Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Exams - How to Crack Them

By Raj Tyagi Ads by Google

Grockit GMAT Prep www.grockit.com/GMAT-Sample Personalized study plans. Free trial. Sign up now! Alpari (UK) Forex Trading alpari.co.uk/fsa-regulated Up To $4000 Credit Bonus.T&Cs Apply Download MT4 Now! FSA Regulated. Class 1 to Class 12 www.MeritNation.com Lessons, Animations, Videos & more Math, EVS, Science, English, SST

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) exams with negative marking are the current trends for exams internationally. The exam pattern is feared by some students because the choices look confusing, tricky and risky, especially when exam preparation is not 100%. Here we would discuss few ways to improve scores to solve/crack the multiple choice questions (MCQ) based exam. Having myself passed three of the 20 hottest certification exams (Sun Java, Value Engg, PMP) based on MCQ format, I have concluded that MCQ tests are like Driving License Test. These driving tests are not about whether you can start engine, put your foot on gas pedal and go. On the other hand, they are about general understanding of vehicle itself (i.e. exam pattern), navigation skills (when to speed up, when to slow down, have control at all times, do defensive driving), know all traffic symbols & rules- high speed lane is only meant to overtake (i.e. hurry up with questions only when essential), give way to vehicles when needed to be safe (skip tough questions to save time), look out on road for potholes/obstacles/wetness and slow down (i.e. watch out for tricky questions and don't fall in traps/distracter), follow drive-test examiner's instruction completely (follow the question's instructions as to what is expected from us) and so on. Following are the general tips on how to crack multiple choice question (MCQ) exam: Before the Exam (during preparation) 1) Thoroughly understand the exam pattern. Know all the sections of the exam and go prepared after evaluating negative marking scheme of exam.

2) Understand yourself i.e. know your strength and weaknesses. Strength lies where you had been able to answer the questions under 30 seconds just after sleep during preparation and weaknesses where you had the history of marking wrong choices even after contemplating on questions for 2-3 minutes. 3) Perfect the art of speed, correctness and gut feeling. Know a little bit of probability theory to decide if the odds of success in answering a question are rewarding or foolhardy. There is only a thin line that separates smartness and foolhardy. 4) Old is gold. Try to solve previous years question paper to understand the exam format and to build speed, correctness and understand if your gut feeling is normally right or wrong. One can download the previous year's questions papers from multitude of sources online. 5) Keep in mind that MCQ format also tests the candidates differentiating skills. If one can develop the skills of eliminating one or two choices from 4 choices, one is on the way to success. Even if you feel the correct choice is not one of the choices, select the best choice. 6) Few calculation based questions may have shortcuts methods to solve them. Similarly, many of the theory concepts can be very well learnt using memorization tools. Everyone can recall how easy it is to learn the sequence of rainbow colors using VIBGYOR (Violet Indigo Blue Green Yellow Orange Red) acronym. I had devised a mnemonics list of about 50 such acronym words to remember during my PMP exam with great success (e.g. APES stands for Alternatives Identification, Product Analysis, Expert Judgment and Stakeholder Analysis and CEO stands for Collective bargaining agreements, Economic condition and Organization Structure). Speaking about our brain, the strength of the signal they convey is determined by use. The more a particular synapse is used, the stronger the signal it conveys. Therefore regular practice is a must for this method. 7) Develop some time management skills during schooling as it will pay-off handsomely during exams. Like experienced cricketers keep their nerve for long chase, learn how to pace your innings correctly. Don't keep everything till the end, finish the exam 8-10 minutes before the schedule to perform some sanity checks. Few of the MCQ questions in exams are intentionally made long-worded to test if the candidates can handle time

