or false, so make sure you don’t skip over that word.
• Be on the lookout for key words that often signify a statement is false. Common qualifier words include “always,” “never,” “all,” “only,” “every,” and “none.” It’s usually difficult for “all” of something to be true — for example, “All Southerners are Democrats” — or something to be the “only” cause or reason — for example, taxation was the only cause of the American Revolution.
• If you have to guess, guess true. True statements are easier to compose, so statistically, tests usually include more true statements.
• Don’t look for a pattern; there’s unlikely to be one. Also, don’t try to read more into the question. Your instructor isn’t likely to ask trick questions (at least you hope not!).

Multiple Choice Questions

With multiple choice questions, you get to see possible answers; it’s just a matter of picking the right one from the list. When answering these types of questions, consider the following
suggestions:

• Anticipate the answer, and then look for it (or a close match) in the list of possible answers. Doing so will help you spot the correct answer and give you the confidence that you chose correctly (without second guessing yourself).
• If you don’t know the answer, read all the responses. If one stands out as correct, select that one. If you aren’t sure, try to eliminate the ones that are incorrect. Often, you can find the right answer by eliminating those that are wrong. Or at least you can improve your odds if you have to make a guess.
• Look for qualifier words and eliminate any incorrect answers. See the preceding section for a list of words to watch for. Also, look for answers that don’t make sense or that talk about a totally different subject. You can usually eliminate these answers.
• If more than one answer is correct (or none seems correct), check for a choice that says “all of the above” or “none of the above.” Also, if you see this as one of the possible answers, be sure to double-check your response to make sure it’s not “all” or “none.” For “all,” keep in mind that if you’re sure even one of the answers is incorrect, you know that the answer isn’t “all.”
• The hardest questions are those when the answer isn’t exactly correct, but you’re instructed to choose the “best” answer. The trick is to choose the one that you think your instructor would say was the best answer.

The Answer Is a Number

If the answer is a number, experts have found that the highest and lowest numbers are not usually the right answers. If you have to guess, choose one of the middle numbers.

Matching Questions

For matching questions, you have two lists and must match each item in one list to an item in the second list (such as definitions or descriptions of events or people). A few tips will help you master matching questions:

• Count the items to see whether the lists are equal. Most often, all items are used in both lists, and each item is used just once. This can help you match up answers you don’t know. If there are an unequal amount of questions and answers, realize that the answer list includes some responses that don’t have a match.
• Match those you know first. When you make a match, cross the answer off the list of possible matches (if your test is structured such that items are used only once). Then proceed to those you think you know. When you’re left with those you don’t know, you can then guess from the final selections. You’ve narrowed the choices, so making a guess should be easier.
• If you go through the list and end up with one match that just can’t possibly be true, note that at least one of the matches you’ve made is incorrect. Try to find the closest match to one of the items (the question or answer) of the one you’re sure is wrong, and then make any adjustments.
• Cover up other answers. If you have a hard time concentrating because of all the available choices, focus on one item from one question or answer list. You can even cover the other items with a piece of paper. Then review the list of
  possible matches. Doing so can keep you from becoming confused with all the possibilities on both lists.

Arranging or Organizing Questions

Another type of test item asks you to arrange a series of items or events in some order, such as the steps you follow in a science experiment. Here’s how you approach such a question:

1. Read through all the items.
2. See whether you can identify the first and last step.
3. Think logically how the others should follow in order.
4. Arrange in the appropriate order.

Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

Fill-in-the-blank questions are an all-or-nothing kind of question, because you don’t have any possible answers to choose from, and you don’t have the added advantage of including the information you do know (as you do with an essay question, covered in the
following section). If you’re asked to identify the mad monk from Russia, you have to come up with the name Rasputin. No other name will get you points.

Complete those you do know and, if there’s no penalty for guessing, guess on any other blanks. Think of possible terms,
definitions, concepts, persons, events, or other items that you studied in the days and weeks leading up to the test.

Essay Questions

Probably the most dreaded type of question is the essay question, because you aren’t given any answers to choose from and you’re faced with a blank page that you need to complete. Keep in mind that this type of question will be used more and more often as your schooling progresses, and your instructor wants to see evidence that you can apply and really understand information (versus memorizing and recalling information).

Don’t despair. You can build your confidence in responding to essay questions, and in doing so, improve your performance.

To start, budget time for this type of question if there are other questions on the test. Often, an essay question is the last question on the test and is worth a significant portion of the points. Don’t spend all your time on the other questions; make time to both plan and write your essay.

Before you start writing, read the question carefully and note what the essay should include. Then map out a plan of your answer. You might jot down the key points you want to make, and then organize them in order (in order of importance, chronologically, or some other logical order). You can also jot down a mini-outline. When you know the points you want to make, you’re better prepared to state your answer directly in the introduction and back it up with examples.

Use direct statements and back up each of your main points of your argument with facts, statistics, and your own opinion from the readings, lectures, and other resources. Include only pertinent information in each paragraph. Don’t try to pad it with information that you remember (but that doesn’t relate). Also weed out any repetition. You won’t get a better grade (and will likely get a worse one) if you add to the length by restating the same idea, using different words.

Keep your paragraphs focused on one idea and use transitions to link one idea to the next. Main paragraphs in a balanced essay are usually equal lengths. Keep this in mind as you write. You don’t want to provide an entire page to support one point and then, because of lack of time or material, only mention your other ideas.

As in any writing, use correct grammar and spelling (as well as you can, without a dictionary) and write legibly. Check your work. Look for sentence fragments or run-ons and fix them during your review. Don’t get points deducted for easy mistakes that you can correct by proofreading.