Tackling Difficult Questions

Every FE candidate meets questions they can't immediately solve. The difference between passing and failing is often what you do in the next two minutes. Instead of staring at the screen, run this three-step routine.

Step 1: Eliminate

Multiple-choice options are rarely all equally plausible. Before doing any calculation, look for options you can cross out:

• Physically impossible values, such as a negative length, an efficiency above 100% or a factor of safety below zero.
• Options with the wrong units or the wrong order of magnitude.
• Two options that differ only by a common error, such as a factor of 2 or a radius-versus-diameter mix-up. One of them is often correct, and the others can go.
• Answers that contradict the physical behavior: if adding load should increase deflection, any option that decreases it is wrong.

Getting from four options to two doubles your odds even if you never finish the calculation.

Step 2: Estimate

You rarely need an exact answer to choose the right option. Round the inputs, simplify the geometry and work out an approximate result. If the remaining options are 12, 48, 120 and 480, an estimate of “about 100” is enough to decide.

Estimation also catches mistakes. If your full calculation gives an answer that is nowhere near your estimate, check your units and conversions before choosing.

Step 3: Move on

Set yourself a limit: about 3 minutes, or 5 for a question you know is calculation-heavy. If you hit it and you're still unsure, choose the best answer you have, flag the question and go to the next one. You can come back on your second pass, and you'll often find the solution comes easily with fresh eyes or after a later question reminds you of the method.

Never leave a flagged question blank. Always enter your best guess before moving on, in case you run out of time to return.

Why it works

Hard questions are worth the same as easy ones. Every minute spent fighting one question is a minute taken from questions you could have answered. The routine protects your time while still giving you a better-than-random chance on the hard ones.

Practise the routine

Like any exam habit, this needs practice. When you review a practice exam, look at the questions that took you longest and ask: could I have eliminated two options in the first 30 seconds? Would an estimate have been enough? Retesting yourself on new questions that cover the same concept, like our pseudo sets, is the fastest way to turn a hard question type into an easy one.