Autism and multiple choice tests

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I generally do well on multiple choice tests.

However, if the test is poorly written, then I may do poorly as well.

If the test is not scantron, I will often cross out/correct the question/answers with red ink and rewrite it in a better format. And provide a note as to why. Some instructors are angered by this though...I'm not completely clear why. Most seem receptive though and I've been thanked for doing it often.

If it is scantron, I "attempt" to find the answer they want me to answer with, even if there are multiple choices of "correct" answer. This has varying success.

I'm a horrible essay writer, if the test isn't multiple choice I have little chance of passing.

I love multiple choice tests. They're much better than answering essay questions.

I think multiple choice/essay preferences is more down to individual abilities rather than anything to do with Aspergers. At least I can't see how the traditional autistic traits would interfere with exam style. My course is predominantly multiple choice examined, sometimes it works out as you can logically deduce the answer without knowing for certain (i.e. which of these are true: a,b,c,d and d is 'all of above' if you know at least two of a/b/c are true it has to be d). Other times you'll read a question and 'know' the answer, then see the answers on the sheet and they're so similar you forget which one was true (had an exam yesterday, happened irritatingly often). Goes both ways, I'll take multiple choice just because my essays ramble without proper planning.

It's worth considering other factors that may influence exam performance as well. I've just had DSA assessment and they suggested I could do the exam in a separate room, so I wasn't surrounded by other people. I'd never considered that this may reduce my exam performance, I get good grades so I never had to look into it. Not sure if I'll actually take them up on the offer (I'd prefer to keep the diagnosis discrete, may be hard to hide if I go to a separate exam room), but it might be worth consideration for other people here.

I failed my written drivers licence twice because of ambiguous wording on the test. Apparently most people "knew what they were talking about" ie could somehow deduce what they meant despite the ambiguity. But I couldnt.

i think this is where asperger's comes into play. what seems ambiguous to us (and likely is) can be deduced by others who more easily grasp the general ideas, or even just grasp the concept that a question can be less specific or accurate than it purports to be, and yet still be answerable somehow.

i just find myself arguing with the questions. i have the same trouble with pre-recorded customer service telephone calls and that kind of thing. i seem to always have an issue that can't be accurately classified within the menu choices. or i am unable to extrapolate from them to determine where my question is best answered. i don't know where it belongs unless it's stated directly.

This happened to me quite a bit especially in a psychobiology class i had in the beginning. in most of the questions i could see where all answers could be correct in certain circumstances and i kept getting Bs. i made an appointment and spoke to my professor about it. he assured me that there was only one correct answer to each multiple choice question. i pulled out the latest test and took one of the questions that he marked incorrect. i proceeded to go over every choice stating why and under what circumstances the answers could be correct. when i finished he just stared at me for a full minute after which he said "you think too much." i told him that that was not a helpful comment and asked him for a suggestion. he said dont think at all. just let the answer reveal itself. i thought great but when i took the next test, as an experiment, read the questions but i didnt even read the answers i just picked the one that seemed to be brightest vibration on the paper than the rest and i ended up getting an A. after that i got As but really questioned the usefulness of school. my experience with essay exams is that it is like automatic writing. by the end i have no idea if i have failed or succeeded but they are always As.

i am so happy to be able to talk about this in this forum. i had never found anyone who could identify with this. i have only recently realized that i am on the spectrum. thanks for the topic.

When I was in school, we had a test called the California Achievement Test. I don't know if they still have it, but it was hours of multiple choice questions every year. I did amazingly, astoundingly well on this test, and was even given the label of "gifted", but my class work was mediocre at best and tragic most of the time. My guess is that the multiple-choice format compensated for my really bad handwriting, especially in math where I had to try to keep numbers lined up. No one knew anything about autism, so no one could explain why I did well on the CAT but poorly in school.

Of course, I had teachers who made me not want to try, too. One would count a word like "sock" like I spelled it "socls" because I didn't make the two parts of the K close enough together. I was bewildered the first time why the spelling was counted wrong, and after I got the explanation I gave up. I ought to write a book. Anyhow, the multiple-choice aspect of the test tended to eliminate agenda-driven judgment calls like this.

When I was in college, one of my professors always used to say, "If you are confused by one of my questions and feel that there may be more than one possible answer, please make a note and explain to me how YOU have chosen to interpret the question, so that I can take that into consideration when grading your answer." This was extremely helpful for me, because there were usually 1 or 2 questions on her tests (usually short answer questions) that confused me.

Perhaps this is a strategy to consider, writing a short explanation of your thought process on the test next to your answer. It depends on how many of the questions are confusing to you, though. If you are taking a multiple choice test and half of the questions are worded in an ambiguous way, it obviously would not be practical to write an explanation for each one.

people like this, who would shame students instead of trying to understand where their difficulties are coming from and help, should not be teaching. i don't know how to say that with enough emphasis.

