Exam Techniques – Multiple Choice, Short Answers Choice Questions; ... a Sociology exam (SO336) might include essay-type questions on the ... exam and then go back to the MCQs

Exam Techniques –

Multiple Choice, Short

Answers

29/iii/2017

Shaun Theobald

[email protected]

The Student Learning Advisory Service

Key terms/concepts

• Rubric and instructions

• Timing

• Weighting

• Module structure

• Module-structured revision

• Skim-reading exam paper

Key terms/concepts

• MCQs:

– Stem statements; ‘Distractors’; 3-Layer

responses

• SAQs:

– Planning; TEE paragraphs

• Editing/reviewing

Exams: Two Approaches

• 1.Negativity, nihilism, futility and despair..

– “There’s no point in revising etc.”

• See Homer Simpson: “Trying is the first

step on the road to failure<”

• 2.A positive, organised and structured

approach: constructive optimism

• Approach 2 does not banish exam anxiety

etc., but it allows you to control it!

Long-term Preparation

• [Revision]

• Practice questions and answers

• Familiarity with past papers

• Familiarity with UoK rules and regulations

• https://www.kent.ac.uk/student-

records/exams/students/informationforstude

nts.html

Preparation for Exam Day

• Night before - RELAX & SLEEP

• Breakfast/Lunch - BRAIN FOOD

– [Nutrition helps thinking!]

• Exam requirements - student card

- writing materials etc.

• Approved calculator, where required

• Clothes – be COMFORTABLE

– Try several layers of clothing [Sports Hall]

• Travel - enough time to arrive without rushing

Arriving at the Exam Hall

• Don’t mix with people who make you nervous

• No last minute cramming

• Wish others good luck

• Walk assertively, smile

• Get there (reasonably) early

• Leave time for relaxation exercises

Inside the Exam Hall

• Find your place

• Check table and chair for wobbles

• Check exam paper is the right one

• Settle in and organise your workspace

• Make yourself comfortable

• Breathe deeply

• Listen to the invigilator’s instructions

Read the Rubric

COMPUTING LABORATORY

CO320/07 INTRODUCTION TO OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING

Thursday, 10 May 2007 : 9.30 − 11.30

There are SIX questions, ONE in Section A and FIVE in Section B. Candidates should answer

ALL the questions.

Calculators are not permitted.

Answer Section A in its own booklet.

Answer each question in Section B in its own booklet.

Reading the Paper

• Check the instructions<!• Choose your questions, where

allowed

• Sketch out a time plan

What are Examiners Looking For?

• An answer to the question!

• A thoughtful, reasoned response

• A response that demonstrates your learning

- concepts, ideas, theories, link, key date or

dates, connections, positions, arguments

- See Learning Outcomes for modules!

What are Examiners Looking

For?• Clear handwriting and fluent presentation

– CLEAR responses to MC questions – one

final answer!

• In writing, concise argument and logical

answer

What are Examiners Looking For?

Exams are intended to be fair

Examiners want to award marks,

not take them away

Tutors want students to pass, not fail

BUT: Examiners can only mark

what is on the paper

Multiple Choice Questions;

Short Answer Questions

• Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and

Short Answer Questions (SAQs) require

specific techniques

• All the generic points above apply, but

there are specific implications for revision,

and answering the question(s)

Revising for MCQs/SAQs

• These forms of exam assessment cover

the whole of a module

• They test widely, therefore

• They are a quick way of assessing your

knowledge

• Individual MCQs/SAQs target precise

areas

• But they can come from anywhere within

the module!


• But remember, nothing can ever be

assessed on a module that is not covered

by the module specification!

• However, in preparing for MCQs/SAQs

you have to ‘learn it all’!

• This is especially the case with STEM

subjects, e.g. Computer Science

– [And of course you can’t learn ‘part of’ e.g.

programming etc.!]


• In contrast, your approach to some social

science subjects might be less inclusive

• For example, a Sociology exam (SO336)

might include essay-type questions on the

family, religion, education, labour,

ethnicity, identity, health, childhood etc.

• A candidate might chose to leave out two

or three areas in preparation, and still give

themselves a good chance of passing

well!

Revising for MCQs/SAQs:

Implications• But with MCQs/SAQs you cannot ‘leave

out’ two or three areas!

