Attempt Strategy for Chemistry Entrance Papers

The arithmetic of negative marking

Where a wrong answer is penalised, the decision to attempt a question is a calculation about expected marks, not a matter of courage.

The multi-pass method

First pass

Go through the entire paper answering only what you recognise and can finish quickly. Do not linger on anything. The purpose is to bank certain marks and to see the whole paper, which prevents the common disaster of running out of time before reaching easy questions at the end.

Second pass

Return to questions that need working but are clearly within reach. These are usually numericals requiring a few steps.

Third pass

Attempt questions where you can eliminate options on sound reasoning. This is where the judgement in the table above is applied.

Leave the rest

Questions where all options remain live are left blank. This requires discipline, because leaving a question unanswered feels like a loss — but the expected value is negative.

Time allocation

Divide the total time by the number of questions to get an average, then remember that the average is not a target for each question — some take seconds and some take minutes. What matters is not exceeding the average by much on any single question.

Set a limit per question and abandon anything that exceeds it, marking it for return. A question that has already consumed three times its share will usually consume more, and the marks lost elsewhere exceed anything gained by persisting.

Reading questions properly

• Read the entire question before starting, particularly the final clause, which often changes what is being asked.
• Note the units requested. A correct number in the wrong units scores nothing.
• Watch for negatives — "which is not", "which is least" — which reverse the answer entirely.
• Check what is given before assuming a standard value; the question may specify a different temperature or concentration.

Misreading is a large share of lost marks among well-prepared candidates, and it is the cheapest category to fix.

Practising the strategy

Attempt strategy cannot be adopted on the day. Under time pressure, people revert to whatever they have practised, so the multi-pass approach must be used in every mock paper until it is automatic.

Reviewing a mock should include not only which answers were wrong but which decisions were wrong — questions attempted that should have been left, and questions left that should have been attempted. That second category is invisible unless you look for it deliberately.

Frequently asked questions

Is it ever right to guess completely?

Only where there is no negative marking. With a penalty, a pure guess has negative expected value and should be left blank.

What if I finish early?

Recheck the questions you were least sure about, and verify units and signs on numericals. Do not change an answer without a specific reason — first instincts on questions you knew are usually right.

Should I attempt sections in order?

No. Start with your strongest section to bank marks and build confidence, unless the paper structure requires otherwise.

How many mocks are enough?

Enough that the strategy is automatic and that the error log has stopped revealing new categories of mistake. That is usually several, spread out rather than concentrated at the end.