There are several types of exams for competitive examinations, including written exams, oral exams, multiple-choice exams, and practical exams. Of these, the multiple-choice exam is often loved and hated in equal parts. Some students say that they are very good at the multiple-choice test, but many students say just the opposite.
If you belong to the latter group, you don’t have to worry because this article will outline the best study techniques for preparing for a multiple-choice test.
The competitive examination is not a game.
We already know that preparing for an exam is difficult, so taking your studies lightly is not an option. It has become a priority from the moment you decide to take the competitive examination. So this requires us to do our part and set up schedules, timetables, and controls to help us focus on studying.
You can, for example, write down (by hand or digitally) a to-do list that allows you to organize yourself every week. Remember, it is good to relax, but no more than the effort you put into studying. Yes, we will have to stop doing things we like to do, but thinking about the benefits will make it worthwhile to get rid of them for a while.
So, no excuses! Don’t invent problems or force situations that take you away from the issues related to the opposition. Besides, being positive does not mean over-fantasizing, coming down from the clouds, and knowing that one hour of study is not enough to memorize. It is essential; you need to read, analyze and memorize.
But don’t forget to make the most of your time: yes, there will be things you can’t avoid during the day, but making a timetable allows you to do everything without being overwhelmed.
Get motivated.
To prepare for a multiple-choice exam, we need to know how to answer the question: What do we want to gain from taking the exam? Why are we making this decision? The syllabus is extensive, the sacrifices are many, and not knowing why we set this goal can lead to a low state of mind. Perseverance comes from motivation.
The desire to study, the concentration, comes from knowing what makes us do it, from visualizing an end, obtaining what we are working for. If we overload ourselves (which is normal), a break is essential. A day to ourselves can help us to feel motivated.
Overloading ourselves is not the answer, nor is over neglecting ourselves. To keep going and avoid the overload and unnecessary nerves, you should do the following:
- Think positively. Remember that there is an end to everything and that passing a competitive examination after preparing for a well-done test will bring well-being.
- Use a diary. Write down what you need to do, what you have learned, and what you have passed, and congratulate yourself for what you do well afterward.
- Imagine that you have reached the goal, and remember how it makes you feel.
- Rest for at least a day and keep going. But try harder when you go back to studies, as you come back with renewed energy.
- Ask your loved ones for support. They will always be there to make you feel better and lift your spirits.
Highlight the essential details.
When preparing for a multiple-choice test, the important thing is to pay attention to the facts, keep the relevant information, and extract the most important things from the explanations. To do this, we recommend using colored highlighters to highlight the keywords of each explanation for the subsequent concept map.
To study data such as dates when preparing for a multiple-choice test, it is best to use mnemonic and memorization techniques, arranging the dates in chronological order and associating them with keywords that remind you of the events that occurred.
Use concept maps.
Due to the type of questions asked in multiple-choice tests, such as individual ideas and concepts, it is imperative to have them very clear. We recommend you make concept maps to link the ideas and remember data as soon as you see the answers to the question.
The use of concept maps allows you to organize and understand the ideas you have studied. You can also use this method in your daily study routine to get the most points in class with your answers and not being urged to seek help from an essay writing service or a private tutor by the end of the semester.
To prepare for a multiple-choice exam, it is not enough to memorize all the information, but you have to understand the questions to be able to answer them well. This is why concept maps are an excellent learning method, as they force the student to relate the concepts and, in this way, keep the ideas more transparent.
Act like a teacher.
During the study of the subjects to be examined, we recommend setting aside possible questions to prepare a multiple-choice test for later research. The more questions you can take, the better prepared you will be for the exam. In addition, this way, you will reinforce your knowledge and memorize more quickly, not to mention that some of the questions you have studied may coincide with those proposed by the teachers.
When studying with your classmates, asking each other the questions related to the studied topic is also highly recommended.
Take lots of tests.
In order to pass this test with satisfactory results, it is advisable to take as many multiple-choice tests as you have from previous years. The more questions you do, the more you will be used to the type of questions that may be asked in the exam.
Also, when you take past exams, you should try to take them within the time limit of the real exam, because this way you can practice and finish all the questions successfully and on time.
Try the so-called ‘mock exams.’
Pretend that it is time. That the day you have been working on preparing for an exam has arrived. Grab a stopwatch, pencil, paper and get to work. This test allows us to cope with nerves, improve our work under pressure, and efficiency in the test time.
You can ask for help from friends to supervise you and help you improve in the public reading part of the competition. Ask them what your shortcomings are and try to improve them. Being able to read clearly is essential. You need to convey ideas in an efficient, understandable, and transparent way. Knowledge is not the only thing you are being tested on.
Use flashcards.
This method is very efficient if you are preparing for a test. It consists of making flashcards where you write down the questions on one side and the answers on the other side.
This way, you can take them anywhere, and when you have some free time, you can start to revise. You can take it as a game, giving the study a fun touch. Besides, it is proven that this method facilitates memorization.
Read each question properly.
Although it may seem silly and logical, read both the question and the possible answers carefully. Normally students, in order to finish the test in time, skim and scam the questions, causing them to misunderstand the statement or miss information in the question that makes them answer incorrectly.
The same happens with the answers: often, you read only the beginning of the question, which may coincide with the correct answer, but if you continue reading, there may be a piece of information that is incorrect, and you will get the question wrong. That is why you should stay calm and read everything included in the question.
Go through questions more than once.
It is recommended that you only answer the questions that you are fairly sure you have selected the correct answer on your first run through the test. If you know the answer when you read the questions, mark it and go on to the next one.
This way, you can quickly make sure you have enough time to organize yourself better and think carefully about the answers you are unsure about.
If you don’t know the answer, leave it blank.
If you don’t know the answer to a question you don’t know, it is better to leave it blank, as, in most exams, incorrect answers are subtracted, and you could fail the exam because of these mistakes, so don’t gamble with it.
Be careful with answers that say “always, never, often or occasionally”: absolute answers are not usually the correct ones, and the solutions are not usually so restrictive.
Common mistakes when preparing for a multiple-choice test.
After giving you some tips on doing well in the exam, we will now discuss the mistakes you should avoid when preparing for a multiple-choice test.
- Learning every single topic by heart. Multiple-choice exams are just the kind of exams that don’t require you to memorize every single word. Just the most relevant facts of each topic will be enough: the explanations are for you to understand, not to learn them. You can’t study in the same way as if you had to develop a question.
- Not practicing enough. The important thing when preparing for a multiple-choice test is to have practice with multiple-choice tests so that you will be used to answering the questions quickly to be able to answer as many questions as possible in the given time.
