Types of Examination Questions

Examinations are a widespread assessment and evaluation tool in universities, and there are many types of examination questions. The proceeding table will show these types of examination questions, with its definition and some guidelines to follow in answering.

Types of questions	Definition	Guidelines in answering
Multiple Choice	Composed of one question with multiple possible answers. Students select the correct answer by choosing among the possible answers.	·         Watch out for keywords. This will help you give the appropriate answer to the question. Sometimes, multiple choices seem to have no wrong answers. Knowing what the questions want will make you give the right answer. ·         Differentiate the possible answers. Look for two answers that are opposite and try to cross out the answers you are sure are not correct. ·         Look for hints. Some questions in a test are connected. You may find the answer to a question on the subsequent questions. ·         Do not change your answer. The first answer you choose is often the best answer you will have. Change your answer only if you are sure that it is not the correct answer. ·         Choose “all of the above” or “none of the above”. Try to see if the possible answers are all wrong or correct. If you feel only one answer is wrong or right, do not choose “all of the above” or “none of the above”.
True/False	It is composed of only one statement. Students assess if the stamen is true or false. There are only two possible answers, true or false. True/false questions provide students with a 50% chance of guessing the right answer. For this reason, multiple-choice questions are often used instead of true/false questions.	·         Check if all the words in the statements are all correct. Sometimes, a word will only cause the statement wrong. ·         Also be very careful when a statement contains a negative word such as not or a negative prefix such as un. It tends to change the meaning of the statement. ·         Watch out for two negative words. They tend to make every statement positive. ·         Watch out for absolute statements. An absolute statement is usually false. ·         Watch out for qualified statements. A qualified statement is usually true. Qualified statements allow exceptions. ·         Make a wise guess. Guess wisely. You have 50% of choosing the right answer so do not be scared to guess.
Matching	It involves pairing the questions to the right answer.  Answering this type of questions needs patience and understanding. Sometimes, there is only one on the choices which do not have a pair. It is easy in a way that you can make a wise guess easily.	·          Scan the questions and the choices. This will help you familiarize and easily identify where the answer is located. ·          Look for key words. There are many topics in each questions, so identifying the different topics on each questions will help you a lot. ·          Guess wisely. Guessing with common sense. ·          Review your answers. Sometimes, you will find it easy to correct those answers when you read it again.
Short Answer	Requires answering a question by a short answer. Definition to be exact. A question will be given and it requires you to answer it by a group of words or a word which is defined by the question. They are most often used to test basic knowledge of key facts and terms. Short answer questions provide students with more flexibility to explain their understanding and demonstrate creativity than they would have with multiple choice questions	·         Respond directly to the questions. Focus on keywords and ideas called for Eliminate those that do not directly address the information requested in the test item. ·         Ask your instructor. There are some questions which could have technical error or maybe an error by the instructor having written the question which requires greater understanding. ·         Guess wisely. Guessing with common sense.
Essays	Essay questions provide a complex prompt that requires written responses, which can vary in length from a couple of paragraphs to many pages. Unlike short answers, it requires long paragraphs to explain your answer. Essay questions also differ from short answer questions in that the essay questions are less structured. It is a hard type of examination because it needs the mastery of the lesson.	·         Set up a time schedule. There might be several essay questions, so you should schedule how many minutes will you give for every questions. A test has limited time. Do not waste focus too much on one question. ·         Look at directive words. Make sure you know what you are being asked to do. ·         Make an outline. To organize your thoughts, try to make an outline. Again, follow directive words. ·         Write an introduction and summary. The introduction will be important because it will contain the main point to be written. The summary will expound the introduction. ·         Reread. Reread your paper to check for any errors such as misspell words and etc.
Oral exams	It allows the student to actively state his answers. it is a good type of examination because it makes the student enhance his communication skills. Direct communication between the teacher and the student makes the student learn more in a sense that the student will be able to assess if what he thinks is correct. It provides nearly immediate feedback and so allow the student to learn as they are tested.	·         Create a good impression. Look and act professional by dressing well and appropriately. ·         Be punctual. Be sure to adopt the environment. You will have time to check the situation. ·         Stay focused. Listen well and speak well. ·         Be honest. If you do not know the answer, tell it to the instructor directly. ·         Be confident. If you studied well, then be confident to answer all the questions.
Computational	Requires the students to compute in order to solve for an answer. This is more on math problems that requires the logical and solving skills of the student.	·         Read properly. Read the questions properly. See what kind of computation method it requires. ·         Check the numbers. Sometimes we tend to interchange some numbers. So you should better look at the numbers properly. ·         Guess wisely. Guessing with common sense.

Knowing and familiarizing these examination questions will work in your advantage. It will make you prepare for every exam you will take. With the guidelines this article provides, taking every examination would be easy for you. Good Luck!