Tips for Taking Multiple Choice Math Tests

*Generally only one answer is correct

*You can often eliminate one or two of the choices immediately

*Read the question carefully, think logically and use your number sense. Only answer what they ask for

*Don't try to out think the question or consider things that are not a part
of the question (word problems)

*If you get stuck on a problem and you have extra time, you can try all choices to see what works


1. Use number sense to save time and avoid doing unnecessary work.

<b>e.g. Compute 57.69 + (19.21 x 2) x 0</b>

-notice the product is zero (because anything multiplied by zero equals zero)


2. Estimate when you can. It will often help you get to the answer quickly without a lot of scratch work.

<b>e.g. 2,345 x 756 =</b>

- round these numbers to make quick calculations and use number sense to get the correct answer


3. Eliminate obviously incorrect choices.

<b>e.g  37 x 10 = </b>

a. 37,000      b.  3,700    c. 370    d. 370,000

-there is no way A, B and D could be correct, they are two large to be possible products of 37 x 10


4.  Try the easier choices first.

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