Multiple-Choice Strategies

On this test nothing is taken away for a wrong answer. That means a blank is the only answer that is certainly worth nothing. Even a pure guess between four answers is right about one time in four. So if you cannot work a question out, still pick something — and if you run out of time, fill in every empty bubble before you stop.

Before you work anything out, look at the four answers and cross out the ones that cannot possibly be right. There are ten counters altogether, so the answer to how many are not red cannot be ten, because that would mean none are red. It certainly cannot be sixteen, because there are not that many counters. Two answers gone before any maths, and now even a guess is right half the time.

Some questions ask you to say about how much. You do not measure — you look. The bucket holds ten litres and the water is a bit more than half way up, so the answer has to be more than five. That crosses out three and five immediately. Of the two left, seven matches the picture and nine would be nearly full. Guessing the size first turns a hard question into an easy one.

When you have an answer, look back at the picture and ask whether it could possibly be true. If the picture shows eight shells and your answer is twelve, something has gone wrong. If the question asks for part of a group, your answer must be smaller than the whole group; if it asks for everything altogether, it must be bigger than any one part. That check takes about three seconds and it catches most silly mistakes.

Four steps for every question. Read it and underline the important word. Cross out the answers that cannot be right. Work it out, then check it against the picture. And if you are stuck, pick the best one left and move on — you can come back at the end if there is time. Do not spend a long time on one question, because there are lots of others waiting for you. Quiz and exercises now.