The Red Seal Millwright Exam & Multiple Choice Question Strategies

Red Seal Millwright Exam

The Red Seal Millwright Exam is an important step for Canadian Millwrights. Certification improves job security, work prospects and wages. The Millwright exam employs challenging multiple-choice questions.  These question require practice and a plan to maximize results.

Millwright Exam Preparation Plan

First, determine what topics will be tested on the Red Seal Millwright Exam.  Then determine how much grading weight will be assigned to each topic. This information can be found on the Red Seal Canada Website (Click Here). A handy Study Plan with Summarized Topic Guide can found Here.

Next, identify the level of understanding for each topic.  This is best determined by answering Multiple Choice Questions. The questions should be in the same formats as the Red Seal Exam and include:

1. Recall
2. Identification
3. Procedural
4. Calculation
5. Diagnostic

Concentrated study should then be based on the results from the questions.  Ideally, learning material review should take place upon the review of question results.

Red Seal exam takers should be aware of important multiple choice question strategies. These strategies are intended to help with:

• Reading and Understanding the Question.

• Optimizing Answer Selection.

Multiple Choice Question Strategies

Step One: Read Carefully

It is important to be able to identify keywords and phrases.  They are important to the question/answer option meaning.

Qualifiers(Modifiers)
Conditions that make a question or answer options more specific.

Conditional Qualifiers
These words are used to make statements correct or incorrect. Examples include; usually, most, probably, frequently, often, generally, may, good, bad, sometimes, seldom, may, perhaps, rarely, probably, likely, could, might, should, few, many, some, etc. Answer options with conditional qualifiers are often correct.  They are good options if you cannot decide.

Absolute Qualifiers
Words that leave no room for exceptions to what is expressed in the question. Examples include; always, never, none, all, only, every, must, absolutely, every time, etc. Answer options with absolute qualifiers are often incorrect.

However, answer options that use absolutes with specific rules/laws/standards may be correct due to legal wording.

Negatives
Words or prefixes that reverse the meaning of a sentence.

• Common negative words include; no, not, none, neither, never, except, etc.
• Common negative prefixes include: un (unloaded bearing), non (non-return valve), in (indirect acting), im (imbalance), il (ill-fitting), dis (disengaged gear tooth).
• Double negative statements contain two negatives – one a word, the other a prefix. The two negatives cancel each other out to creating a positive statement. For example: The gears were not found to be disengaged – OR – The gears were engaged

Step Two: Focus on the Question

Cover the Answer Options.  Seeing options before reading the question can cause a misread of the question. Read the question, word by word.  Identify key terms to clarify the question before looking at the answer options.  Underline (if possible) the conditional qualifiers, absolute qualifiers and negatives.

Step Three: Formulate Your Own Answer

Before looking at the answer options, construct your own answer.  You will be more critical of answer options and less likely to second guess.  A good strategy is using a blank piece of paper to cover the answer options.

Step Four: Deciding on an Answer

Answer the Question!!
Good question writers create excellent answer options.  They may be factually true.  Just not for the question you are trying to answer. Verify that your answer selection satisfies the question.

Eliminate the obvious
Identify answer options that are wrong. Cross the option off if possible

Most Correct Option
Answer options can usually be narrowed to two. The remaining options are often both correct.  However, one will be more correct than the other.

All the Above Vs. None of the Above
These options are the same as qualifiers. They help narrow down the potential correct options.  DO NOT select “All the Above” if you are NOT 100% sure of all the options. DO NOT select “None of the Above” if you are NOT sure that all the options are wrong.

Look for Opposites
If two Answer Options are complete opposites, one of them is often the correct answer

Pay Attention to Detail
Correct answers need to clear and concise.  The Answer Option with the most detail (and the longest answer) is often the correct answer.