pressure. My trick for such questions used to be to read the last sentence of the question first to understand what is actually being asked. 8) Learn few deep breathing exercises and do it every hour for 1-2 minutes during exam. It will refresh your mind by supplying excess oxygen. Moreover, yogic breathing exercises are proven to bring positive attitude and one can keep the nerves well during exam. For me even praying worked wonders during exams. During the Exam 1) Carefully read the question. After reading the question, briefly close the eyes and think what was written on this topic in your notes and textbook. Many a times, reading the choices first can mislead you to incorrect answers. The questions are framed to separate wheat from husk (i.e. such that students with inadequate preparation would be lured to select wrong answers-also known as distracters. Distracters are nicely worded 'correct looking' choices which are never part of exam curriculum. 2) First one should try to solve the problem since it is much faster than method of elimination. If you cannot solve it, then try to eliminate couple of choices, and then proceed with answering that question (if the negative marking is 1/4 or 1/3 of a correct answer). The odds of answering correctly now are more than negative marking scheme (the chances of success with one choice elimination is 33.3% and two choice elimination is 50% for 4 choice exam). If all choices looks alien to you, do yourself a favor by quickly moving to next question. 3) Be sure to read the end of the question i.e. words like Except, Not, Never, Always. Remember two negative phrases form one positive phrase. The choices that use words like 'always' and 'never' are most likely not the correct choice, however do confirm under which narrow circumstances such words are not suitable for an answer. 4) Further to point no. 3 above, also look at the end of choice if one of the choices is 'All of the above' and 'None of the above'. In a fast paced world, sometimes we go too fast in selecting answers to repent later that speed should not be at the cost of correctness. Realize that you have to drive within 'city limit' and not try to race on 'Formula One Circuit'. Spend time to observe if two choices are correct, then it is most probably 'All of the above' and likewise for 'None of the above'. 5) Be aware that some answers (especially formulas, units, value of constants) for the problem can be available elsewhere in the exam questions. This is quite true for online

exams where such things are difficult to avoid. They are like 'extra runs' and you got to take them. Therefore just park such questions for review later. 6) A couple of questions on the exam have choices almost looking like 'twins' i.e. two choices are identical except for a word or value. Most likely in such cases, the answer lies amongst those 'twins'. 7) When you feel the question look tricky or difficult, read the question twice. If you feel the correct choice is not given as one of the choices or two choices appear to be correct, select the best choice. Select the option that is more descriptive/ qualifying and closely related to the question. Checkout for grammatical clues to match the question. If your question is in the singular then the answer might be also in the singular form and likewise. The answer should completely and directly address the question. In case the choice is only partly correct under specific narrow conditions, then it may not be the correct choice. 8) Generally try to attempt theoretical questions first and then questions which needs calculation. Our human nature is such that if we attempt a few confident questions in the beginning then we feel charged with positive energy that in turn increases our efficiency and speed for the rest of the exam. 9) Last but not the least, stay calm and composed during test. Be confident while taking the test. Do not panic if you have left questions unanswered as no one is perfect and many have to do that. Just make sure that the ones you have done are correct and you are able to get the target marks. In nutshell, one can master the MCQ tests by knowing the subject thoroughly and practicing it under simulated conditions a number of times (more the better). If above rules are followed in right earnest, one can certainly improve their performance in MCQ based exams. Good luck for exams. The author is the webmaster of the popular blog on college education: http://www.nrispeaks.wordpress.com. He is also a contributor to another popular website http://www.Test4Free.in that provides free mock tests and question paper for various exams like SAT,GMAT, GRE, CAT, IIT JEE, AIEEE, AIPMT and many other entrance exams.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raj_Tyagi

What is an MCQ exam?

when you've finished this page you will be able to...
find out about the format of your MCQ exams

