Multiple choice exams should be treated differently with other types of examinations. In this exam, you are given a choice of answers and you will choose the correct one. Mostly, many students find multiple choice examinations easy because they can just take a guess when they do not know the answer. If they are lucky, they might actually pick the right one. However, this type of examination can be sometimes confusing, especially when some options are more or less nearer to the correct answer. Here are some useful tips that you can use in taking multiple choice exams:

*Before starting the examination, read directions carefully. Some instructions are verbally given by the teacher so it is important to listen while the teacher is talking. One reason why students fail an examination is they did not follow instructions accordingly.

*If the type of examination you are taking contains other test types, work first on the multiple choice section. This will stimulate your brain as you will be exploring the different possible answers. It is also possible that the questions and answers here could actually provide hint on the other sections of the examination.

*Manage your exam time. Usually, examinations are time bounded, but taking too much time on one item can be a disadvantage. You can answer those which you feel confident and skip those that you find it to be difficult. You can do these difficult items later on. Just make sure that you don't forget these.

*After several minutes of taking the examination, you may want to take a short break. Take deep breaths and close your eyes. This will help you relax and refresh your mind for the rest of the test.

*A useful tip is to try to answer a question without glancing on the answer yet. This lessens the confusion especially if the choices are all probable answers. Better yet, you can cover all the answer as you read the question and open the choices one by one as you compare it to the question.

*Analyze the question and examine the choices. Essentially, start by determining those which you think are irrelevant and eliminate them from your choice of answers. If you are down to two possible choices after the process of elimination, you may want to compare both answers and find the differences. Then compare the relevance of the answers to the question. If you find out that both have no differences, you might actually want to review those choices you have eliminated as one of those might be the correct one.

*Look for clues in the question such as grammar. If the question ends in "an", the answer would probably start with a vowel. Similarly, try to change a double negative statement into a positive statement. This will lessen the confusion.

*If you have to guess, you will have to look for an answer which is the longest. The fact that the teacher has taken time to explain in details is probably the right answer.

*Guess only if the examination does not give any penalty for wrong answers. If it does give penalty, weigh the options. For instance, if the examination penalizes every wrong answer and does not penalize those with no answer, you might have to leave the item unanswered.

It can be tricky, but the right answer lurks within. Nevertheless, only one tactic outdoes these strategies – preparedness for the exam.