Tips on Writing Multiple Choice Exams in Psychology

Objective exams include multiple choice, true/false, and matching tests. You must recognize the correct answer from a set of alternatives. Here is how best to proceed with a multiple choice exam:

• Go though the exam once and read each question carefully
• Mark the items that you think will be tough to answer and do them last
• Write out useful “Jargon” off the top (i.e., UCS vs. CS and what these mean)
• Establish a rough time schedule (often about 1 minute per question)
• If each question is worth 1 point don’t waste time on a single question
• Read the questions and be alert for words like “some, most, never, every, always and so on
• Be wary of “distracters” or “red herrings.” These are put into exams to fool the student who has not studied. They often seem to make sense but are wrong
• Do not select the first response that seems correct. Read them all!
• Eliminate the wrong answers. This also forces you to read the whole series of answers
• If you don’t know the answer, move on (it may come to you later, or questions later on in the exam may provide a hint)
• You should have a good idea of the answer prior to reading the possible choices. This means that you know the answer to the question
• You often will be forced to pick the answer you know is “most nearly true.” The answers often are relative to each other; that is, some are “more correct” than others
• Make sure that there are no penalties for guessing!
• Keep a watch out for negatives, double negatives, and similar twists in language
  (e.g., Which of the following would not want to not give a behavioural perspective in psychology?)
• When you have finished, review the test. Answer the questions you have left out because they were too tough