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IDEALLY, MULTIPLE-CHOICE exams would be random, without patterns of right or wrong answers. However, all tests are written by humans, and human nature makes it impossible for any test to be truly random.
Because of this fundamental flaw, William Poundstone, author of “Rock Breaks Scissors: A Practical Guide to Outguessing and Outwitting Almost Everybody,” claims to have found several common patterns in multiple-choice tests, including computer-randomized exams like the SATs.
After examining 100 tests — 2,456 questions in total — from varied sources, including middle school, high school, college, and professional school exams; drivers’ tests; licensing exams for firefighters and radio operators; and even newspaper quizzes, Poundstone says he found statistical patterns across all sources.
From this data, he determined valuable strategies for how to greatly up your chances of guessing correctly on any exam, whether you’re stumbling through a chemistry final or retaking your driver’s test.
While Poundstone emphasises that actual knowledge of the subject matter is always the best test-taking strategy and that ”a guessing strategy is useful to the extent that it beats random guessing,” he suggests to always guess when you’re unsure. And guessing smartly will only improve your chances of being correct.
Here are a few of Poundstone’s tactics for outsmarting any multiple-choice test:
You’ve probably been given test-taking advice along the lines of “always guess the middle answer if you don’t know,” or “avoid any answer that uses the words never, always, all, or none,” at some point in your life. However, according to Poundstone, this conventional wisdom doesn’t hold up against statistics. In fact, he found that the answers “none of the above” or “all of the above” were correct 52% of the time. Choosing one of these answers gives you a 90% improvement over random guessing.
Poundstone found correct answer choices hardly repeated consecutively, so looking at the answers of the questions you do know will help you figure out the ones you’re stuck on. For example, if you’re stuck on question No 2, but know that the answer to No 1 is A and the answer to No 3 is D, those choices can probably be eliminated for No 2. Of course, “knowledge trumps outguessing,” Poundstone reminds us. Cross out answers you know are wrong based on facts first.
Poundstone also noticed that the longest answer on multiple-choice tests was usually correct. “Test makers have to make sure that right answers are indisputably right,” he says. “Often this demands some qualifying language. They may not try so hard with wrong answers.” If one choice is noticeably longer than its counterparts, it’s likely the correct answer.
Some exams, like the SATs, are randomized using computers, negating any patterns usually found in the order of the answers. However, no matter their order, answer choices that are incongruent with the rest are usually wrong, according to Poundstone. He gives the following sample answers from an SAT practice test, without including the question:
A. haphazard…radicalB. inherent…controversialC. improvised…startling
D. methodical…revolutionary
E. derivative…gradual
Because the meaning of “gradual” stands out from the other words in the right column, choice E can be eliminated. Poundstone then points out that “haphazard” and “improvised,” have almost identical meanings. Because these choices are so close in meaning, A and C can also be eliminated, allowing you to narrow down over half the answers without even reading the question. “It’s hard to see how one could be unambiguously correct and the other unambiguously wrong,” he says.
For the record, the correct answer is D.
- Emmie Martin.
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A lecturer of mine used multiple choice questions along with negative marking in our assessments, to this day I still have nightmares of getting a minus result!
Oh god negative marking used to be the death of me!!
Multiple choice questions are a superficial test of superficial fact based knowledge.
The methodology has more to do with providing an easily quantifiable performance assessment than anything to do with real world deep knowledge, real cognition, and problem solving.
Einstein performed poorly at school on a primitive version of multiple choice questions.
If you can’t answer a simple MCQ right I don’t see how a person could have a “real world deep knowledge, real cognition, and problem solving” skills on the topic.
MCQ questions limit the candidates ability to waffle and takes away any subjective bias of the marker. I would argue that MCQs test a candidates deeper understanding. Essays can be open ended, answers ambiguous and in some situations the marker barely reads/analyses the answers.
The question is…. Does implementing these strategies mean you are more intelligent that someone who actually studied?
Obviously not!
I write MCQs too and it is not pure crap as some, but not all, of the patterns he found will persist after randomizing the questions or the order of the answers.
It is unfortunately true that MCQs are a very limited way of assessing students but given resource constraints they may be a necessary evil.
This is pure crap to be honest. I write MCQs and yes, humans do write them and they do give patterns…but… We have software that jumbles the questions sync and the order in which the answers appear so everyone gets a different test with the answers in different orders…
I took the licensing test for radio operators and knew only about 50% of the answers. I used some of these techniques and general cop-on and brought my score up to nearly 80%
That’s why I love multiple Choice Questions in exams, one of the options has to be correct, it’s just a matter of figuring out which one is the most plausible.
There’s hope for me. Cheating the tests and beating the system. I’ll become a Guard yet!!
Do you mean a Garda .
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