Tips for Taking a Multiple Choice Test

Close Reading

Because the AP English Literature multiple choice questions are centered around passages selected from works of literature throughout the ages, it is IMPORTANT to read the passages THOROUGHLY but EFFECTIVELY (as you only have about 1 minute per question on this section of the exam).

BLANKS

Do not leave any answers blank since there are no penalties for guessing.

Don't choose a final decision on the correct answer

Don't choose a final decision on the correct answer until you have read and contemplated all alternatives.

Each alternative provides completion for the question or sentence,

Each alternative provides completion for the question or sentence, but it's your job to find the best possible answer.

Good luck on your next AP Exam!

Good luck on your next AP Exam!

possible answers is "all of the above"

If one of the possible answers is "all of the above" check to see if indeed every option is true.

If you are stuck between two answers,

If you are stuck between two answers, look more closely at the wording to pick the best alternative.

Eliminate 3 of the 5 possible answers,

If you can eliminate 3 of the 5 possible answers, you have a 50% chance of getting the question right, and should take a guess, because the potential benefits outweigh the very minimal risk

Only change an answer

Only change an answer if you are absolutely positive that you were incorrect. Surprisingly, your first answer selection is often right.

Qualifiers and absolutes

Pay special attention to qualifiers and absolutes to help you eliminate answers. Questions with absolute words such as all, never, every, always, and best often try to trick you into drawing the wrong conclusion.

Questions that are stated negatively with NOT or EXCEPT.

Pay special attention to questions that are stated negatively with NOT or EXCEPT. Restate the question in the affirmative to better understand its meaning

Read each possible alternative

Read each possible alternative with the stem.

Read the stem carefully

Read the stem carefully and look for key terminology which may lead you to the correct answer.

More Close Reading

Some students feel they perform better when they read the questions before the passages. One of the advantages of this strategy is that you will already know what you're looking for when you start to tackle the passage

Close Reading

There are a few different helpful strategies for reading the passages in this section; you should try each with a different set of practice questions and see which one works best for you.

Make Critical Inferences

There is no guessing penalty on the AP English Literature multiple choice questions; you are graded based on the number of questions you get right. There is also no penalty for leaving a question blank.

Practice as much as possible between now and the exam,

These tips should help you tackle your AP English Language multiple choice questions, but be sure to practice as much as possible between now and the exam, reviewing on Learnerator and other sites and bringing any important questions to your teacher or study group.

Work through the test efficiently

You need to work through the test efficiently; it's better to miss out on the points for one tough question than three easy ones, as the questions are all counted equally, despite their difficulty levels.

Using these test strategies will .

a.) guarantee you a perfect score of 5, b) better prepare you for test success, c) be better than nothing, d) win you a college scholarship, or e) B and C only

Be Mindful of Your Time question is giving you trouble you should skip it

Because there is no penalty for leaving questions blank, if a question is giving you trouble you should skip it and mark it to return to later if you have time. You only have 1 hour for the test, which breaks down to about one minute per question with a little extra time for reading the associated passage.

Eliminate answers

Eliminate answers hat are obviously wrong by crossing them off

All AP exam multiple choice questions consist of a stem and a set of alternative responses.

Think of the stem as an incomplete question or sentence and try to answer it before looking at the possible answers.

Don't waste time and effort on guessing wildly

This means that you shouldn't waste time and effort on guessing wildly (blindly picking choice C on a question you don't know anything about), but that you also shouldn't be afraid to guess if you can think critically and eliminate certain answers.