dragonbook

47 Most of your professors are themselves exceptionally good at taking multiple-choice type exams—but it’s enormously hard for us to teach students who aren’t already good at multiple- choice tests to improve their performance. Here are, however, a few observations and suggestions: 1. Find out whether the professor prepares multiple-choice questions mostly from the textbook material, mostly from the lectures, or from both sources. 2. If there are a substantial number of textbook questions, look carefully at the study materials provided by the textbook company. Quite often the company will provide practice drills that will give you a good feel for the tests. The textbook itself will usually have some study hints, or (at least) it will highlight the important information. 3. Multiple-choice tests are often a gauge of how well you’ve done the assigned readings and retained the information. Using the skim-read-skim system advocated above will help, but, to really do well, you need a skim-read-skim-read-skim-read system. In other words, lots of time with the text! By far the biggest reason Northern students fail multiple choice tests is that they haven’t done the reading. 4. Take the same approach to your lecture notes as to the textbook. Skim-read-skim- read-skim read until you know your notes thoroughly. 5. Remember that multiple-choice tests tend to place a lot of emphasis on vocabulary. Be sure you look up unfamiliar words and that you know well the specialized vocabulary appropriate to the discipline you are studying. 6. Don’t agonize over questions when you aren’t certain of the answer. Skip the question temporarily and come back to it after you’ve done the questions your sure of. Alternatively (and this may be the better strategy) mark a tentative answer before you go on to the other questions. Your first impressions do have a tendency to be right. 7. Be alert to the possibility of multiple correct answers. Students often get questions wrong because they see one correct answer and mark that—not being careful to see that the expected response is “all of the above” or “a. and c.” Need more suggestions? Here’s some material from the Center for Teaching Excellence (reproduced below with permission):