Medical school examiners love multiple choice questions (MCQs), because they're great at testing your factual knowledge, objective (they're marked by a computer, so there's no chance of favouritism), don't suffer from variations in marking, and are quick and easy to mark - which is important when you have hundreds of students. However, MCQs can't be used to test practical skills, such as how you communicate with or examine patients - this is where the OSCE comes in, but that's a whole other topic. If you've spent any time at all at medical school, you'll be familiar with the MCQ style of exam. If you're new to medical education, however, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about, in which case it's highly likely that you've never before sat an exam that can result in a negative score. Yes that's right, not just a low score, but a score in minus figures! Some medical schools use negative marking, and some don't - you need to find out whether your does. Back in the day, all medical schools used negative making, so it is perhaps little wonder that med students believe their degree courses to be more difficult than most. Nowadays not all MCQ exams are negatively marked; if your medical school doesn't use negative marking, you are indeed fortunate, and you can skip the parts of the course that cover negatively marked MCQs. However, it's worth bearing in mind that most postgraduate exams are still negatively marked, so if you don't need the advice on coping with negative marking now, it will come in handy in the future. If your exams are negatively marked, you'll be given one mark for a correct answer, no mark for an unanswered question, or a 'don't know', and you'll have one mark deducted for a wrong answer. Doesn't sound too bad, you're thinking, I'll just hedge my bets and leave anything I'm not sure of, but it's not that straightforward. Consider the following scenario: You are answering an MCQ exam which has 100 questions. You answer 70 questions and leave the 30 you're not sure of. You can now only achieve a maximum score of 70%. However, you only get 80% of the 70 questions you answered correct. That gives you 56 out of 70, but with negative marking you loose one mark for every question you get wrong, so that's 14 marks deducted from your score of 56 - leaving you with a less-than-impressive 42. What would have happened if you'd made an educated guess for the 30 questions you weren't sure about? You decide to take a chance with the 30 tricky questions, and using a process of educated guessing, deduction and blind faith you answer all 30. Luck is with you and you get half the questions correct - that's 15 out of 30. However, with negative marking that gives you a net score of 0 for these 30 questions. Your overall score for the test is still 42.

You're no better off than before, but you're no worse off either, so is it worth having a go? Consider what would happen if you were very unlucky: You decide to try to answer the 30 troublesome questions; however, you only manage to get 10 out of 30 correct. 20 incorrect answers gives you a score of -10. This -10 will be deducted from the 42 you scored for the remaining 70 questions, giving a net score of 32 - disaster! Perhaps it's best to leave those 30 troublesome questions? But what if luck is on your side... You decide to try to answer the 30 troublesome questions; you're having a good day, and manage to get 20 of them correct. This gives you a net score of 10. Now you have scored a not unrespectable 52. Do you see how negative marking can complicate things? "I'll never pass", you're thinking, but relax, with the right preparation and technique you'll pass with flying colours. Read on to find out how to prepare effectively for an MCQ exam, and how to hone your question answering technique.

MCQs: the basics

First we'll start with the basics: what does a typical MCQ look like? Take a look at the example below: Ventricular fibrillation is a recognized hazard in

A. B. C. D. E.

ventricular ectopics occurring on the peak of the R wave. digitalis toxicity overdrive pacing. prolonged QT interval. third degree (complete) heart block.
(correct answers: BDE)

The typical MCQ is made up of a 'stem' or statement followed by several (often five) related completion items or options. The statements following the stem can be all true, all false, or a combination of true and false (sadly, unlike the example above, the answer is never handily provided in brackets after the question). The incorrect answers are called 'distractors' - they are meant to distract you from the correct answers, and for this reason, the distractors will be close enough to the correct answers to be plausible. The stem should be read in turn with each of the completion statements. Each statement is independent, and there will be no fixed pattern to the number of true or false answers. You may also be given the option of answering true or false for each statement, and there may even be a don't know (DK) option. There's an example below: The following are risk factors for breast cancer:

