7 Multiple Choice Test Taking Strategies For Students

Short answer: The most reliable multiple choice strategies are to read the instructions, predict the answer before looking at the choices, read every option, eliminate wrong answers to narrow the field, budget your time per question, guess rather than leave blanks when there is no penalty, and change an answer when you have a real reason to.

Multiple choice looks easy because the right answer is on the page. In practice, the format is built to tempt you toward choices that are almost right, so a clear method matters as much as knowing the material.

Key points

• Instructions first: Check whether a question wants one answer, every correct answer, or the best answer.
• Predict, then look: Solving before you read the choices protects you from tempting distractors.
• Eliminate aggressively: Crossing off two wrong choices turns a 25% guess into a 50% guess.
• Budget your time: Know your seconds per question and keep a few minutes to review.
• Never leave blanks: The SAT and ACT do not penalize wrong answers, so every question gets an answer.
• Changing is fine: Research shows most answer changes go from wrong to right.

Why are multiple choice tests tricky?

Good multiple choice questions are written with distractors: wrong answers that match a common mistake. If you drop a negative sign or misread “not,” the answer you calculated is usually sitting there waiting for you.

The format also invites second-guessing. Seeing four plausible options can shake a student who knew the material cold. The strategies below give you a routine to follow on every question, so you rely on process instead of nerves.

What are the 7 best multiple choice test taking strategies?

1. Read the instructions carefully

Not every multiple choice question works the same way. Before you start, check three things:

• How many answers? Some tests ask you to “select all that apply.” Picking only one costs points.
• Correct or best? “Choose the best answer” means more than one choice may be partly true, and you need the one that fits the question most completely.
• Any penalty? Most modern tests, including the SAT and ACT, simply count correct answers. A few classroom tests still subtract for wrong answers, which changes how you guess.

2. Look for key words in the question

Small words flip the meaning of a question. Underline or highlight them as you read.

Absolute words are a clue, not a rule. In math, “always” is often true: the sum of the angles in a triangle is always 180°. Use them to slow down, then check.

3. Answer the question before you look at the choices

Cover the options and work out the answer yourself. If your answer is listed, you can choose it with confidence. If it is not, you know right away that you made an error or misread the question.

This habit matters most in math, where distractors are built from typical slips. For example, if a question asks for x when 3x − 7 = −1, the correct answer is x = 2. A student who subtracts 7 instead of adding it gets 3x = −8 and x = −8/3, and one who forgets to divide by 3 stops at 6. Those wrong values are exactly what a test writer would include as choices.

4. Read every answer choice

Even when choice A matches your prediction, read B, C and D. A later choice might be more complete, or it might reveal that you misread what the question was asking. This takes a few seconds and catches many “best answer” traps.

5. Use the process of elimination

When you cannot solve a question outright, cross off what you know is wrong. Each elimination raises your odds: on a four-choice question, a blind guess is right 25% of the time, but after removing two choices it is right 50% of the time.

1. Cross off any choice that contradicts the question or a fact you know.
2. Cross off choices with the wrong units, sign or size (an estimate helps here).
3. Reread the question and look for a detail that separates the remaining choices.
4. Pick the best remaining option and move on.

On the digital SAT, the built-in Option Eliminator lets you strike out choices on screen, and College Board recommends using it to narrow down to the best answer (College Board digital SAT tips).

The fastest eliminations come from knowing an efficient method. Our SAT tutor Caleb Nastasi teaches students to look for it:

“A lot of it is: here’s something you’ve seen before. What’s the fastest, most efficient way to solve it? Or which approach lets you eliminate two answers right away?”

Caleb Nastasi, Alexander Tutoring SAT tutor

6. Manage your time

Running short on time pushes students into rushed decisions, and it feeds test anxiety. Work out a time budget before you start:

1. Divide the total time by the number of questions. A 60-question test in 90 minutes gives 90 seconds per question.
2. Hold back review time. At 75 seconds per question, you finish in 75 minutes and keep 15 minutes to check.
3. Skip and flag any question that runs well past your budget, then come back to it at the end.

On the SAT, College Board puts the average at about 1 minute 11 seconds per Reading and Writing question and about 1 minute 35 seconds per Math question, and suggests using Mark for Review to return to slow questions later.

Tutor tip: Our SAT tutors see students who know a fast method but default to the long way under pressure. Practice the efficient method on easy questions first, so it is automatic when the clock is running.

7. Guess smart, and do not be afraid to change answers

If there is no penalty for wrong answers, never leave a question blank. ACT says plainly to answer every question because there is no penalty for guessing (ACT test tips), and College Board says an educated guess beats a blank on the SAT.

Many students also believe their first instinct is always right. The research says otherwise. In a well-known study, Kruger, Wirtz and Miller found that most answer changes go from incorrect to correct and that students who change answers usually improve their scores (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2005). The myth survives because switching away from a right answer feels worse, so those moments are easier to remember.

Change an answer when you find a concrete reason: a misread word, a calculation error, or a detail you missed. Do not change it just because it feels too easy.

How should you prepare before a multiple choice test?

Strategy on test day works best on top of steady preparation. These habits make the biggest difference in the week before an exam.

• Spread out your study. Thirty minutes a night for a week beats one long session the night before. Research reviews rate distributed practice and practice testing as two of the most effective study techniques (Dunlosky et al., 2013).
• Take practice tests. Timed practice in the real format builds pacing and shows which question types slow you down.
• Review old tests. Rework every missed question and name the mistake: a misread, a concept gap, or a careless error.
• Set up a quiet study space. Good light, a clear desk and your phone in another room.
• Take short breaks. A few minutes to stretch or get a snack every half hour or so keeps focus up.
• Sleep and eat well. A rested brain reads more carefully, and skipping energy drinks before the test helps keep nerves down.

Tutor tip: When the same mistake shows up again and again, isolate that one skill and drill it until it is fluent, then bring it back into full test questions. That beats taking practice test after practice test.

For more on building study habits, see how to study for math, how to study for exams at home and why time management matters for students.

Do these strategies work on the SAT and ACT?

Yes, with a few test-specific adjustments:

• Answer everything. Neither test penalizes wrong answers.
• Use the tools. The digital SAT has an Option Eliminator, Mark for Review and a built-in Desmos graphing calculator.
• Do not hunt for patterns. College Board notes that any question can have any answer, so a run of three Cs means nothing.
• Know the content well enough to be fast. Strategy narrows the field; skill finishes the job.

For test-specific practice, read how to improve an SAT math score and our ACT math tips. Students who qualify for extended time or other supports can learn more in our guide to testing accommodations.

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