Do You Have To Answer Every Question On The Exam Paper?

Many students much prefer multiple choice testing compared to short answer or essay writing. Let’s face it, multiple choice is far easier than most methods, especially as more often than not, the obvious answer is looking straight at you. Even if you may not know the answer, sometimes you can simply work it out based around the alternative choices. The beauty with multiple choice is that the student is able to answer every question, no excuses.

This article will deal with different forms of these questions and give hints and tips on certain ways of dealing with them. The underlying concept of the article will be looking at the process of elimination to find the correct answer. The process of elimination has helped many students in the past, and if used properly, can offer you the same advantage and help you achieve high grades in your exams.

However, the most important point in any exam is to read and understand the instructions. If you do not do this, you could end up answering more questions than you need, or to completely miss the entire point of the exam. For example, in a multiple choice test, read the instructions and every question carefully. You may assume there is only one correct answer to choose from, when there may be more than one. Miss this, and you will get a lot of questions wrong.

For essay questions, do not just dive in and start writing because it looks like you have to write five essays in two hours. It may well be, and most likely that you will have to write two or three out of the five. If you write all five, obviously they are not going to be as in depth as they should be if you only need to write three. Read the instructions, read the questions.

For standardized tests like SAT or GRE, be sure to visit web sites hosting them, or find books containing sample exams and past year tests. Make sure you study and understand how these work, and when you go to your actual test, you will be able to just skim through the instructions to make sure they are the same as your experience. This can save you valuable time in your exam, and give you a head start.

Look through the exam paper before starting it. It is so important to do. Very often, a paper could be in several sections with marks allocated to each. Use these marks as indications of how much time and effort you need to spend in each. If a section is only worth 10%, then allocate little time to it. If a section contains 40% or more of the final grade, then obviously that is where the bulk of your time and effort will need to go.

It is a good idea then, to break these sections down, and to plan your time accordingly to ensure you have the time to answer every question. If you really do run out of time, then at least you know where the majority of your efforts will needed to have gone.

To summarize, the most important aspect of any exam is to firstly know what is expected of you, so read the instructions first. Then allocate the right amount of time and effort needed to complete the paper. And if you don’t know an answer to a question, then make an educated guess, who knows, you may get it right. And you have far more chance of getting it right than if you don’t answer every question.