How many correct answers can you have in a multiple choice test?
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A few simple tips can give you an edge on multiple-choice tests. U.S. Navy/Flickr Ideally, multiple-choice exams would be random, without patterns of right or wrong answers. However, all tests are written by humans, and human nature makes it impossible for any test to be truly random. Show
Because of this fundamental flaw, William Poundstone, author of "Rock Breaks Scissors: A Practical Guide to Outguessing and Outwitting Almost Everybody," claims to have found several common patterns in multiple-choice tests, including computer-randomized exams like the SATs. After examining 100 tests — 2,456 questions in total — from varied sources, including middle school, high school, college, and professional school exams; driver's tests; licensing exams for firefighters and radio operators; and even newspaper quizzes, Poundstone says he found statistical patterns across all sources. From this data, he determined several strategies to up your chances of guessing correctly on any exam, whether you're stumbling through a chemistry final or retaking your driver's test. While Poundstone emphasizes that knowledge of the subject matter is always the best test-taking strategy and that "a guessing strategy is useful to the extent that it beats random guessing," he suggests you always guess when you're unsure. And guessing smartly will only improve your chances of being correct. Here are a few of Poundstone's tactics for outsmarting any multiple-choice test: 1. Ignore conventional wisdom.You've probably been given test-taking advice along the lines of "always guess the middle answer if you don't know" or "avoid any answer that uses the words 'never,' 'always,' 'all,' or 'none'" at some point in your life. However, according to Poundstone, this conventional wisdom doesn't hold up against statistics. In fact, he found that the answers "none of the above" or "all of the above" were correct 52% of the time. Choosing one of these answers gives you a 90% improvement over random guessing, he says. 2. Look at the surrounding answers.Poundstone found correct answer choices hardly repeated consecutively, so looking at the answers of the questions you do know will help you figure out the ones you're stuck on. For example, if you're stuck on question No. 2, but know that the answer to No. 1 is A and the answer to No. 3 is D, those choices can probably be eliminated for No. 2. Of course, "knowledge trumps outguessing," Poundstone reminds us. Cross out answers you know are wrong based on facts first. Alberto G./Flickr3. Choose the longest answer.Poundstone also noticed that the longest answer on multiple-choice tests was usually correct. "Test makers have to make sure that right answers are indisputably right," he says. "Often this demands some qualifying language. They may not try so hard with wrong answers." If one choice is noticeably longer than its counterparts, he says it's likely the correct answer. 4. Eliminate the outliers.Some exams, like the SATs, are randomized using computers, negating any patterns usually found in the order of the answers. However, no matter their order, answer choices that are incongruent with the rest are usually wrong, according to Poundstone. He gives the following sample answers from an SAT practice test, without including the question:
Because the meaning of "gradual" stands out from the other words in the right column, choice E can be eliminated. Poundstone then points out that "haphazard" and "improvised" have almost identical meanings. Because these choices are so close in meaning, A and C can also be eliminated, allowing you to narrow down over half the answers without even reading the question. "It's hard to see how one could be unambiguously correct and the other unambiguously wrong," he says. For the record, the correct answer is D. Most standardized tests today are some form of multiple-choice, and for good reason. Multiple-choice tests are easy to create on a computer and can be automatically scored in seconds. Contrast that with short essay answers that require human involvement, and it’s easy to see why so many tests today ask you to choose A, B, C, or D (and sometimes E) to demonstrate your understanding of the topic or material. While many test takers don’t like these types of tests, they do offer some advantages to the test taker. For one thing, wrong answers are rarely penalized in a multiple-choice test, so there is never any downside to guessing. But that’s not the best news for test takers. Multiple-choice tests have some inherent weaknesses as a testing tool. By understanding those weaknesses, you can take advantage of them and get a better-than-expected score. Of course, there’s no substitute for knowing the material, but with the right test-taking techniques and understanding the limitations of the format, you can score well even in sections where you’re a little weaker. We’ve broken this post into two sections. First, we’ll share some test taking techniques that will improve your score. Then, we’ll share some data on these tests which will further improve your chances of success. One final note before we begin. The techniques in this post don’t cover math multiple-choice tests. We will share tips for beating multiple-choice tests for math and other types of tests in a future post. Beating the Multiple-Choice TestBefore taking your test, it’s always a good idea to take a practice test. This will help you get comfortable with the test style while giving you a good sense of how much time you have for each question. Once you have the test in front of you, the first thing you should do is read quickly through the entire test and answer the easy ones first. Be sure to read each question carefully before choosing your answer. If the question asks for the worst option, for example, and you choose the best option, your answer will be wrong. This approach will help reduce your anxiety on the test, as you can feel confident that you aced the easy questions and now it’s time to get to work. Success on the test rests on your performance on the questions that you skipped. None of these methods are foolproof, but following these techniques will improve the likelihood of picking the right answer when you are unsure how to respond. Mine the Test for AnswersOftentimes when writing a test, one question contains the answer to a different question. Since you’ve read through the entire test, as you go back through the questions that you skipped, pause for a moment to think if the test has given away the answer to the question you are stuck on. Even if there isn’t anything blatant, you may find some hints that can lead you to the right answer. Eliminate Obvious Wrong AnswersTest writers frequently include several obvious wrong answers. As a first step, you should eliminate the obvious wrong answers, and focus your efforts on the answers that may be correct. Find Similar AnswersWhen you’re looking at four answers and two of them are similar to each other but not similar to the other answers, in all likelihood one of those two options is the right answer. The one exception to this rule is when two answers use synonyms and are saying the same thing. Since both answers have the same meaning, and only one answer is correct, you can safely assume that neither of these is the right choice. Benchmark the AnswersSometimes all four answers may be true and seem correct. In those instances, you usually need to find the one that is the best answer. Start with Answer A and compare it to B. Pick the one that seems more plausible, and that becomes your benchmarked response. Then compare the more plausible answer to C. Take the more plausible answer and compare it with D (and then E in a five-choice test). When you’ve completed your comparisons, you will have the right answer. Number of AppearancesSometimes you’ll get questions with multiple pieces of data that appear in the answers, with the same data appearing in more than one answer. Items that appear most often are more likely to be the right answer. For example: Which answer choice below only contains dairy items?
If you count how many times each item appears and add them together, you will almost always get the right response
Next, we add them together.
D is the correct response. This works because test writers try to tempt test takers with choices that seem legitimate, so they include correct answers in every line. Another example of this technique is the following: Name the event and year that triggered the Great Depression:
In this example, if we count the elements we get
Next, we add them together.
In this case, the correct answer is A, which also has the highest total. The Data Behind TestsIn 2014, William Poundstone published Rock Breaks Scissors: A Practical Guide to Outguessing and Outwitting Almost Everybody. In it, he offered several data-based observations about multiple-choice tests. Again, knowledge is your best tool when taking a test, but when you reach questions that you don’t know the answer to, following these tips can swing the results in your favor.
Give Yourself the Edge to SucceedKnowing the material is always the best path to success but understanding how multiple-choice tests work can give you the edge you need to ace it. If you have a test coming up, check out the courses we offer. How many answers are in a multipleIt is generally accepted that multiple choice questions allow for only one answer, where the one answer may encapsulate a collection of previous options.
Can a multipleNotice if you were in a “Multiple Choice” question, the “Correct Answer” would simply move to that question row. You cannot have more than one correct answer in “Multiple Choice.”
Is C the most common answer?In other words? There is no most common answer on the SAT. Ultimately, guessing C (or any letter!) will give you the correct answer only a statistical 25% of the time.
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