High alcohol intake

T F DK

Nullparity Late menopause Early pregnancy Late pregnancy >30yrs

T F DK T F DK T F DK T F DK

The most common format currently used for MCQ exams is the extended matching item (EMI), or extended matching question (EMQ). An EMI question is similar to an MCQ in that you still have a stem and a range of options to choose from; however, EMI questions are thought to be a better tool for getting students to apply knowledge, as although more than one of the options might be correct, it's the best answer that's required. The question takes the form of a short case study that may include details such as test results, signs or symptoms. Students are then asked to make a diagnosis. Take a look at the example below, which is taken from Susan M. Case and David B. Swanson's Constructing Written Test Questions for the Basic and Clinical Sciences (Third edition, 2002). An EMI question:

A. B. C. D. E. F. G.

Acute leukaemia Anaemia of chronic disease Congestive heart failure Depression Epstein-Barr virus infection Microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency

H. Hereditary spherocytosis I. Iron deficiency J. Hyperthyroidism K. Lyme disease L. Folate deficiency M. Miliary tuberculosis N. Vitamin B12 deficiency

For each patient with fatigue, select the most likely diagnosis 1. A 19 year old woman has had fatigue, fever, and sore throat for the past week. She has a temperature of 38.3C (110F), cervical lymphadenopathy, and splenomegaly. Initial laboratory studies show a leukocyte count of 5000/mm3 (80% lymphocytes, with many lymphocytes exhibiting atypical features). Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST, GOT) activity is 200U/L. Serum bilirubin concentration and serum phosphatase activity are within normal limits. (answer: E) 2. A 15 year old girl has a two-week history of fatigue and back pain. She has widespread bruising, pallor and tenderness over the vertebrae and both femurs. Complete blood count shows haemoglobin concentration of 7.0 g/dL, leukocyte count of 2000/mm3, and platelet count of 15,000/mm3. (answer: A) For the example above, you would need to choose the correct answer for each question from the list of options.

Activity: What will your MCQs or EMIs look like? - 10 minutes

It's important to know what kind of questions you'll get - and whether you'll be negatively marked, so you know what to practice, and what's the best question answering technique for you to adopt.

1. If you don't already know, find out what format your MCQ exams will take. Your study guide or course handbook is a good place to look, or, you could ask a friendly lecturer. Students in the years above you may also offer you some good advice.

preparing for an MCQ exam

when you've finished this page you will be able to...
plan a study game to make revising for MCQ exams more effective - and more fun.

A common mistake made by the MCQ novice is believing that MCQs are only a test of memory, and if you have perfect recall of everything you've been taught, you can't fail. However, although they do test your ability to recall facts, MCQs can also test your ability to interpret information and apply knowledge to both familiar and unfamiliar scenarios. Success in MCQ tests is not simply a case of memorising everything you've been taught. So how do you prepare for an MCQ exam? We've compiled a list of tips: Revise everything, and don't try to 'question spot'. MCQ exams can cover an awful lot of material - that's the point. Make sure your knowledge is sufficiently specific. MCQs can be highly specific, so a general knowledge of an area might not be enough. However, a good broad knowledge is helpful when attempting to deduce the correct answer to a question you're unsure of. Practice, practice, practice and then do some more practice. Gather together as many questions as you can lay your hands on. Make sure your practice MCQs cover material that's relevant to your course; there's no point in learning things you won't be asked. Pile on the pressure by practising under exam conditions. This will help you become accustomed to answering questions against the clock, and allow you to accurately judge how much time you can allow for each question. If you try to recreate exam conditions when you practice, you'll find your memory will be triggered under similar conditions in the exam hall. Revise the things you don't know. Sounds obvious, but you're actually more likely to spend time on topics you already know - it's more fun and can be better for morale. Be brave, and tackle your weakest areas (neurology?!) first. Revise with friends; it's easier to stay motivated - and much more fun! You can share knowledge this way too. Make sure you revise with friends of a similar ability - there's nothing more depressing than finding everyone else knows more than you do.

Alternatively, if you relish a challenge, try revising with the best and brightest - they may inspire you to raise your game. On the day of the exam, make sure you're clear about the exam format: how many questions are there? How long have you got? Will there be negative marking?