• So, there are three big points that need to

be made:

– Revision for MCQs/SAQs must be

comprehensive and inclusive>

– BUT it must be achievable, not

overwhelming>

– AND the form(s) of revision must facilitate

answering MCQs/SAQs effectively!

Handling MCQs and SAQs in

the Exam• Individual short assessments are not

isolated ‘atoms’ of knowledge

• In the exam, it may seem that a stream of

individual short ‘bullets’ are being fired at

you!

– Cf. Computer games, Space Invaders (1978)!

• But every individual MCQ/SAQ is

organically linked to a whole sequence


the Exam• They are embedded within the logic,

sequence and total content of the module

• Your best chance of handling these

questions is to understand the overall logic

and structure of the module

• As a starting point for revision, and exam

preparation, re-visit the whole structure of

the module

Revising for MCQs/SAQs• Look at –

– The module specification/outline

– Course documents

• Lists of lectures

• Lists of seminars

• Assignment titles

– Your existing notes – lecture notes etc.

• Now draw up a list of the main topic areas

in the module

• Try and isolate important areas, not ‘sub-

topics’


• Aim to understand

– The underlying assumptions behind the

module

– The logic and development of module content

– The order and sequence of topics

– The way in which topics are linked

– The way in which the module is delivered

• In short, the way the module, ‘comes

together’<


• You are aiming for detail, but make your

list manageable

• Once you have broken down the module

into key areas, divide these up into

sections

• Produce brief notes/diagrams etc. –

whatever form of revision notes work for

you – for each section


• Arrange these notes according to the

chronology, order and sequence of the

module<BUT<

• Make your notes portable, and

transferable

• You can then quickly re-shuffle them, and

carry them around to work on

– E.g. Index cards; large post-its; memos on a

‘phone; short MS Word documents etc.


• You will have revision material that you

can use

– Constantly

– In a variety of contexts

– That isolates individual areas

– That links these to the overall module

structure

– That anticipates MCQ/SAQ assessments

• A final tip: try and generate your own

MCQs/SAQs as a way of revising

Sample MCQs/SAQs

• BI300 Introduction to Biochemistry, 2016

“By what type of bond are the two carbons in the

molecule C(2)H(4) connected?

(a) By a single bond

(b) By a double bond

(c) By a triple bond

(d) By a quadruple bond

(e) The two carbons are not connected by a

bond”<

Sample MCQs/SAQs

• CO328 Human Computer Interaction, 2016

“Short questions

(a) What is meant by chunking? How does

chunking affect GUI design? [4 marks]

(b) With regard to human memory, what is a

retrieval cue? Give two examples of cues in

interface design. [4 marks]”<

Sample MCQs/SAQs

• EC 313 Microeconomics for Business, 2016

“There are eight questions, each to be

marked out of five. In each case, answer

‘True’, ‘False’ or ‘Depends’, and then explain

why in a few sentences plus, if appropriate,

a diagram. You will receive 2 marks for a

correct answer, and the other 3 marks will

be awarded according to the quality of your

explanation.

Sample MCQs/SAQs

1. The railway system is a natural monopoly

2. The monopolist always charges a lower

price than a firm operating under perfect

competition.”<


the Exam• Read the rubric and instructions carefully

• Pay particular attention to exclusions/limits

– “<two questions from Section A, and one

question from Section B<”

• Look at the weighting of the marks

– Do not spend too much time on questions that

only carry a few marks!

– Equal marks per question = equal time!

• Draw up a quick, and realistic, time-plan

for the whole exam


the Exam• Allow time for editing/going back through

answers

• Skim-read the paper and questions

• Where you think of a point/a piece of

information at once, make a very brief note

against the question

• Now start your answers – keeping your

time-plan in sight!

Multiple Choice Questions:

Structure1. The ‘Stem’: a short statement setting out

the problem/question – e.g. ”Which of the

following is a true statement.”

2. One correct answer

3. Several ‘distracters’/ ‘seducers’ –

plausible answers and incorrect answers

Selecting the Right Answer

• Don’t rely on recognition alone

�Recognition is based on familiarity

�‘Good’ distracters/ seducers will all look

familiar

• At first, try to answer the stem without

looking at the possible alternatives

• Pay attention to ‘quantifiers’ such as ‘all’,

‘always’, ‘never’ etc.

