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Multiple-Choice Exams
Have you ever studied for a multiple-choice test, felt confident you had the information down cold — and then done poorly?
To do well on a multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank test, you need to know what the teacher is likely to ask, and that isn’t always obvious. For example, there are at least five test questions that could come from the following fact on a biology study sheet: "Bacteria are motile. They use either flagella or cilia to achieve movement."
How do bacteria move? is one question.
What are “flagella”? is another.
But how about What is motility? or Do bacteria move? or What do flagella do?
Think of all the ways a teacher could ask a question.
What you should do: Get a stack of flashcards. On one side of each card, write down all the questions you can think of (framed in different ways and from different angles). Write the answers on the other sides. Then quiz yourself.
When formulating questions from lecture notes and end-of-chapter summaries, keep asking yourself, “What questions could the teacher ask?” Think of all the whos, whats, wheres, whens, and hows, then dig for them.
For instance, if the teacher discussed the Declaration of Independence, you may need to know who wrote it, who signed it, where it was signed, when it was written, when it was signed, why it was written, and how it affected the colonists.
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This article comes from the Spring 2009 issue of ADDitude.
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