Activity: Study games - allow 2 hours

Learning medicine can be fun - especially if you introduce a little friendly competition into your revision. By revising in groups, you create opportunities for discussion, which is a great way to learn. 1. Get hold of a past MCQ paper, or a book of revision questions. 2. Gather together a group of fun-loving, yet dedicated colleagues - enough to make two teams. 4 is really the minimum. 3. Decide on a prize for the winning team - a free drink is perennially popular. 4. Take turns to ask each other questions. The players from the answering team can confer because discussion is a useful learning aid. 5. If the team answer incorrectly, the questioning team must provide an explanation, as well as an answer. Use a textbook if necessary.

when you've finished this page you will be able to...

practice your MCQ exam answering technique

Good preparation is only half the battle in an MCQ exam, and technique is equally important. MCQs can be deliberately tricky, with the aim of sorting the 'wheat from the chaff'. You may get the feeling that the examiners are trying to trip you up - this is because they are, and you need to be wise to their strategies. To this end, we've complied another list of tips, this time to help you perfect your MCQ answering technique: Most importantly, READ the questions. Careless reading results in needless - and potentially costly - mistakes. If you miss the word 'not' in the stem (which of these is not a symptom of...) you could end up with a score of - 5 for just one question! Pace yourself and don't spend too long on one question. If you don't know the answer, move on and return to the question at the end. If you leave a question, be extremely careful to leave the corresponding answer box blank: if you put the wrong answer in the wrong box, you'll get all the questions wrong! Trust your instincts: your initial answer (or guess) is most likely to be right.

An educated guess or an attempt to deduce the right answer is often better than leaving it blank. The student BMJ recommends always answering at least 90% of the questions in an MCQ exam (see 'analysing your score for more information on this).

Be on the lookout for double negatives (not uncommon, not infrequently both mean often). Answers that contain words like always and never are less likely to be correct (there are very few certainties in medicine). Statements that contain sometimes, may or might are more likely to be correct.

Beware of the word typically; this means 'usually'. There might be an option given that's correct, but rare - this is not 'typical'. Other 'intermediate' words include characteristically, mostly and sometimes, but how should you interpret these intermediate words? We've made some suggestions...

Recommended Further Reading

All, always, invariably, characteristically: 100% Usual, mostly, very frequently: >75% Often, common, frequently: 50-75% Sometimes, occasionally: 25-50% Rarely, very occasionally: <5% None, never: 0%

Longer, more specific answers are more likely to be correct (that's more likely, not definitely). Beware also of completion statements containing more than one piece of information make sure both bits are correct. Answers containing numbers (25% of patients experience...) are most likely to either be correct, or completely wrong. If you know that a symptom is very common, then 25% is likely to be wrong, but if you now that roughly 1 in 4 patients will display this symptom it's likely to be correct. Be wary of very precise figures - 19.3% of patients... they are unlikely to be correct.

Leave time at the end of the exam to check for glaring errors - but don't go changing answers you're not sure about, remember, your first guess is most likely to be right.

Activity: How to answer MCQs - allow at least 1 hour

In this activity, you discover how to develop your MCQ answering technique. 1. Find a set of MCQs to answer; these could be past exam papers or questions from a revision book. 2. Find 3 pens - each with different coloured ink (coloured pencils would be fine too). 3. Create exam conditions: find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed and set yourself a time limit - 40-60 minutes per 100 questions is realistic. 4. When you're ready to begin, choose a pen and make a 'first pass' through your questions, answering the questions you are confident about. 5. After completing the first pass, choose a different pen, and make a second pass through the questions you have not yet answered. This time attempt to deduce the answers through a process of elimination or educated guessing. 6. Leave out all the questions that you still don't understand, or if you really have no idea what the answer could be. 7. Take your last pen, and make a third and final pass through the questions. Choose a method you'll use to answer the remaining questions: guessing (educated, or not), or perhaps a process of deduction. 8. When you've completed the paper, move on to the section below and analyse your score.

