In the final paper there will be 25 of this type of question. Many students find these particularly difficult and see them as a real stumbling block to improving their test marks. Here are some ideas that will be useful in improving your performance.
Work on these truths!
Students get multiple choice questions wrong for a variety of reasons and so there is no magic that will make you an expert overnight. The main reasons for the selection of wrong choices seem to be:
If you work through a consistent pattern and approach to your questions you are better off making the best informed decision and sticking with it. Many students often find themselves with time left at the of the paper and start doubting their original choices, making impulsive changes. They often regret these decisions.
If some multiple choice questions are difficult and take too long, leave them until the end of the paper and then return to them if you have time. This will also give your subconscious time to think it through properly.
Remember, put into perspective, each question is worth 2 marks out of 200.
The multiple choice questions come in several types and different orders of difficulty. Some are strictly memory recall of the content of the course; others involve reading a small section and require you to apply the concepts you have learnt, whilst the more difficult questions require you to analyse data or to evaluate material presented.
Take care with the memory recall questions. Some students rush these, thinking they are straightforward compared to the more difficult ones.
You should spend about 40 minutes on the multiple choice questions in the paper. There are worked examples of different types in Biology Essentials.
This site might give you more ideas about how to answer this style of question.
Here is another site with some examples - it includes other study techniques.
In answering these questions there are several points that can help in your responses.
Here are a few sensible suggestions:
In reading through the question you should be looking for several things:
What type of question is it?
What is the question asking?
This is now part of Sections A and B of the exam but still require special skills.
You may be asked questions on the following:
Hypotheses
Variables
Control Experiments
Results Table
Graphs
Conclusions
Errors
Generally you will be give two questions that you must answer in an essay style. Here are some tips to get the maximum score for this section.
Pay close attention to how many sub-questions are being asked. These are worth 12 marks.
If there are two sub-questions, you need to make three key points per sub-question.
If there are three sub-questions, you need to make only two key points per sub-question.
Do NOT write an introduction. For the exam, they are a waste of time and are not given any credit. Don't bother with a conclusion unless you are prepared to synthesize your main ideas.
If you add a drawing, make sure it is readable and relevant. Don't bother otherwise.
Three other marks are for style including
• Is the response at least half a page in length and is it structured in the form of sentences and paragraphs?• Does the response contain correct grammar and spelling?
• Does the response clearly explain concepts using relevant and concise biological language?
If you are pressed for time, ditch the style marks and write in dots points!
More ideas will be added later but here is a start:
Mind-mapping: This site takes you through the steps to effectively mind map from scratch.