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Testtaking
Testtaking
Glen Whitman
The purpose of this document is to give students useful tips for taking exams. Some tips
are useful for almost any professors exams, while others are useful only for my own.
Multiple Choice Questions
The following tips are helpful for taking almost any multiple choice exam (not just mine).
1. Use the process of elimination: cross out answers you know are incorrect, then focus
on the remaining answers.
2. Look for the best answer to the question, not just any answer that seems correct.
3. Pay special attention to words like not, sometimes, always, and never.
4. Dont waste too much time on a question youre having problems with.
5. Its better to guess than not to answer the question at all. (Exception: There are some
standardized tests that penalize you for giving incorrect answers. For those tests, you
should only guess if you can eliminate at least one incorrect answer. But for most
multiple choice tests, including mine, its always better to guess than not to answer.)
In addition to these standard tips, heres something you should know about my multiple
choice exams: I almost always include the most common wrong answer in the choices.
Example: To find the profit-maximizing output for a firm, you need to set
marginal cost (MC) equal to marginal revenue (MR). But many students
mistakenly set MC equal to the demand curve instead. So I will almost always
include the answer that results from making that mistake.
Example: Students often confuse Giffen goods and inferior goods. So when one
of these is the correct answer, I will almost always include the other as well.
What does that mean? You shouldnt assume your first answer is correct just because you
found it among the choices.
Definition questions. For these questions, you simply need to define a concept.
o Example: What is a demand curve? Answer: It is a curve that shows
the quantity demanded of a particular good or service at many different
prices.
Explanation questions. For these questions, you need to explain why something is
true or how something works.
o Example: Why is the demand curve downward-sloping for most goods?
Answer: Because as the price of a good falls, people tend to buy more of
it. When the price is lower, buying the good involves a smaller sacrifice in
terms of other goods.
Example questions. For these questions, you need to state one or more specific,
real-world instances of some concept.
o Example: Give two examples of pairs of goods that are complements.
Answer: Cameras and camera film. Peanut butter and jelly.
Relationship questions. For these questions, you need to state how two or more
things relate to each other. Are they opposites? Are they the same thing? Is one
an example of the other? How do they differ? Etc. These are usually the most
difficult questions.
o Example: In a competitive market economy, what is the relationship
between prices and scarcity? Answer: Prices usually reflect scarcity
directly. More scarce commodities have higher prices, while less scarce
commodities have lower prices.
o Example: What is the difference between demand and quantity
demanded? Answer: Quantity demanded is the amount of a good
consumers will buy at a specific price, whereas demand shows the
quantities demanded for many different prices.
4. Make sure you know what kind of question (see #3 above) youre answering! Many
students lose points by giving the wrong kind of answer.
than just cars.] Good answer: Economies of scale usually occur because
firms can make use of mass production techniques that involve greater
specialization of both labor and capital.
If its relationship question, dont just give two definitions (unless the wording of
the definitions makes the relationship obvious).
o Example: For most goods, what is the relationship between price and
quantity demanded? Bad answer: Price is the amount of money you
have to pay for the good. Quantity demanded is how much you buy.
Good answer: As the price of a good rises, quantity demanded tends to
fall.
The point is, its not enough to say something correct. You also have to say something
that directly answers the question asked.
5. Make sure you answer all parts of the question.
Example: If the question asks for a firms profit-maximizing quantity and price,
and you calculate the quantity first, dont forget the calculate the price as well.
Example: If the question asks for two examples of price discrimination, dont put
down only one (unless you just cant think of another).
6. Notwithstanding anything Ive said above, its always better to say something than
nothing. If its a definition question but all you can think of is an example, then give the
example. If its an explanation question but all you can think of is the definition, then
give the definition. You wont get full credit, but you might get partial credit.
Essay Questions
Professors differ in their preferences about essay questions, but most (including me)
would agree on the following advice:
1. Plan your essay in advance. Come up with a simple outline. Think about whether the
planned orders of your points makes sense.
2. Have multiple paragraphs, not just one long paragraph. Each paragraph should cover
a distinct aspect of the topic.
3. Have an introductory paragraph. This paragraph should introduce the topic, define
key terms that will be used throughout the essay, and (preferably) briefly forecast the
structure of the essay.
4. Use concrete examples to support your points, if possible. Dont just put all your
examples in a paragraph at the end use your examples along the way.
5. Have a concluding paragraph that summarizes your main points.