Watch for the Definitive Words

Working your way through 150 multiple choice exam questions addressing over 200 pages of content can be quite tiring. You need to master as many multiple test taking techniques as you can to ease the pain. I am always surprised at just how mentally worn out I am at the end of a certification exam. I feel like this even when I am well prepared for an exam and know my stuff backwards and forwards.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the the definitive words in your multiple choice questions. These are those absolute terms, such as ONLY, ALWAYS, ALL, and MUST. When the test writer uses one of these terms in a question, they are constraining the correct answer to that question. This is in your favor as a test taker. When I see one of these words in a question, I get ready to apply my knowledge and parse my way to the right answer:

• ONLY means just that one thing
• ALWAYS means all the time versus some of the time
• ALL means all of the options or items being discussed
• MUST means that something is always done in a certain way

So, remember to watch out for the definitive words on your CBAP or CCBA exam!

Cheers!
Susan