tips on what to do with 2 answer choices left?

Question

I noticed a pattern on the verbal questions i ahve been doing. On many of the wrong ones i got i basically got down to 2 choices and most of the time the correct answer is there. Any tips on leaning toward the correct answer more than the wrong one when it does happen?

ajk2010 · Answer

flip a coin.

seriously? i would try to understand why you're always left with two choices and not an obvious choice. maybe you'll see a pattern as to which types of questions cause this problem for you - perhaps there's some grammar rule that you always seem to mix up....memorize the rule and move on. this can't be happening with every question so i'd work on understanding what types of questions give you trouble and figure out a better method to solving them

good luck

bb · Answer

I very often found myself in a situation like this - i don't think I ever resolved this situation or had a specific method, but what helped me was to print out/copy all of the questions like these into a separate binder and highlight the two answer choices I was torn between and on the back of it write explanation. Then once a few weeks, I would pick up this binder and go through it and make sure I could nail down every question and pick out the correct answer. Not a magic solution, but it will work. Try it.

shaselai · Answer

cool i will certainly try it. I think i probably need to master all the rules. For SC i basically got down to the 2 through the rules but sometimes a diff. rule escapes me...

topher · Answer

Instead of focusing on a "trick" to determine the right answer, perhaps a better alternative is to understand why you are having trouble narrowing down the answer. I would say it's better to focus on your knowledge rather than technique.

But when I come to a question where I really can't decide, I usually go with my gut instinct.

But when I come to a question where I really can't decide, I usually go with my gut instinct.

bb · Answer

Thanks - you flatter me

I think for one of the question types - I believe it was the general "passage idea" or "passage tone" in the RC - I always ended up picking the wrong of the two choices, so for that question type, I just made a mental note that if I were stuck between the two options, I would pick the other one. Of course chances of getting stuck with two options of a specific question type on the final test are slim, but still.... the point is that - you need to know how your mind works and what choices are most likely to pick.

mohater · Answer

I had the same problem on verbal.

Figure out what your weaknesses are in verbal and spend some time addressing the deficiency. Understanding the WHY will help you get more 700-800 problems right after eliminating the obvious incorrect answers.

I also did something like bb - I splint SC (my biggest struggle) into blocks of 10 and went through them. I would mark the ones I guessed on and the ones I got wrong (different marking for each). I would then go through them later, and compare answers I picked each time to figure out where I'm going wrong.

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tips on what to do with 2 answer choices left?

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