Study Methods for Multiple-Choice Questions Taught by a Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist, Real Estate Notary, and Financial Planner | Mastering Exams from the Perspective of a Question Creator

In addition to the Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist exam, I have taken several other exams where multiple-choice questions are the main component, such as the Real Estate Notary, Rental Real Estate Business Management, and FP Level 2 exams.
I passed all of them on my first attempt.

Actually, I think to myself, 'I might be quite good at multiple-choice questions.'
There is no evidence for this. It is purely my own self-assessment.

However, there was a trigger that made me think this way.
It was a column by a psychologist that I read when I was in high school.

In this article, I have summarized the 'perspective for studying multiple-choice questions' that I gained from that column, as well as the points I actually look for when solving problems.

I hope this will be helpful for those who feel like they are 'just solving multiple-choice questions aimlessly' or 'not seeing their scores improve despite memorizing.'

The trigger that changed my way of thinking about multiple-choice questions

When I was a high school student, I was interested in psychology.
At that time, I often read books written by a certain psychologist that contained many puzzles and quizzes.

In one of them, there was an episode about when the author served as an exam proctor.
It was a story about when they were assigned to proctor an exam that had absolutely nothing to do with their specialty.

They couldn't read books while proctoring, so they were just incredibly bored.
So, the author decided to try solving the distributed exam questions to kill time.

Of course, since it was an exam outside their field, they couldn't solve it normally.
But when looking at the options, the 'way of creating errors' became visible.

'How are they trying to make me choose the wrong answer with this option?'
'Are they trying to trick me with similar terms, or have they changed the numbers?'
'Where does it differ from the correct option?'

They analyzed the options from the position of the question creator in that way.

The column didn't mention what the final answer was or if the analysis was correct. However,the idea that 'multiple-choice questions have characteristics in how incorrect options are created'made strange sense to me.

Since then, I have alsostarted focusing on 'incorrect options' when studying for multiple-choice questions.

Studying for multiple-choice questions: 'Find the error' rather than 'Find the correct answer'

When studying for multiple-choice questions, don't most people try to find 'which one is the correct answer'?

Of course, that is not wrong.
However, when thinking from the perspective of the person creating the questions, the essence of multiple-choice questions looks a bit different.

Let's think about how multiple-choice questions are created here.
I have never created exam questions, so this is just my imagination.

First, you create one option that will be the correct answer.
Then, you create three (or four) 'incorrect options' that resemble it.

In other words, isn't the thing the question creator spends the most effort on 'how to create the incorrect options'?

How can I make them hesitate?
What can I change to make it a 'plausible error'?
Similar terms, subtly different numbers, the presence or absence of exceptions...

Incorrect options are packed with the creator's 'trick points'.

And I realized that there are patterns in how errors are created.

Don't look for the correct answer; look to identify the error.
When you think this way, your perspective on multiple-choice questions changes completely.

Since the actual exam is a race against time, I think it's fine to use a 'find the correct answer' approach.
However, if you keep the mindset of 'identifying errors' during your study phase, you should start to see the patterns of errors.

Points I look at when solving multiple-choice questions

For example, these are the points I am conscious of when looking at options.

1. Doubt the numbers
   Numbers like 'within 3 years' or '500,000 yen or less' are easy to change.

2. Look at the subject and object
   If the 'who' or 'to whom' is different, it's an error even if the content is correct.

3. Be aware of exceptions
   Even if the general rule is correct, it can be an error if there is an exception.

4. Doubt similar terms
   Such as 'cancellation' versus 'revocation'.

5. Doubt strong definitive expressions
   Words like 'always,' 'absolutely,' or 'under no circumstances' are potential indicators of an error.

6. Read the first and second halves of the sentence separately
   Even if the first half is correct, an error might be mixed into the second half.

Honestly, I study intuitively.
I can't explicitly say 'you should do this,' but these are the points my eyes naturally gravitate toward when solving problems.

Furthermore, I believe the most important thing in studying multiple-choice questions is to review the questions you got right as well.

When you get a question right, you tend to want to move on, thinking, 'Great, next!'
But you should stop here and check, 'Why are the other options incorrect?'

• Where is this option incorrect?

• How is it trying to trick me?

• What is different from the correct option?

By looking at these, the patterns of errors will become ingrained in your mind.

Conversely, getting a question wrong isn't always just due to a lack of knowledge.
If the cause was 'failing to notice a trick,' make a note of it.

The next time a similar trick appears, you will be able to realize, 'Oh, I've been caught by this one before.'
As the exam approached, I used to write down all the points I got wrong directly into my textbook.

Thinking of multiple-choice questions as a 'spot the error' game can be a bit fun.

Everything I have written here is not magic.

I don't think your score will suddenly skyrocket just because you adopt this perspective, nor will it allow you to solve questions without any knowledge.

However, there is a sense that multiple-choice questions change from a 'memorization game' to a 'spot the error game'.

'Where is the error in this option?'
'Oh, the number here is different.'
'The subjects have been swapped.'
'It's ignoring the exception.'

In this way, finding patterns of errors starts to become a little fun. As you repeat this, you should start to see the habits of the question writers.

The next time you solve a problem, please try thinking just once about 'how this error was created.'
I would be happy if this perspective serves as a hint for those who struggle with multiple-choice questions.

Thank you very much for reading until the end.

I will continue to update my study experience for the Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist exam in my note magazine 'Study Records for Passing the Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist Exam'.

I would appreciate it if you could 'like' and follow me!