Love them or hate them, the fact is that MCQs – multiple choice questions – are going to be a key part of your legal exams. The new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) will test a broad range of legal knowledge through MCQs, which means that course providers are adapting their preparatory courses. BPP’s PGDL course includes a mix of MCQs alongside more traditional long-form questions.

An SQE-type MCQ will typically have a paragraph setting out the question, followed by 5 possible answers. It may be tempting to dive straight in and pick answer under time pressure – but don’t. Always take the time to think through every option.

Read more slowly

When the exam starts and you see the first question you’ll be desperate to get on with answering it – but make sure to take the time to read (and re-read) the question set. Force yourself to slow down! The question will be full of little details and hints which will guide you towards the right topic. Don’t make the mistake of skim-reading the question and rushing to choose your answer.

Pay attention to the details

In such a short question there is a reason why the examiner has included some particular detail. For example, if the question refers to a fictional character or client who is a member of a certain profession or a director of a certain type of company, that could be relevant to the duties that such person should have carried out.

But look out for red herrings!

Some answers to MCQs will seem very similar to others – and sometimes it can be hard to know which one to pick. Resist the temptation to try to second-guess what the examiner wants you to pick. Instead, check the question again and look for the tiny details – the “red herrings” – that are there to throw you off. This could be something as simple as a fact which is irrelevant to the legal case, or a particular date or person.

Pick the legal principle

Each MCQ will test one specific area of law. After you read the question, ask yourself what legal issue is being tested and what legal principle you need to know to answer the question. Hone in on that one legal principle – it will help you narrow your options when selecting the correct answer.

Think through each option

Always take the time to think through every option. If you’re unsure which answer is correct, it may instead help to look at the options the other way around – first discount the wrong answers. Look at each option and reason why it is wrong. That should leave you with one correct answer.

Check the time

Make sure you know how long you have to go through all your MCQs and how long you can spend on each MCQ. Don’t waste precious minutes getting stuck on one MCQ and risk running out of time to answer the others – move on to the next question!

Stick to your answer

Research on answering MCQs has shown that those who later revisit their initial answers are more likely to change their answers to the wrong answers than to change wrong answers back to correct answers. So, if you’ve already thought your answer through, resist the urge to go back and change your answers late in the exam – trust your instincts!

You can find out more about answering MCQs in our brand new PGDL Answered Core Guide, and we have more blogs on exam technique – take a look around our blog here.