Multiple Choice Exam
Content
What does a multiple choice exam look like? ........................................................................
How should I prepare for a multiple choice examination? .......................................................
How should I approach a multiple choice question? ...............................................................
How should I use the answer sheet? ...................................................................................
What should I do if I am not sure which answer to choose? ...................................................
Should I take a guess if I am not sure of the answer? ...........................................................
How do I approach a correction for guessing? ......................................................................
When I have checked all of the questions, should I then also check all of my answers? .............
What can I expect from the lecturer in the case of a multiple choice examination? ....................
What feedback will I get after a multiple choice examination? ................................................
More info? .......................................................................................................................
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What does a multiple choice exam look like?
A multiple choice exam consists of a series of questions and each question comes with a list of
possible answers. You have to tick the correct answer (tip: read the question thoroughly), there is
mostly only one correct answer.
For example:
The municipality of Herentals is situated in the province of:
a. Limburg
b. Antwerp
c. Flemish Brabant
d. East Flanders
(*The correct answer is Antwerp)
Multiple choice questions focus mainly on knowledge, comprehension and application. It is certainly
not just about facts and knowledge, as the test may include questions relating to insight. Your
lecturer may present you, for example, with a short case story, a newspaper article, a graph, an
illustration or a table followed by a number of insight-related questions.
How should I prepare for a multiple choice examination?
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Read and study the course syllabus for compulsory learning content and the literature. Pay
particular attention to accurate statements, clear definition of concepts, theoretical field of
application, legislation, formulae, etc.
Do not just study based on recognition! Even though you do not have to write down any
answers, you still have to study intensively and understand the subject matter. In order to
be able to distinguish the correct answer from the wrong misleading ones, you must have
thorough knowledge of the learning content. Accuracy and completeness (e.g. dates,
numbers, names,...) are even more important than in other types of assessment.
Draw up a summary and perhaps convert it into a mind map. By drawing a mind map
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map) you will gain a good overview of the connections
between the various sections of the course.
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Explain difficult sections to a fellow student. This will tell you whether you have understood
everything correctly. If you have not quite mastered certain aspects, then study the content
again and continue to practise.
Practise the methodology of a multiple choice examination in advance in non-stressful
conditions. You can practise the model examination questions which your lecturer has
discussed during your contact sessions or by using examination questions from previous
academic years. Ensure that you understand the reasoning behind the answer; certainly do
not learn these answers by heart. Surf the internet for more examples and tests.
Make sure you have a good night’s sleep before you take the multiple choice examination.
How should I approach a multiple choice question?
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Think of your own answer first. In this way, you will not be confused by the possible
answers. Therefore, cover the possible answers with your hand or with a piece of spare
paper.
Apply a system of rounds
o Complete the first round of questions to which you know the answer. Skip those
questions you do not yet know the answer to. If possible, tick the box first on the
draft side of the answer sheet.
o As part of the second round, fill in the difficult questions. Skip the very difficult ones.
o In a third round, make time for the very difficult questions.
Thoroughly read the question and the possible answers. Look for key words. Read with care,
but do not read too deeply into the question either. Certainly do not interpret all questions
as trick questions. Watch out for the use of words in the questions (e.g. not, always, etc.).
Look for the ‘best’ possible answer and not the 100% ‘perfect’ answer. Some possible
answers are just ‘nonsense’, other possible answers are only just slightly ‘less correct’.
If there are four possible answers, the general rule is:
o One of the four alternatives is obviously incorrect.
o Upon reflection, a second alternative seems to be incorrect.
o Now determine which one of the two remaining possible answers is the correct one.
Keep an eye on the time and use it efficiently.
o Do not spend too much time on one question of which you are uncertain.
o Also do not read the questions too fast.
o The time-scale for a multiple choice examination can vary between 1 and 3 hours,
depending on the number of multiple choice questions and the number of possible
answers.
 75 seconds is the average response time allowed for a multiple choice
question with a list of 4 possible answers.
 60 seconds is the response time for a multiple choice question with a list of 3
possible answers.
At the start of your examination, it might be helpful to write down the titles of the chapters
in the correct order on your rough copy. For each question, check which chapters cover
these questions.
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How should I use the answer sheet?
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First solve the questions on your rough copy, and at the end of the examination copy the
right answers on the examination paper you will have to hand in to your lecturer.
In a multiple choice examination, you may receive two documents: one containing a set of
questions and an answer sheet.
o The set of questions contains all the questions with all the possible answers.
o The answer sheet does not contain any questions or answers, all you have to do is
tick the possible answer of your choice. You do this by fully colouring in the bullet
point against a, b, c, or d. This is the answer sheet that will be corrected.