How to analyse your MCQ exam score

when you've finished this page you will be able to...
analyse your MCQ exam score to discover the technique that works best for you

Note: Some medical schools use negative marking in undergraduate exams, and some don't. However, it's well worth noting that the majority of postgraduate exams do use negative marking, so if you don't need this section now, it will come in handy later. This score analysis section demonstrates the effect that negative marking can have on your final mark. There are two main reasons why students fail MCQ exams: they don't answer enough questions, or they get too many questions wrong. But should you leave a question blank, or take a guess and risk losing marks if you get it wrong? It's not always straightforward, and you need to decide on the best strategy for you.

As you practice answering MCQs, you should also analyse your score; this will allow you to maximise your score by perfecting an answering technique that works for you. What do we mean by 'analyse your score'? Take a look at the scenarios below to find out.

Scenario #1: The nightmare scenario

You are sitting a MCQ exam that has 200 questions. On your first attempt you answer 100 questions and get 70 correct. Allowing for negative marking, this is a score of 40 (70 correct, 30 incorrect: 70-30 = 40). Now you go through the paper again and answer a further 60 questions; this time you get 60% correct (that's 36 questions correct). With negative marking that's a net score of 12 (36 correct, 24 incorrect: 36-24 = 12). At this stage you've achieved a score of 52 out of 200; that's only 26%. You now tackle the remaining 140 questions; this time with only a 30% success rate. This gives you 42 correct questions, but a whopping 98 incorrect questions - that's a net score of -56! If you take this score away from your score for the previous two attempts, you are left with an overall score for the exam of -4 - that's -1.3%. The full horror of this situation is expressed below in table format:

Attempt No of questions: Score rate: Net score rate: Questions correct: Lost marks: Net score:

First 100 70% 40% 70 -30 40

Second 60 60% 20% 36 -24 12

Third 140 30% -40% 42 -98 -56

Total 300 -1.3% 148 -152 -4

Now consider this scenario:

Scenario #2: Knowing when to quit

Chastened by your disastrous performance, you step up your revision, and decide to thoroughly practice your MCQ-answering technique by attempting a 300 question practice exam. This time you manage to answer 200 questions at the first attempt, with an impressive success rate of 80%. Your second attempt is pretty good, but marks are lost on the third pass, leaving you with a final score of 33%. Take a look at the details in the table below:

Attempt No of questions: Score rate: Net score rate: Questions

First 200 80% 60% 160

Second 50 60% 20% 30

Third 50 20% -60% 10

Total 300 33.3% 148

correct: Lost marks: Net score:

-40 120

-20 10

-40 -30

-152 100

Your score has greatly improved, but you're still only scoring 33% - not enough to pass. What do you think would be the best thing to do in this situation? If you left the last 50 questions, your score would by 43%: still not great, but enough to scrape a pass. In this situation, leaving the question, or choosing 'don't know' might be the best plan for answers you're not sure of. Let's look at one last scenario:

Scenario #3: Success!

Spurred on by your dodgy practice scores, you've been revising hard, and practising hard. These are the marks for your final practice paper:

Attempt No of questions: Score rate: Net score rate: Questions correct: Lost marks: Net score:

First 230 90% 80% 207 -23 184

Second 50 80% 60% 40 -10 30

Third 20 60% 20% 12 -8 4

Total 300 72.2% 259 -14 218

Note that further practice has meant you can answer more questions correctly on the first and second passes, and this means you can now afford to have a go at the remaining questions. You are now scoring an amazing 72%! As you practice, you'll need to think carefully about the best strategy for you to adopt. If you are consistently reducing your score significantly by attempting to answer questions on your third pass attempt, it might be best to leave these questions. If, however, you're confident that you can score highly on your first and second passes, keep attempting the third pass questions, as you're likely to gain a few more marks.

