Oh! Those ... silly MCQs

The Conventional Pedagogy: Due to the conventional pedagogy of our schools and colleges, we tend to be more process oriented. On the contrary, exams and jobs are result or goal oriented. The point is that you have to encircle or tick the right answer by any method or trick consuming the minimum time. Therefore, if you don’t get the answer by the question itself, use the options one by one to find the answer. The option satisfying the question is the right answer. This means OPTIONS are AN INTEGRAL PART OF QUESTIONS.

DON'T ATTEMPT ALL the QUESTIONS: Yes, that’s true! Again thanks to the conventional pedagogy that is highly process oriented, we are supposed to answer around 25 questions (at grade 10 and 12) in 3 hours. However, in competitions we try to solve all 200 questions in 2 hours! That also by being process-oriented (not Answer-Oriented). Process oriented candidates consume a lot of time to arrive at the right answer; therefore, they solve less questions and score low. Being answer-oriented means, your focus is to find the right answer in the least possible time by using tricks and shortcuts. Even if you know all the answers, encircling or selecting the right answer takes a good deal of time excluding other documentation and verification formalities at the examination centre. Hence, don’t think that you have to solve all the 200 questions. Target 100 questions that you are sure of. Thereafter, if time permits, you may move ahead and improve your prospects. This is true for almost all examinations. However, there may be some exceptions depending on the level and the content of the examination.

Remember: The syllabus is enormous and the questions are infinite. Thus, never think or be over-confident that you have learnt a lot because ultimately you will find that it was a Drop in the Ocean! Learning is an eternal process. So keep reading. It is rightly said that students should not waste a single second. For students, Time is Money.

Read, Assimilate and Revise: DON'T RELY TOO MUCH on TRICKS, SHORTCUTS, PROBABILITY and INTELLIGENT GUESSING. All these are Last Moment Tools to salvage your Prospects. If the core and base is strong, no Examination is Tough and can be cracked without Wasting Years.


At Last: Your exams won't end well if you are not Happy and Healthy. So have fun and enjoy life. Don’t make life monotonous by studying and cramming for hours. Play some simple outdoor games like Badminton and go for morning or evening walks. This will, in turn, keep you fit and cool. ALL THE BEST.

(If something is left or you have better ideas and tricks, Please Share.)

Disclaimer: All the views/ ideas/ thoughts/ tips discussed above are purely personal. Besides, these are no guarantee to better performance or scoring in competitive exams. Aspirants are advised to rely on their discretion and competence.