MCQ Tricks

>> What is MCQ?

MCQ stands for Multiple Choice Questions. A MCQ consists of a problem and a list of alternative solutions. The problem may be stated in the form of a direct question or incomplete statement. The student is requested to read the statement and alternative solutions and choose the one that is correct or best. This correct or best alternative is called the Answer and the other (incorrect) alternatives are called Distracters.

Example:  

Que. Which of the following is a non metal that remains liquid at room temperature?

A.       Phosphorous 

B.       Bromine

C.       Chlorine        

D.       Helium

The Answer is (B),  while (A), (C) and (D) are the Distracters.

>> What is the importance of MCQ?

As a competitor in competitive exams you'll sit a lot of MCQ exams until you get selected for preferred job or get hired. For this reason we get the hang of taking MCQ exams from an early age in schools.

>> What are the formats or types of MCQ?

There are many different formats of MCQs. Some are especially well suited for certain types of content. Some are particularly good for testing higher-order learning. Some are inherently ‘easier' or ‘more difficult' than others. Four basic types will be described here with notes about their specific uses and advantages.

A. One-Choice Completions: Best Answer - This is the most commonly used MCQ format. It is simply a short-answer question with a number of alternatives to choose from. Some evaluation experts believe that this is the only type of MCQ that should be used because other formats are more susceptible to ambiguity and test wiseness.

B. Multiple-Choice Completions - This MCQ format allows for more than one correct answer and hence avoids the need for "all of the above" or "more than one of the above is correct", etc. It also makes the question inherently more difficult since the student is not just look­ing for one correct response among four incorrect responses. However, the intent of this format is not to test four separate points but rather to set up an interpretive exercise. Usually the instructor is still just testing one concept. When it is the instructor's intent to set a more difficult question on a topic, it is preferable to use this format rather than to increase the level of difficulty of a one-choice completion by including very obscure points (which are often not important points).

C. Quantitative and Functional Relationships - Two other types of MCQ formats are useful for content which deals with quantitative and/or functional relationships. They are generally best for knowledge/comprehension but can sometimes be used to test higher-order learning objectives.

>> Is there really any technique to answer MCQs?

Many students experience difficulty with MCQ-type exams; often not just because of a lack of knowledge or preparation, but simply due to poor MCQ answering techniques. Yes, MCQ is not just a case of fact recall and circle filling / box ticking ability. Its more than that! Believe it or not, there is a technique to answering MCQ.

MCQ exams can be negatively marked but not all exams. In an exam 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.

> Going with negative marking - consider the following scenarios

Scenario #1: 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 lose 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?

Scenario #2: 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:

Scenario #3: 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...

Scenario #4: 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 colors. Read on to find out how to prepare effectively for an MCQ exam, and how to hone your question answering technique.

>> Here is the list of techniques to handle MCQs:

1. 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!

2. Pace yourself and don't spend too long on one question.

3. If you don't know the answer, move on and return to the question at the end.

4. 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!

5. Trust your instincts: your initial answer (or guess) is most likely to be right.

6. 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 'analyzing your score for more information on this).

7. Be on the lookout for double negatives (not uncommon, not infrequently both mean often).

8.  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.

9. Beware of the word typically; this means 'usually'. There might be an option given that's correct, but rare - this is not 'typical'.

10. Other 'intermediate' words include characteristically, mostly and sometimes, but how should you interpret these intermediate words? We've made some suggestions -

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%

11. Longer, more specific answers are more likely to be correct (that's more likely, not definitely).

12. Beware also of completion statements containing more than one piece of information - make sure both bits are correct.

13. 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.

14. 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.

>> (Don't Forget!) How to perfectly prepare for an MCQ exam? 

1. Revise everything, and don't try to 'question spot'. MCQ exams can cover an awful lot of material - that's the point.

2. Make sure your knowledge is sufficiently specific. MCQs can be highly specific, so a general knowledge of an area might not be enough.

3. However, a good broad knowledge is helpful when attempting to deduce the correct answer to a question you're unsure of.

4. Practice, practice, practice and then do some more practice. Gather together as many questions as you can lay your hands on.

5. 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.

6. Pile on the pressure by practicing 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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?

>> Analyze your MCQ exam score (the most important part) -

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 maximize your score by perfecting an answering technique that works for you. What do we mean by 'analyze 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	First	Second	Third	Total
No of questions:	100	60	140	300
Score rate:	70%	60%	30%
Net score rate:	40%	20%	-40%	-1.3%
Questions correct:	70	36	42	148
Lost marks:	-30	-24	-98	-152
Net score:	40	12	-56	-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	First	Second	Third	Total
No of questions:	200	50	50	300
Score rate:	80%	60%	20%
Net score rate:	60%	20%	-60%	33.3%
Questions correct:	160	30	10	148
Lost marks:	-40	-20	-40	-152
Net score:	120	10	-30	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	First	Second	Third	Total
No of questions:	230	50	20	300
Score rate:	90%	80%	60%
Net score rate:	80%	60%	20%	72.2%
Questions correct:	207	40	12	259
Lost marks:	-23	-10	-8	-14
Net score:	184	30	4	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.

Content Courtesy:  

  

1.http://www.mondofacto.com/study-skills/exams/how-to-succeed-at-mcqs/

2.http://www.uwo.ca/tsc/resources/selected_teaching_topics/assessment/multiple_choice_workshop_2006/

I'll be grateful to 'mondofacto.com' and 'uwo.ca' for providing content!