Test taking skills and tips: NOTE: THIS WILL APPLY ONLY IF YOU REALLY DONT KNOW THE

E ANSWER AND YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE AN INTELLIGENT GUESS BECAUSE OUR EXAM IS MOSTLY MULTIPLE CHOICE, USE ELIMINATION

1. Find the key word / finding out what is being asked

Ex. Which plan is used by the nurses for their practice? a. Nursing care plan b. Medical care plan c. Nursing paradigm The key words here are plan and nurses so the correct answer is: a. nursing care plan

2. Opposite or contradicting answers- If two statements are contradictory only 1 can be correct, chances are good that 1 of the 2 is the correct answer (the other 3 choices may be distracters) Ex. In treating quinidine overdose, the best strategy would be to: a. b. c. d. e. Acidify the urine Administer a calcium chelator such as EDTA Alkalinize the urine Give potassium chloride Give procainamide

The opposite answer here is acidify the urine or alkalinize the urine. Choosing one will not give you the correct answers but a 50% chance of answering the question correctly The correct answer: A. Acidify the urine

3. Longest choice is SOMETIMES the correct answer-the one who made the test attempts to explain or elaborate the answer; notice that the answer is noticeably long Ex. Praziquantel is not given to pregnant women because it will result to: a. Headache b. Vomiting c. Nausea d. Abortion of the fetus as well as fetal abnormalities since it is a proven teratogenic drug

4. Eliminate Options that contain Absolute Words As you read each option, look for absolute words. Absolute words tend to make an option incorrect, and if you note an absolute word in an option, eliminate that option Some of these absolute words include all, always, every, must, none, never, and only Ex. A nurse is providing safety instructions to the mother of child with hemophilia and tells the mother to do which of the following to promote a safe environment for the child? a. Remove toys with sharp edges from the childs toy box b. Allow the child to play with toys only if a parent is present c. Place a helmet and elbow pads on the child everyday

d. Allow the child to play indoors only. Answer: A Test-taking Strategy: Eliminate options that contain absolute words. Option b and d contain the absolute word only. Option c contains absolute word every. Remember that absolute words tend to make an option incorrect. 5. shortest choice is SOMETIMES the correct answer- the author of the test wants to make the answer short and simple. Ex. Histological hallmark for papillary Ca of the thyroid: a. orphan annie nuclei b. ecto dermal derivative are found inside the tumor such as tooth and hair c. endo dermal and mesodermal derivative are found inside the dermoid cyst 8. Choices that do not fit the stem grammatically are usually wrong Ex. A drug that acts on a -receptor and produces a maximal effect that is equal to one half the effect of a large dose of isoproterenol is called a: a. b. c. d. Agonist Analog of isoproterenol Antagonist Partial agonist

The use of the article a at the end of the stem rather than an implies that the answer must start with a consonant (ie, choice D). Similar use may be made of disagreements in number. Note that careful question writers avoid this problem by placing the articles in the choice list, not in the stem. Ex. The signs and symptoms of diabetes mellitus are: a. Hypoglycemia b. Polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia c. bradycardia are indicates that the correct answer requires more than one symptom/sign 6. Odd man out- the different answer is the correct answer Ex. The signs and symptoms of diabetes are the ff. except: a. b. c. d. Hypoglycemia Polydipsia polyuria polyphagia

the correct answer is A. hypoglycaemia because the other choices starts will poly

7. Eliminating Similar Options When answering the question, use the process of elimination and look for similar options. If any of the options include the same idea, then they are incorrect and can be eliminated. Remember that there is only one correct option, and the answer to the question is the option that is different.

Ex. Phenytoin and verapamil has similar side effects except:

a. Gingival hyperplasia b. Gingival enlargement c. Hyperthyroidism In this case, gingival hyperplasia and gingival enlargement has the same idea or meaning correct answer: C. hyperthyroidism