At the start of back-to-school season, teachers are already hard at work preparing students for the April ACT and May AP exams. This practice, using multiple-choice questions (MCQs), has been instrumental in helping students develop critical thinking skills.
“I think they can be beneficial for quick assessments so students can see where they are,” said OH English teacher Stephanie Stegich. “I like when we can discuss them, and students talk about their thought process of what got them to the answer.”
This form of testing, used and practiced in AP Classroom and College Board especially, is said to increase confidence because there is a clear indication that one of the choices is correct.
“It’s beneficial because it helps retain the information that they’ve already learned in an easier manner than always writing something out,” said Jacqueline Wojtyszyn, an OH Social Studies teacher.
While MCQs have their strengths, they also pose significant challenges. Some students, who process questions differently, may struggle with the complex thinking and perspectives required, especially when faced with ambiguously worded questions.
“Sometimes it limits the creative and analytical thinking because it hinders or doesn’t give [students] as much time,” Stegich said.
Additionally, compared to free-response questions, MCQs do not allow students to explain their reasoning for the choice.
“It limits what students can show what they know in different question areas,” said Zachary Horn, AP and honors science teacher. “I like reading free response questions because they tell me their full explanation.”
Positive and negative attributes aside, there are ways for those struggling to find ways to increase their score and improve their abilities.
“They’re going to be fact-based, recall-based [[…]] AP is going to be stimulus-based, so [students] need to be able to take that multiple-choice question and break it down,” Wojtyszyn said.
Some choices will resemble one another, so students must include all words or details when reading them so teachers can genuinely see what they have learned.
“I like to read the question and think about the answer that pops into your mind before you even look at the answer choices. That way [[…]] whichever answer is closest to it, it’s the one I would go with,” Stegich said.
It is common for students to overthink an answer, but quickly brainstorming beforehand gives them a better idea of what they are genuinely looking for.
“[Looking] at other questions within the test is usually helpful as well. Sometimes information’s
listed there,” Horn said.
It can be overwhelming and even jarring to consider all of the possible options. Even if students are comfortable with them, using these tips makes them more likely to pass an MCQ test, from ACT to AP exams, with less stress and more preparation.
“I would say, go with your gut. Don’t overthink it,” Stegich said.
This is my first year as a staff reporter on 42Fifty and I am a senior at OHS. I am also involved in NEHS, Best Buddies, and Reading Corner at the school and in my free time I volunteer at the Naperville Area Humane Society. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
