Ace
Short answer: eliminate the options you know are wrong, read every option before choosing, compare the last two against the exact wording of the question, and pick the one that fully answers it. If you have a good reason to change your answer, change it: research on real exams finds that most answer changes go from wrong to right. Unless wrong answers lose marks, never leave a question blank.
Should you guess on a multiple-choice test?
Check the marking rules first. If there's no penalty for wrong answers, which is true of most university and school exams, answer every question: a blank is a guaranteed zero, a guess is not. If wrong answers lose marks (negative marking), guess only when you can eliminate at least one or two options.
How do you eliminate options on a multiple-choice question?
- Cover the options and answer first. Read the question, predict the answer in your head, then look for it among the options. This stops a plausible distractor from steering you.
- Read every option. "B looks right" isn't enough if D is more complete. Many questions have one good answer and one best answer.
- Strike out what's definitely wrong. Physically cross it out. Going from four options to two doubles your chances on a pure guess.
- Test the last two against the question's exact wording. Look for words like most, first, except, not, primary. The difference between the final two options is usually exactly what the question is testing.
- Watch for absolutes. Options with "always" or "never" are often too strong, though not always. Use it as a tiebreaker, not a rule.
- Use the rest of the paper. Another question sometimes contains the fact you need.
Should you change your answer on a multiple-choice test?
Usually, if you have a reason to. Most students believe "go with your first instinct". The evidence says otherwise. Kruger, Wirtz and Miller (2005) looked at the eraser marks on students' psychology exams and, in line with earlier research, found that most answer changes went from wrong to right, and students who changed answers usually scored higher. Most students still believed changing was risky.
Why the myth survives: switching away from a right answer feels terrible and is memorable, while keeping a wrong one doesn't sting the same way. So the painful switches stick in memory and seem to prove the rule.
The sensible rule: change your answer when you've spotted something you missed, such as a word in the question, a fact from another question or a better reading of the options. Don't change it just because of nerves.
Which multiple-choice guessing myths should you ignore?
- "Always pick C." Exam writers balance answer positions. There's no reliable favourite letter.
- "The longest answer is right." Sometimes it's longest because it's precise; sometimes it's a distractor full of extra detail.
- "Never pick 'all of the above'." If you're sure two options are right and it's allowed, "all of the above" is often the answer.
- "Patterns mean something." Three Bs in a row tells you nothing about the next question.
What's the better strategy than guessing?
Fewer guesses. The most reliable way is practising with multiple-choice questions before the exam, with feedback. Practice testing is one of only two study techniques rated high-utility in Dunlosky and colleagues' (2013) review. Roediger and Marsh (2005) found that taking a multiple-choice test boosted later recall, but reading wrong options could also plant false knowledge. Feedback after each answer is what keeps the gain and removes the harm. Our guides on why you get multiple-choice questions wrong and how to study for multiple-choice exams go deeper.
Ace turns your own lecture slides, PDFs or YouTube lectures into four-option questions and shows the line from your notes behind every answer, so every practice question comes with feedback from your own material.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to guess or leave it blank on a multiple-choice test?
Guess, unless wrong answers lose marks. With negative marking, guess only after eliminating at least one option.
Should I go with my first instinct on multiple choice?
Not automatically. Research on real exams finds that most answer changes go from wrong to right. Change your answer when you have a concrete reason.
Which letter is most often correct?
None reliably. Exam writers spread correct answers across positions, so eliminate options instead of hunting for a favourite letter.
Sources
- Kruger, J., Wirtz, D. & Miller, D. T. (2005). Counterfactual thinking and the first instinct fallacy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88(5), 725–735. Stanford GSB
- Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J. & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58. APS summary
- Roediger, H. L. & Marsh, E. J. (2005). The positive and negative consequences of multiple-choice testing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 31(5), 1155–1159. Record
