Negative marking, sectional cut-offs and time management
35 min · Beginner
Negative marking means a wrong answer takes marks away, so every guess is a small bet. A little arithmetic tells you when the bet is worth taking, and a simple attempt plan makes sure the easy marks are never left on the table.
Topics in this lesson
- Expected value of a guess
- When eliminating options makes a guess worth it
- Sectional cut-offs
- The two-pass strategy
- Clock checkpoints at 25%, 50% and 75%
Interview questions this lesson answers
- How do you decide whether to guess a question with negative marking?
- Is a blind guess with -1/3 marking a good idea?
- What is a sectional cut-off, and how does it change your preparation?
- Explain your strategy for a 25-question, 30-minute section.
- Why attempt easy questions first instead of going in order?
- You are behind at the 50% checkpoint. What do you do?
- What is expected value, in simple words?
- What does +1/-0.33 marking usually mean?
- Why is the break-even chance penalty / (1 + penalty)?
- With no negative marking, should you leave any question blank?
Sign in free to continue this lesson
Create a free account to read every lesson, practise with the exercises and keep track of your progress.