Sometimes education establishments use answer sheets that are automatically computerprocessed. In that case, be aware of the following:
o Carefully colour in the bullets. If you colour outside of the lines, the software
program will not be able to recognise your answer.
o Focus intently on the question numbers!
A multiple choice examination may be paper-based or computer-based on an online learning
platform.
What should I do if I am not sure which answer to choose?
Remember the following general rules in case of doubt:
 Do not spend too much time on a question of which you are unsure.
 Read through the question and the possible answers carefully once more and compare the
key words.
 If you are well-prepared and if you have read the question carefully, your first impression is
usually the right one.
 Do not panic. It is not because you are struggling to answer one particular multiple choice
question that you will not be able to reply to the following question. A multiple choice
examination usually contains a large number of questions, so you will be tested on many
different aspects of the learning content.
 Do not look for a pattern in the letters of the correct answers. Everything is possible. If you
think that the correct answer comes up as (a) four times in a row, then tick them accordingly.
Don’t forget that possible answers are enlisted in random order.
 Cover the answers and try to guess the right one.
Should I take a guess if I am not sure of the answer?
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In a multiple choice question the correct answer will feature among the given possible
answers so you do not have to produce the correct answer yourself. This means that you
could take a guess and tick one of the possible answers at random. If there are four possible
answers, then you have a 25% chance of ticking the correct answer. If there are three
possible answers, that percentage is 33%. However, only take a guess as a last resort. First
reflect and see whether you know the correct answer.
Ask if a correction for guessing will be applied. This means that a correction will be applied
for every wrong answer. You not only receive marks for a correct answer, but you also lose
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marks in the case of a wrong answer. A correction for guessing also determines whether it is
an intelligent guess.
If you have any questions, ask your teacher.
How do I approach a correction for guessing?
Sometimes students’ potential guessing behaviour is compensated for by building in a correction for
guessing. This means that you receive marks for the percentage of correct answers, but also that you
lose marks for wrong answers. In most cases, the lecturer will deduct 1/ (number of possible answers
– 1) if the answer is wrong. Leaving the question blank or no answer means you don’t lose or gain
points.
For example: Let’s say that in the case of a multiple choice question with a choice of 4 possible
answers, you select answer b. However, the correct answer is a. This means that 1/3 of a point will be
deducted from your total score.
 If the correction for guessing is not applied, it would be best to answer all of the questions.
After all, in this case you can only gain marks without losing any.
 If the correction for guessing is indeed applied, then you must - if you are unsure about the
answer – choose to either leave the answer blank or take a guess. If you leave the answer blank,
no marks will be deducted for a wrong answer. However, if you do tick a possible answer, then
marks will be deducted if it is wrong; but you can naturally also gain marks if the answer is
indeed correct. If you are unsure, it is still recommended to make a guess if you can exclude a
number of possible answers. If you definitely do not know the answer, then it is better not to
guess.
When I have checked all of the questions, should I then also check all of my
answers?
When you have finished all of the multiple choice questions and check through them once more,
then do not change all of your answers. ‘Correcting’ would then be ‘making things worse’. Only make
corrections if you now have a greater insight. Do not make corrections just because you are worried
or are really starting to have doubts.
What can I expect from the lecturer in the case of a multiple choice
examination?
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The lecturer will inform you in advance about the way in which the multiple choice
examination will be conducted: time available, paper-based or computer-based, whether or
not a correction for guessing will be applied, etc.
The lecturer may cover model examination questions during your contact sessions or in the
course material.
The lecturer determines the mark. Sometimes the education establishment stipulates that
you have to answer a specific percentage of the questions in order to pass the examination.
For example: ‘You have to answer 60% of the questions to pass.’
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What feedback will I get after a multiple choice examination?
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You will receive a mark based on the number of correct and incorrect answers (and a
possible correction for guessing), taking into account the pass mark.
A subsequent discussion will give you greater insight into what you have and have not
understood. You can always ask feedback.
Upon request, you can view the multiple choice examination during a feedback session.
More info?
The following references have been used to compile this information. Please feel free to refer to
them for additional tips:
 Clement, M. & Laga, E. (red.) (2005). Steekkaarten doceerpraktijk. Antwerpen-Apeldoorn:
Garant.
 http://www.leidenuniv.nl/ics/sz/so/psy0602.html
 http://www.score.hva.nl/s_kennistoets.html
 http://www.studiecoach.ou.nl/tentamendoen/index.php
 http://www1.katho.be/page.aspx?smid=2278
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