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Test Taking Strategies. Mr. Avery. Multiple Choice Questions.
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Test Taking Strategies Mr. Avery
Multiple Choice Questions • Multiple choice exams ask a student to recognize a correct answer among a set of options that include 3 or 4 wrong answers (called distracters ), rather than asking the student to produce a correct answer entirely from his/her own mind. • Students may commonly consider multiple choice exams easy; however, multiple choice exams can actually be very difficult. • Multiple Choice questions force students to be familiar with a much broader range of material.
How do we handle the difficult MC questions? • First, we have to understand the layout of a Multiple Choice question. • The prompt, or question, is called the “stem.” • Ex. Which choice below is the “best” description of the French and Indian War? • As we can see, the stem is addressing Social Studies content pertaining to the French and Indian War. • What do you notice about the stem?
What to Expect. • That’s right! You noticed the word, “best” in the stem. • These types of words are thrown in the stem to get you off of your game, but if you know what to look for, and read the stem carefully, you will not get tripped up on the State’s trickery. • With that being said, look for Extreme Modifiers such as: • Except, Never, Least Likely, Most Likely, Best, Always, Every, Most… • Can you give me some more Extreme Modifiers, or word combinations, that you believe you would see on a stem that I did not mention? • Now, try to generate some French and Indian War stems that you could possibly see on the KPREP test, using some Extreme Modifiers.
Let’s Practice Ex. Which choice below is the “best” description of the French and Indian War? • A. A war beginning in 1750 and lasting until 1760, pinning France against Canada. • B. A war between the French and Indians that resulted in France extending its territories west of the Mississippi River. • C. A war that took place from 1756 to 1763, where the French, along with Native Americans, battled Great Britain and the colonists for control of the Ohio River and the Fur Trade. Also, better known as the Seven Years War. • D. A war that lasted seven years, consisting of small battles that led to a British victory over France. • Can you give me some more Extreme Modifiers, or word combinations, that you believe you would see on a stem that I did not mention? • Now, try to generate some French and Indian War stems that you could possibly see on the KPREP test, using some Extreme Modifiers.
Looking Through the Answer Options • Don’t be nervous about the answer options for each stem. • They are constructed in a specific way that will always include the right answer. • In other words, if there are four answer options, one will definitely be the answer. • “How do we know which one of the four answer options is correct?,” you may ask. • Well, lets start with the basics and move more in-depth from there. • 1st- Know your content. Take time to study the material that will be on the test and listen closely during class time. Simple, right? • 2nd- Try to answer the stem before you look through the answer options. • 3rd- Read every answer option carefully and eliminate the answer options that you know are not correct for the stem.
Continued • 5th- If you are having trouble deciding on an answer choice, move to the next question and come back to the question at a later time during the test. • You never know, another question, or stem, may trigger something in your memory and you can go back to that stem and answer it correctly. • 6th- If you cannot come up with an answer, take an educated guess. Let’s face it, we don’t always know the correct answer. It is always better to try than to leave a stem unanswered. • 7th- Remember to relax and use all of the time needed to take the test. Do not rush through the test. Always give yourself enough time to double check your answers choices.
