How to be successful taking Multiple Choice tests.

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• How to be successful taking Multiple Choice tests.

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The main reason that capable students are not
always successful
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The main reason that capable students are not
successful
STRESS!!!
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What causes the stress?
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What causes the stress?

• Peer Competition.

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What causes the stress?

• Peer Competition.
• Fear of failure.

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What causes the stress?

• Fear of failing.
• Peer competition.
• A lack of time spent preparing
• Not enough sleep the night before.
• Any one of these can create the dreaded monster
  TEST ANXIETY!!!

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Twas the Night Before Testing

• Go to bed on time.

• Be at school on the assigned test date!!

• Talk to your parents or teachers about any
  concerns that you might have about the test.

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The Morning of Testing

• Eat a good breakfast.
• Start your day as you always do dont try
  cramming for the test.
• Do not have a tooth brush in one hand, and a math
  book in the other, trying to cram.
• Think Positive!

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Multiple Choice Questions

• If you do not understand the directions, ask for
  help.
• Read the question. Circle or underline any key
  words.
• Try to answer a question before looking at the
  choices. If your answer is there, thats a good
  sign!
• Mark questions that you cant answer continue
  working. Save time and return to the skipped
  questions, even if it is simply to mark a guess.

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Pace Yourself

• Dont spend too much time on any one question. Do
  your best and then move on.
• If you are completely unsure, skip it, but be
  sure to go back.

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Multiple Choice Questions

• Do not change your answers unless you are very
  certain that your first answer choice is wrong.
• Try to answer every question. Make the most
  intelligent guess you can.

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The Process of Elimination

• After you have been through all of the questions
  once, go back and find questions you have some
  knowledge about and eliminate choices that you
  know are incorrect.

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The Process of Elimination

• When you are unsure of an answer, try to
  eliminate as many answers as possible.
  Eliminating one or more choices increases your
  odds!
• If you can eliminate two wrong answers, your
  chance of choosing the right answer is greater.

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Example of eliminating answers..

• You find the following question on your math test
  this Friday
• -9 (-9)
• a. -81 b. -18 c. 0 d. 81
• What choices could you eliminate if you were
  unsure of the answer? What prior knowledge about
  a negative times a negative might help you?

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The Death Grip

• If your arm tires during testing it is probably
  due to the grip that you have on your pencil.
• Relax the grip and give those muscles a break.
• Do not do arm exercises during testing as this
  disturbs others.

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Answering Questions

• Don't guess blindly. If you have time to think
  about the best answer choice, make it! Dont
  answer B because its your favorite letter.
  Please dont choose C because its a cute
  letter. Answer wisely.

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Key Words

• Find key words or phrases in the question that
  will help you choose the correct answer.

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KEY WORDS CAN HELP!

• Find the difference?
• Find the total..?
• How much was left?
• How much did each receive.?
• Four times as much?
• Understanding definitions is a huge help!
• To solve? To evaluate? To simplify?
• To compare? To graph? To identify?

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What are we answering?

• Make sure you understand what the question is
  asking.
• Be sure you are responding to the question that
  is being asked.

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Reading Passages

• If the test requires you to read passages and
  then answer questions about what you read,

read the questions first.

• By doing this, you will know what you are looking
  for as you read. This also helps you go faster
  on the test.

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CHARTS GRAPHS

• When there are several questions about a graph or
  chart, read titles and axis labels before reading
  the question.

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Math Computation

• When using scratch paper on a math test, double
  check to make sure that you have copied the
  problem correctly from the test.

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Math Computation

• Line up place value correctly on your scratch
  paper (thousands, hundreds, tens, ones) or the
  answer will be incorrect.

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Math Computation

• If your answer does not match one of the choices,
  reread the problem, recopy the numbers, and try
  solving it again.

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A Matter of Time

• If any time remains, spend it on those questions
  which you were unsure of the answer.
• As you go back through, do not change all your
  answers.
• Remember Your first answer is usually right.

