Changing Answers
The theory that a student should trust their first instinct and stay with their initial answer on a multiple choice test is a myth. Researchers have found that although people often believe that changing answers is bad, it generally results in a higher test score . The data across twenty separate studies indicate that the percentage of "right to wrong" changes is 20.2%, whereas the percentage of "wrong to right" changes is 57.8%, nearly triple. Changing from "right to wrong" may be more painful and memorable (Von Restorff effect), but it is probably a good idea to change an answer after additional reflection indicates that a better choice could be made.
Read more about this topic: Multiple Choice
Famous quotes containing the words changing and/or answers:
“The snake that cannot shed its skin perishes. Likewise those spirits who are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be spirits.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Information can tell us everything. It has all the answers. But they are answers to questions we have not asked, and which doubtless don’t even arise.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)