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Multiple-Choice Speed & Elimination

Maths · Y4 OC Prep
Year 4 OC
Lesson Guide
Explanation
Know the battlefield: 35 questions, 40 minutes, five options A–E, answers on a separate sheet, no calculator. Two rules drive all strategy. NO PENALTY for wrong answers — so an empty box is the only wrong you can't recover; answer everything, even by guessing. And ~68 seconds per question on average — but it's an average: easy questions should take 20 seconds so hard ones can have two minutes. Time is a budget you spend deliberately.
Your Turn
Maths check: if you answer the 20 easiest questions in 30 seconds each, how long remains for the other 15? Check: 40 − 10 = 30 min — two minutes each!
Watch Out
Fill the answer sheet AS YOU GO or in planned batches — the test ends with NO extra time for transferring answers.
Explanation
You don't have to find the answer — destroying the wrong ones works too. Three 385 mL jugs: estimate 3 × 400 = about 1200 mL, and watch the options die: 385 (one jug), 770 (two), 3.85 L (ten), 12 L (silly) — only 1.2 L survives. Elimination weapons: estimation, units (an answer in the wrong ballpark), parity (odd/even), and sense (bigger/smaller than the start?). Even killing two options makes your guess 1-in-3 — free marks in a no-penalty test.
Your Turn
47 × 21 = ? Options: 94, 987, 9870, 468, 1200. Kill by estimate (≈ 50 × 20 = 1000). Check: 987 survives.
Watch Out
Elimination needs a REASON per kill. Crossing out options on vibes is just guessing with extra steps.
Explanation
Every OC paper plants the same four word-traps. NOT/CANNOT flips the hunt — you want the impossible option. MORE means target minus existing (the total is always among the options, waiting). Boundary words — exactly, at least, more than — decide by exactly 1 whether an answer is right. And GREATEST/SMALLEST demand you score every candidate before choosing. The defence is physical: underline these words as you read. Your pencil catches what your speed-reading brain skips.
Your Turn
Underline the trap words: 'What is the greatest number of 20c coins that could NOT be needed…' — how many trap words? Check: two — greatest AND not!
Watch Out
Questions with TWO trap words exist. Slow down for one careful read — 5 seconds of reading beats 60 seconds of solving the wrong question.
Explanation
The three-pass plan beats question-by-question grinding. Pass 1 (~25 min): sweep the paper answering everything quick; the moment a question feels sticky, mark it and MOVE — easy marks first. Pass 2 (~12 min): return to the marked ones with your full attention and your elimination tools. Pass 3 (last 3 min): fill every remaining box with your best guess — no penalty means blank is the only guaranteed zero. The discipline this buys: one monster question can never eat five easy questions' worth of time.
Your Turn
Practice the skip reflex: next time a question stumps you for 30+ seconds in the exercises, write S beside it, move on, and return at the end.
Watch Out
When you skip on the answer sheet, the next answer must go in the RIGHT row — misaligned answer sheets are catastrophic. Check the question number at every skip.
Explanation
Your complete exam kit: estimate first (options die fast), underline trap words (NOT, MORE, exactly), test the options middle-first when stuck, run three passes with skip-and-return, sense-check answers against the story, and answer absolutely everything. None of these replace maths skill — they make sure your skill converts into marks under a 40-minute clock. The next lesson is a timed practice set where you'll run the whole kit at once. First: this quiz and exercises.
Your Turn
Rehearse the mantra before any practice set: "Easy first. Underline the traps. No blanks." Say it three times!
Watch Out
Technique amplifies knowledge — it never replaces it. Keep drilling the maths chapters alongside the tactics.
Step 1: Introduction
Step 1 of 5
The OC Mathematical Reasoning test 35 questions 40 minutes A–E five options The rules that shape your strategy: ✓ NO penalty for wrong answers → answer every single question. ✓ ~68 seconds per question → some get 20s, some get 2 minutes. ✓ Answers go on a separate sheet — within the time limit! ✓ No calculators. Working space on the question paper.
Kill options before choosing "A jug holds 385 mL. Three jugs hold about…?" A 385 mL one jug! B 770 mL two jugs C 1.2 L ≈ 3 × 400 ✓ D 3.85 L 10 jugs E 12 L way off Estimate (3 × 400 = 1200 mL) kills four options without exact work. Even killing TWO options turns a wild guess into a 1-in-3 chance — and with no penalty, an educated guess is always worth taking.
The words that flip answers NOT / CANNOT — "which could NOT be the result?" You are hunting the impossible one. Underline the NOT. MORE — "how many MORE squares must be shaded?" Target minus what exists. The total is the trap option. EXACTLY / AT LEAST / MORE THAN — boundary words. "Beats 25" needs 26. "Exactly 3×" fails at 4×. Boundaries decide. GREATEST / SMALLEST / LOWEST PRICE — optimisation words. Score all candidates, then pick. Never grab the first that works.
Three passes through the paper Pass 1 (25 min): answer everything quick, SKIP anything sticky. Mark skipped questions on the paper. Banked marks build confidence. Pass 2 (12 min): return to the skipped ones, now with full focus. Use elimination and option-testing on the stubborn ones. Pass 3 (3 min): NO blank boxes. Guess every unanswered question. No penalty — a guess is a free lottery ticket. Blank is the only zero. One hard question must never eat five easy questions' time.
Your OC exam kit 🎒 Estimate first kills options fast Underline trap words NOT, MORE, exactly Test the options middle first Skip & return three passes Check vs the story does it make sense? Answer everything no penalty! Next lesson: a full practice set to use ALL of it under time. Quiz first!
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