Activity: Analyse your score - 15 minutes

Now it's your chance to analyse your score from the practice exam you completed in the activity above. 1. Copy the table above to make your own score analysis table. 2. Enter the scores from your practice exam into your table. 3. Use the table to calculate your net score.

4. Each time you complete a practice MCQ exam, make a table to analyse your score. 5. When you've completed a number of practice exams, you should be able to start to develop a strategy for tackling MCQ exams. For example, if you're consistently losing marks on your third pass questions, plan to leave these blank, or choose the 'don't know' option if applicable.

Summary
It's a good idea to share any questions you come across with your friends and colleagues and ask them to share their questions with you to increase your own stock of questions. Throughout your career at medical school, and for your postgraduate qualifications, you'll be sitting MCQ style exams, so it's important to get the hang of them at an early stage and develop an MCQ answering technique that will serve you well throughout your training.

now that you've finished this topic you will be able to...
find out about the format of your MCQ exams plan a study game to make revising for MCQ exams more effective - and fun practice your MCQ exam answering technique analyse your MCQ exam score to discover the technique that works best for you.

Related topics
how to get organised for exams how to pass your exams how to revise how to succeed at OSCEs

Resources
Your school may have some past exam papers that you can use for practice, and are a large number of books of practice MCQs that you can buy. Alternatively, there's also a range of websites, that have banks of MCQs you can use for practice. Take a look at the sites below. They both have MCQs that are free to use: www.clinicaltutor.com www.surgical-tutor.org.uk

When you get the test paper plan your time, dont just throw yourself into answering the questions from start. Find out:

The total numbers of questions? How many sections are there? Which questions carry more marks than others? Once you have been through the entire paper, pace yourself such that you finish the paper 10 minutes before the actual time limit. This will give you time to recheck for errors, left questions. Always attempt the questions that are easy at first. If you are completely struck and not able to solve a particular problem, here are some strategies to help you select correct the answer. Ask yourself whether the answer you are considering completely addresses the question. If the answer you think is only partly correct only under certain narrow conditions, then its probably not the correct answer. If you think that the question posed is a tricky one then think again, tricky questions are easy you just have to use your brain a little. If you suspect that the question is a tricky item, make sure you are not reading too much into the question, than avoid imagining detailed scenarios in which your answer could be true. If your answer is correct it would be true in all the conditions mentioned in the questions. In most cases tricky questions are only tricky because they are not taken at face value. Solve the problem directly. The Process of elimination (Damn Important) Remember there is only option correct(there may be question with multiple correct answers). Lets discuss the first option the straight one. In general, solving the problem might always be faster than the process of elimination and it is always correct. If you are not so comfortable with the topic or the question then choosing elimination is the only and best option available. There are many IITIANS who have cleared the JEE just by solving problems using elimination technique and sometimes they even used it to increase their ranks in JEE. Solving the Problem: Solving the problem is the most straightforward way to reach your answer as long as you feel comfortable with the topic and you have the confidence to solve it. Its mainly a two step process Read the question, understand the question. Rephrase it to understand the question well and then devise a plan to solve it. Start solving. Trap answers are often the values you would get at the half point of the process of working out the problem; these are placed to confuse you. Never ever select an answer midway. Answers selected this will definitely give you negative markings. The Technique of Elimination: I am sure you must have used this technique a lot many times already. Every MCQ has options in which one is correct. So you need to check each option which one works or which ones definitely cannot be the correct answer. On certain occasions working backwards could actually be the faster method then just solving the problem directly. It saves a lot of time.

Do work backward when the question describes an equation of some sort and answer choices are all rather simple numbers. Dont work backwards when dealing with answer choices that contain variables or complicated fractions. You can master this technique without regular practicing!! Whenever you solve an MCQ at home always try out solving it using the elimination process only after solving it in subjective manner.