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Its About Time

• Dont spend too much time rewriting or obsessing
  about neatness.
• Dont worry if you run out of time.

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Final Tips

• Write neatly and make sure your answers are
  clearly marked.
• Go back and make sure every question has been
  answered.
• Double-check that you have written your name on
  the test.

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TABLE FOUR

• Discuss this question and decide what strategies
  could be used to answer it. (elimination of wrong
  answers, key words, substitute possible answers
  in an equation, come up with answer before
  looking at choices, prior knowledge, etc.)
• A scuba diver is swimming at a depth of -12 ft.
  Then she dives down to a coral reef that is at
  five times the depth. What is the depth of the
  reef?
• A. 6.0 ft B. -60 ft C. 60 ft D.
  -6.0 ft

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TABLE THREE

• Discuss your question, the strategies you could
  use to answer, and finally, give your answer.
• Which quadrant would you find the ordered pair
  (3, -2)?
• A. 1
• B. 2
• C. 3
• D. 4
• E. 5

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TABLE TWO

• Discuss your question, the strategies you could
  use, and finally your answer.
• Last week, Cody made deposits of 45, 18, and
  27 into his checking account. He then wrote
  checks for 21, and 93. What was the overall
  change in his account balance?
• A. The balance was increased by 24
• B. The balance was reduced by 24
• C. The balance remained the same
• D. The balance was increased by 2.40

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TABLE ONE

• Discuss question, strategies, and give answer.
• Suppose -3 is the answer to a division problem
  and -12 is the number being divided. What is the
  divisor?
• A. -4
• B. 36
• C. 4
• D. -36

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TABLE 41/2

• Discuss your question, the strategies you can
  use, and finally answer.
• Match the word to its correct definition
  coordinate plane
• A. A plane formed by the intersection of two
  number lines called the x axis and the y axis.
• B. A plane formed by the intersection of 3
  number lines called the x, the y, and the z
  axis.
• C. A plane formed by two wings, a large engine
  and flown by an experienced pilot.

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TABLE FOUR

• Discuss your question, the possible strategies
  you can use to solve, and finally answer.
• Find an equivalent fraction for 5/7
• A. 7/5
• B. 5/14
• C. 20/35
• D. 15/21

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TABLE THREE

• Discuss your problem, identify the strategies you
  can use, and solve.
• Which fraction is NOT equivalent to 36/48?
• A. 18/24
• B. 9/12
• C. 4/5
• D. 3/4

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TABLE TWO

• Discuss your question, identify the strategies
  you can use, and solve.
• Evaluate a b for the given values
• a -5, b -8
• A. 13
• B. -3
• C. -13
• D. 3

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TABLE ONE

• Discuss your problem, the strategies you can use,
  and solve.
• Find the mean for the following set of data
• 10, 5, 8, 12, 40
• A. 75
• B. 15
• C. 40
• D. 17

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TABLE 41/2

• Discuss your problem, the strategies you can use,
  and solve.
• Using the last tables data, find the range and
  outlier.
• 10, 5, 8, 12, 40
• A. 30, 40
• B. 40, 5
• C. 35, 40
• D. 40, 35

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ALL TABLES

• Discuss what strategies to use and come up with
  the correct answer. This is your question
• Mrs. Szczepanik is probably the.
• A. Most awesome teacher Ive ever had!
• B. Best teacher in the universe!
• C. Prettiest and funniest teacher ever!
• D. All of the above!

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HOMEWORK

• Despite all of your correct answers to the last
  multiple choice question, there is a bit of
  homework for tonight.
• To prepare for Fridays multiple choice test over
  Chapter Three, you will be given a multiple
  choice practice test.
• Remember to use the strategies you already know,
  and those youve learned today to help you choose
  the correct answers. (maybe write down the
  strategy used next to the problem?)

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The Death Grip

• If your arm tires during testing it is probably
  due to the grip that you have on your pencil.
• Relax the grip and give those muscles a break.
• Do not do arm exercises during testing as this
  disturbs others.