In this page on multiple choice questions, we will discuss two great short-cuts for solving these type of questions most easily and quickly.
The two powerful techniques are:
Before that, we will first briefly discuss what multiple choice questions are and the importance of them in admission tests. Multiple choice questions are the standard type of questions you will see in any admission test.
In today’s admission tests, entrance tests or standardized tests, multiple choice questions are one of the most preferred types of questions test creators use to test the analytical, numerical and verbal skills of test-takers.
In multiple choice questions, a question has to be answered by choosing one of the several answer choices given below the question. In a quantitative or numerical section of the test, the choices contain numbers.
Among the numerous choices which are contenders for being the right answer, one of the choices contains the right answer. On clicking or marking the choice that contains the right answer, the test taker scores a point.
Normally, the number of answer choices in multiple choice questions ranges from 3 to 8. But, several admission tests contain 5, as a standard, for the number of answer choices.
Given below are some examples of multiple choice questions:
1. A is a set of odd numbers from 1 to 100.
B is a set of two even integers 2 and 4. The elements of set A and the elements of set B are multiplied and written in another set C. Which of the following is the number of elements in the set C?
A. 50
B. 100
C. 140
D. 150
E. 200
2. Which of the following answer choices contains the solution of the quadratic equation x2 – 5x + 6 = 0
A. x = 1
B. x = 2 and x = 3
C. x = 2 or x = 3
D. x = 5
E. x = 6.
3. A country spends 
240.
What is the population of the country?
A. 110
B. 150
C. 190
D. 220
E. 250
A few points about multiple choice questions:
1. Realize that one of the answer choices contains the right answer.
After solving, if you do not find any answer choice containing your solution, it means you went wrong in solving. Normally, mistakes happen due to:
- Not understanding the question correctly.
- Not absorbing all of the information provided in the question. There may be a detail which is overlooked.
- Very often multiple choice questions are wrongly solved by unwittingly clicking a wrong choice in spite of having determined the correct answer.
- Faulty understanding which misleads us to solving for something else other than what is asked in the question
2. Many a time, multiple choice questions expect us to apply elimination method.
This is to test our smartness. Where traditional methods take unduly long time, elimination method will yield the answer in a jiffy.
3. Multiple choice questions containing equations can mostly solved by substitution method
Obviating the need for solving equations using popular methods.
4. Approximations and estimations
Approximations and estimations often come handy in zeroing on the correct answer fast and easily without lengthy calculations. Now, we will discuss the two methods of solving multiple choice questions easily and quickly.
- Elimination method for the first
- Substitution method for the second