I was usually bad at multiple choice tests, and much preferred essay tests, where I could explain myself- (and therefore got A´s). The only time I felt comfortable with multiple choice tests was when the questions were clearly worded, and about facts. Otherwise, it´s hard to know the "right" answer as more ambiguously worded questions can be interpreted in different ways. Like other posters, I often found more than one answer correct; or, another problem, is often I wasn´t 100% sure what they were asking in the first place. Sometimes I have the feeling they try to write with as few words as possible and make everything as vague as possible. In addition, I often have the feeling- (with more ambiguous questions)- that what you´re really being tested on is how well you can choose the answer that the creator of the test has in mind, i.e., in a way you have to be good at "mindreading". So yes, I think AS can come into play with these tests as "mindreading" abilities are not the forte of people with AS.

By the way, I also found some of the questions on the AQ test difficult. They were often vague, or too general, sort of "big picture" type questions, whereas detail would have been easier for me. But then again, I probably do "think too much": (Isn´t that better than not thinking enough? ) I like to be accurate.

Multiple choice tests differ greatly.
Just the other day I took two tests online (for fun, posted at another site I visit) about being left and right brained.

I took both tests, one said I was right brained, the other left brained.
My problems with both tests were that answers were so general, more information required like "do you like to follow directions", now what the heck does that mean? Does it mean instructions as in how to assemble a piece of furniture? Does it mean directions in how to travel to a certain destination? Does it mean how to complete a task? Then the problem is that answer to all those is "yes and no", because badly written instructions, directions like many people give that include useless landmarks, or better yet, directions assuming one knows things about an area, are horribly irritating, etc etc
So, I like GOOD USEFUL directions, and hate others.
All the questions were like this in that there never was an "either or" answer that sprang to mind.
Multiple choice tests for classes recently completed ranged from OK to really easy, but that was because of the difference in the tests authors and the ambiguity of some of the language. Ex. question: (for an OSH test on Personal Protective Equipment) "When is the best time to select protective footwear? There were four choices, "first thing in the morning", "it doesn't matter", "at the end of the day", and another choice I can't remember. My answer was "first thing" because one is preparing for the day and should wear thing appropriate to the hazards, but the correct answer was "at the end of the day" because what the instructor really wanted to know was when is the best time to TRY ON AND PURCHASE footwear. I point this out, I think he adjusted everyone's grades accordingly.

Essay tests are the same, there are some classes/instructors I can write for, some I can't please to save my life. Recently completed a CIV class, got a D on the major paper, wanted to inform the instructor that perhaps he should contact my previous instructors in a variety of disciplines that required different writing styles, who all gave me A's and left them know what dumbasses they are for not recognizing my inability to write. But then again, this jerk didn't even use a recognized established format, made up his own (I think just so he would have more reasons to mark people down since there was no reference to check with as far as they way he wanted things).
My final for that class included two essays. I ended up not even completing the test, because I had done so badly when I tried so hard, got upset during the test, and guess what, got a better grade out of the jerk than the ones I finished.

I am much better in multiple choice tests than essay questions. I would have failed college if it was all essay based. Thank God that 99% were multiple choice. With Multiple choice you at least have a certain percentage that it will be correct with the process of elimination. With essay if you don't know you just simply don't know and will fail the test. I suck at writing as well.

I do about equally well on multiple choice tests and essays. On literature classes, I was OK with essays, I got a lot of help from my parents and teachers. I did best when only a short essay or a calculus was required. We didn't do much multiple choice test at school back then, I think there was a difference in the test methods, preferring the essays in this part of the world where I live.

I also don't like when the questions or options in tests are vague.

On recent financial courses that I attended I felt the need to figure out the styles of the test writers. Honestly, when it comes to professional knowledge about finances, I'm not very good at them. So I needed this type of help too. I think I've put up with the ways tests are trying to measure our knowledge, I used to feel bitter how much arbitrarily selected factual knowledge is preferred to reasoning and logical thinking.

My son just did two weeks of CST testing back in April and we don't get the scores until August. They sent home practice tests and I think the multiple choices really eliminate the guessing on questions he doesn't know. So, if he doesn't know what a word or something means, he can read the choices given and figure it out by looking at the context that it's used in -- then finding the answer by eliminating the choices that don't make sense.

However, essays can be tricky as well because you have to stay on topic. My son loves to write, but when you're given an essay they're not looking for how much you write as opposed to what you write and how you bring together your ideas in a cohesive manner. It you can't stay-on-topic the person grading the essay will think you don't understand the question or know the answer.

Staying-on-topic and writing cohesively is something we'll be working on this summer.

I haven't taken any tests for a long time, but when I did, I did at least ok on multiple choice tests if not better. Essays were really difficult for me as I tended to suffer from brain lock-up & couldn't put 2 words down that meant anything about the required subject. I might have done better on essays if I liked the subject though. if it was just about basic school knowledge, my mind was usually somewhere else.