And then I failed the two related tests that I had been studying for two months and have been very confident to pass and it felt a little hypocritical. Quite a bit hypocritical actually.
So instead of sharing my experiences that have changed my life for the better, let us talk about something I have not been able to change yet and maybe learn from each other.
I cannot say what exactly it is, but Multiple Choice has always been a problem for me.
Now, MC is not MC - I have had two very easy tests of said format during my Uni time, but the rest was "very difficult" to "my personal nightmare".
I study a lot and I love it. Now I'd love it even more if the outcome were more rewarding
I love studying though. I go to a test, knowing I am prepared for an A+(+?) in an oral or written exam and walk out with an F because something went wrong. And that can be tough to deal with and first and foremost - very frustrating.
I yet have to find out what this something is and how to fix it.
MC questions tend to confuse me a lot. I do not think straight forward, but keep every possibility into consideration and connect things a lot in my head* - great for Maths and Nature Sciences, not so great for these kinds of tests.
Example: A company with a bakery certificate is entitled to do:
A... B....
C:... D: perform confectionery business.
While I know B and C are correct, I have to ask if D, confectionery refers to a different business area, because bakeries also sell sweet goods like pies and TECHNICALLY speaking.....I think you get what I mean.
I don't think this is the root of the problem - there is probably also something wrong in the way I learn which is what has been shown to be THE most efficient way for said oral or written test but apparently not so much for MC.
Since I have set the goal to get rid of this issue over the summer, I am now asking you to share your personal tactics that work for you when approaching a test like that. :)
~*What are your tips and tricks to face Multiple Choice like a pro?*~
Hope you're all having a wonderful week~
Lots of Elfloce,
Elverynel~
______
*Little anecdote from school: Was once asked to make a 30 min mindmap, teacher regretted fast because it ended up being a load of stuff squeezed onto two pages and INSANE. Accurate and on point, but still insane. Not so much that I wrote everything that came to mind, but that I started to connect things from outside class or from other classes. Edit: Never had to do a mindmap again.
Hey, doll! First off, congratulations on doing so well in uni, and I hope you enjoy your summer!
AntwortenLöschenI suspect that the problem you are facing simply comes from the way in which your mind processes more specific vs more general information. What I mean by this is that, whilst you are able to incorporate information from a vast array of fields into your works, you might have a bit more trouble pinpointing key words and concepts on their own, and how they relate to the general picture. Hence why you have created an extraordinary mindmap, which incorporates a vast amount of knowledge from various fields, but find yourself questioning straightforward answers if they are presented as one of four choices.
While this way of thinking is excellent for, say, humanitarian and social sciences, it does play nasty tricks. I have a similar issue with linguistics: when faced with a simple "Select the appropriate verb and tense", I have to ask "Yes, but is this Standard American or BBC English? Are we taking a prescriptivist or a descriptivist approach? What is the broader context of this sentence?" etc. Unfortunately, in my personal experience I find that I usually have to go to the most obvious, straightforward option, even if it means ignoring information like the one you mentioned. That, and do you tend to remember everything you read easily, but can't make up your mind about the most key words and phrases from a text?
I do hope I've helped in some way! If not, feel free to continue this conversation!
(Source: psychiatrist momma with 30+ years of experience behind her back)
First of all, thank you so much for your comment, it really, really, means a lot to me! <3
Löschen"you might have a bit more trouble pinpointing key words and concepts on their own, and how they relate to the general picture." Yes that is quite true!
I already noticed during my written driving MC test that I had to really block a lot of information out, to get the right answer.
I have had oral/essay exams only in my last 5 years of High School and in these formats a vast field of knowledge is what gives you the high grades, whereas in MC one has to be extremely specific and that troubles me - sometimes more, sometimes less.
I have also heard of techniques where you make up a mock exam for yourself as you study, but that didn't really work out for me.
"That, and do you tend to remember everything you read easily, but can't make up your mind about the most key words and phrases from a text?"
Yes. I make up ridiculous memoric aids for really complicated keywords that I cannot remember and they are so downright weird, that usually people react all like "wtf??" When they see them haha.
I also find myself very limited and boxed when I don't have the freedom of presenting my answer other than ticking of a box.
And I tend to have difficulties with "just learning things by heart without truly understanding every single detail" up to a point where it is obsessive. But I have the feeling that only when I understand every bit, then I can truly grasp the whole picture, if you know what I mean.
Ah, yes, then I fully understand your pain! Unfortunately, I haven't made a fool-proof way of preparing for these exams myself, other than "well, I'll intuitively seek out the easiest answer". The good news is that I've barely ever had employ this skill in university, as multiplr choice questions are a rarity. As for keywords, it's a matter of training, I believe. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. And I'm sure that a studious elf, such as yourself, will improve in no time!
LöschenBlessed be, wee elfling. <3
Now I'd like to see that insane mindmap of yours...
AntwortenLöschenBut let me tell you that you are far from alone in your difficulties with multiple choice tests!
I'm sorry, I can't really offer any really helpful advice, as in my own studies, my fellow course-mates and I have faced the very same problems with multiple choice tests... and the only solution to them that works so far for us is the much dreaded "learn everything by heart without truly understanding it" and to try make sense of it later. If you say to this that academic studies shouldn't be like that, I couldn't agree more.
I'll be keeping an eye on other replies to this blog article, maybe someone else can give more insight into how best to approach studying for multiple choice tests. (which is absurd in itself, one should study for an understanding of the matter, not for a test... yet here we are.)
I always aced multiple choices. They key is not to think for yourself / real world, but pattern match keywords from the course materials/books.
AntwortenLöschenTests are mostly to test your memorization of shared materials, not free thinking.
wow! nice pose i like the color green , thank you for sharing this blog. i like it.
AntwortenLöschen