Multiple-Choice Math Test Tips

Here are some tips for writing multiple-choice mathematics tests:

• Before answering a question, estimate what the answer should be first. First, doing so should allow you to eliminate some answer choices, potentially making the question much easier. Second, it makes it easier for you to catch mistakes in your calculations.
• If you aren't sure how to answer a question, try to use process of elimination to eliminate some answer choices first.
• If a question appears at first glance to be very long and involved, look for a shortcut.
• On a difficult question, if one of the answers is "obvious," it's probably wrong.
• If a question involves many variables or other unknowns, try a special case. Substitute a certain value for the variable in the equations (and answers, if applicable) and see which answers work out.
• On a multiple-choice test, the correct answer is right in front of you. If you can't think of a better way to solve the problem, you could use guess and check: Try each answer until you find the correct one.
• If there's no penalty for guessing, make sure to answer every question, even if you have to guess.
• If you decide to guess on a question, you can improve your odds of getting the correct answer by eliminating any obviously wrong answer choices first.
• Don't expect the correct answer choice to stand out. The correct answer will usually be the answer that is most similar, in some manner or another, to the other answers.
• Don't stop working on the problem as soon as you get a result that corresponds to one of the answer choices. Make sure that you answer the question that was asked.
• If each question has the same weight, don't rush through the "easy" questions. You could make a careless mistake that could be costly.

For more information on succeeding on multiple choice math tests, see my eBook for Kindle, How to Ace the Multiple-Choice Mathematics Test.