• Pay attention to specific terminology


• You may know the right answer straight

away/fairly quickly

• If not, try and think logically –

– First, exclude incorrect answers

– Second, look at ‘maybe’ answers

– Third, select from these what seems most

likely

• Rely on intuition/ “a hunch” only as a last

resort!


• Once you start to work through MCQs,

take a structured approach

• Firstly, re-visit your time-plan for the exam

• Make sure you divide your time evenly

across the MCQs

• Don’t get stuck on an individual MCQ!

• Keep moving, and keep an eye on the

clock!


• Aim to work through all the MCQs

systematically, in 3 layers/stages/readings

• Firstly, answer all the questions you are

sure about: the “Yes” questions

– Keep moving forward, ignoring any questions

you are unsure of, or really don’t know!

• Secondly, read through again and try and

answer some of the questions you are

unsure of

Selecting the Right Answer– Convert the ‘maybes’ into ‘yes’

– Don’t worry too much about the really hard

questions<

– Keep moving forwards in a timely way!

• Finally, read through again from the

beginning and concentrate on the

‘Difficult’/’Don’t know’ questions that are

left

– Try and use logic, or an ‘educated guess’, to

convert these to ‘yes’

Proof reading/Editing MCQs

• Once you have attempted each question,

leave some time to re-visit/edit your

answers

• Ideally, move on to another part of the

exam and then go back to the MCQs

– But make sure you don’t run out of time to

edit!

– If you think you will, then go back through all

the questions immediately after your third

read-through!

Proof reading/Editing MCQs• Re-check all your answers: are you sure?!

– Make sure that you haven’t misidentified any

‘distractors’!

• Make sure your answers are clear and

unambiguous – one answer for each

MCQ, everything else eliminated

• If you are completely unsure, NEVER

leave an MCQ unanswered

– If you chose randomly, ex 4 questions, you

have a 25% chance of being right!

SAQs

• Strong questions first, weak ones later?

– + Encourages confidence; gets your thought

‘flowing’/ - You may spend too much time on

questions you already know

• Weak questions first, strong ones later?

– + Gets areas of doubt out of the way; better

time-management/ - By concentrating on

areas of doubt you may undermine self-

confidence

SAQsIf you need to write a short text:

• Draw up answer plan

• Jot down (for each question at a time?)

– key points

– data or formulae

– steps in a process

• Go straight to the point (no long introduction)

• Don’t waste time by repeating the

question!

• Cross out rough work afterwards

SAQs

• Try and make your writing neat and

grammatical

• Use clear, concise sentences

– c.f. Abstracts for journal articles

• In one-paragraph answers, work with

paragraph structure: Topic sentence/

Explanation & expansion/ Evidence (short

citation, where needed) - TEE

SAQs

• Look at the weighting

• Little point in spending too much time on a

question that only gains 5 marks!

• Divide time/energies appropriately

• Keep your time-plan in front of you!

• Leave time for editing!– Is your writing clear?

– Check key terms/ spelling/formula/data etc.

– Diagrams – labelled, integrated?

The Last Few Minutes<

• Read everything, make corrections and

additions

• Tidy up your script

• Cross out rough work

• Number/sort answer booklets

• Final check - ensure all answers are

correctly identified: no ambiguity as to

which question you are answering!

Afterwards<

• Avoid post-mortems!

• Take a clear break

• Move on to the next period of

revision/exam and maintain sleep routine

• Do you feel it’s gone badly?

– You may be surprisingly wrong!

– Start thinking about the next exam..or

– Take a break before results<

– Too much introspection damages motivation!

Summary• Rubric and instructions

• Timing

• Weighting

• Module structure

• Module-structured revision

• Skim-reading exam paper

• MCQs:

– Stem statements; ‘Distractors’; 3-Layer responses

• SAQs:

– Planning; TEE paragraphs

• Editing/reviewing

Good luck>

• Hopefully, there have been some tips and

techniques in this workshop that will help

you<

• Success in exams depends on your

academic knowledge BUT<

• You can learn to cope with exams better!

• Unless – to return to Homer Simpson - you

think, “Every time I learn something new, it

pushes something else out”<☺

Good luck>.• For all your studies, and for the 2017

Examinations!

• Any questions: Shaun Theobald

– [email protected]

• Further support:

– www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/learning

Documents

Exam Techniques – Multiple Choice, Short Answers Choice Questions; ... a Sociology exam (SO336) might include essay-type questions on the ... exam and then go back to the MCQs