How to score 40 out of 40 in BECE/WASSCE objective test

How to score 40 out of 40 in BECE/WASSCE objective tests is known to a few students but in this write-up, we will attempt to help you improve your cores and possibly learn how to get all answers correct in the WASSCE and BECE multiple-choice test.

Are you ready for the secrets of multiple-choice questions? If yes, then read on

Many people assume that multiple-choice exams are easy. After all the answers are given to you so all you have to do is to choose the right one. It is strange therefore that many people don’t do particularly well in multiple-choice exams.

Multiple choice or the BECE/WASSCE objective test is easy provided you go about it in the correct way. There is a right method and a wrong method for attempting these types of exams and most people use the wrong method.

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The wrong way of answering multiple-choice exams in the BECE/WASSCE is to read the question, look at the answers and choose the one that looks to be correct.

The reason for this is that whilst there is only one correct answer there are other answers which are very plausible and are put there simply to mislead you.

It is amazing how good we are at looking at an incorrect answer during the BECE/WASSCE objective test long enough to convince ourselves that it is correct!

The correct way to choose your answer in the 2020 BECE objective test / 2020 WASSCE objective test is as follows.

#1 Use a blank piece of paper to cover up the questions and gradually pull it down to reveal the question but not the answers. In the exams hall, you can use your wooden rule or hanky since foreign materials like a sheets of papers are not allowed

#2 Read the question carefully and work out the answer without looking at the answers you are given, (i.e. work it out just as if it were an ordinary exam question). Then reveal the answers and choose the one that matches yours.

#3 If none of the answers matches then make a note of the question number and return to it later when a fresh approach may help you to come up with the right answer.

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Don’t dwell on a question in the BECE/WASSCE objective test section for too long. Time is limited and you could be picking up marks elsewhere rather than wasting time on a question that you can’t do.

Having completed the paper, hopefully, with time to spare, go back and attempt the questions that you had trouble with. Your subconscious mind has had time to work on the problems and you may also find that other questions that you have done may have triggered your memory. Once again be careful not to get bogged down on a particular question. If you still have trouble then once again you should note down the question number.

Finally you will be left with a list of the questions which you really can’t do so the time has come to start guessing.

Be careful, marks are sometimes deducted for wrong answers so make sure you are aware of whether this is the case in your exam.

Obviously there is no easy way to correctly guess an answer if you don’t know what it is in the first place! The best method is to divide the answers into ‘possibles’ and ‘impossibles’ during the BECE/WASSCE thus narrowing down your choice. With the answers now visible you may be able to see where you went wrong in your initial workings out.

At the end of the day though, if you really can’t work out the correct answer the only solution is to pick one of the ‘possibles’ at random and hope for the best. If marks are to be deducted for wrong answers then it is better not to guess but to leave the answer blank. You will then score nothing as opposed to losing a mark.

In fact the whole point of marking multiple-choice or BECE/WASSCE objective test exams in this way is to discourage people from guessing. Looks like it works! Obviously if marks are not deducted for wrong answers then you have absolutely nothing to lose by guessing so pick the most likely of the ‘possibles’.

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Most multiple choice exams at the BECE/WASSCE consist of a question paper together with an answer sheet. They are often marked by computer and you indicate your answer by marking the appropriate box on the answer sheet.

Make sure you are equipped with a soft pencil and a good rubber or eraser. Don’t use ink because you won’t be able to correct your mistakes.

Make sure that you know how many questions there are and how long you have to answer them. Always allow 10 to 15 minutes at the end for checking and completing unfinished questions. Rather than divide your time up on a per question basis, (i.e. 60 questions in 60 minutes is 1 question per minute), you should group the questions into blocks of, say 10, and allocate your time accordingly, i.e. 10 questions in 10 minutes. This is because some questions will be very quick and easy to answer while others will take longer. Grouping the questions in this way will even out the peaks and troughs in the timing.

Make sure that your mark on the answer paper corresponds to the correct question number. If you have left a question to go back to later it can be very easy to continue marking the answer sheet and forget to leave a space for the missing answer. If you do find that your answers have got out of step then tell an invigilator. You may be allowed some extra time to sort the mess out.

This problem can be avoided if you always crosscheck the question number with the answer number as you write the answer. Say to yourself, “question 7, answer 7” as you mark the answer sheet.

It is even more important than usual to read the instructions carefully in a multiple-choice exam. Make sure that you understand exactly how to indicate your answers on the answer sheet.

Sometimes marks will be subtracted for an incorrect answer, (e.g. 1 mark for a correct answer, no marks for no answer but 1 mark deducted for an incorrect answer). Make sure that you understand the marking procedure in your exam as it will affect the way you answer questions you are less sure about.

If there is anything that you don’t understand then ask an invigilator immediately.
Make sure that you understand the different styles of question throughout the exam paper. Some may give 5 different answers and ask which one is correct. Some will give 5 statements and ask which combinations are correct. Each time the style of question changes make sure that you understand how to answer it.

Once again if you have any problems understanding what you have to do then ask an invigilator.

Do all your rough working on the question paper. This makes it easier to go back to a question and check your working if you need to. Clear notes will also make it easier to work out answers on problem questions when you return to them since your earlier mistake may be obvious. Untidy notes won’t help at all.

If you think you have worked out the answer to a particular question but you are not 100% sure about it then make a note of the question number and return to it later.

When you return to the question work out the answer again. If it is the same as you got last time then you can be reasonably sure that you have got it right.

If you find yourself becoming stuck on a particular question then make a note of the question number and go back to it later. If you find a question easy then you are more likely to get it right so it makes sense to go through the paper and answer all the easy during the 2020 BECE and or 2020 WASSCE. Once you’ve scored all the easy marks you can return to the more difficult questions.

Always get to the end of the paper. Very often there will be 10 easy questions at the end. If you get bogged down in the middle and don’t have time to finish then you have thrown away easy marks. These easy questions are often put at the end of a multiple choice paper to test your exam technique. People with poor technique may not get this far and will throw away some easy marks. People with good technique work through all the easy questions first and then return to the more difficult questions.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because you’ve got a lot of answers the same, (e.g. a lot of questions have the answer ‘C’), that you’ve got some of them wrong. Never let your choice for a particular answer be influenced by your other answers. Anyone who thinks that an answer to a question can’t be ‘C’ simply because the previous four questions have had the answer ‘C’ is only fooling themselves and will lose valuable marks.

In mathematical and scientific multiple choice exams watch out for the units. Very often you will find that you’ve got an answer in metres and the answer is given in centimetres. (e.g. You’ve worked out an answer to be 1m and the answers given include 1cm and 100cm. Obviously 100cm matches your answer but you would be amazed at the number of people who answer 1cm simply because they fail to look at the units). Remember, the answers are designed to mislead you so watch out for the examiners little tricks.

How to answer BECE/WASSCE objective test QUESTIONS easily

1. Understand the instructions
2. Understand the different question styles
3. Understand the marking procedure
4. Use a soft pencil on the answer sheet
5. Make sure question and answer numbers correspond to each other
6. Cover the answers up until you have worked out your answer
7. Do the easy questions first
8. If you get stuck, return to the question later
9. Do your rough working neatly on scrap paper
10. Divide questions into ‘blocks’ and allocate time per block
11. Divide answers into ‘possibles’ and ‘impossibles’ for guessing
12. Watch out for trick answers