Seven ways to succeed in short-answer questions 

A complete answer will depend on both length and relevance. These questions often ask you to explain a concept, demonstrate a process, or calculate an equation. To improve your skills, try strategies that help you balance clarity and depth while staying focused on the question.  

1. Apply course concepts  

Short answer questions often test your ability to apply theories or practices —not just recall facts. Focus on how the question asks you to use what you've learned, and how it relates to what your instructor covered in class.  

2. Pay attention to the grade allocation and space provided.  

Depending on your discipline, a complete response may involve a lengthy paragraph or a detailed solution to an equation. You may be provided with a blank space roughly a quarter to half a page—make use of this space! One-word, one-sentence, or only the answer to the equation will not earn full marks.   

3. Follow instructional words carefully.  

“Identify”, “define”, “discuss”, “draw”, and “solve” are examples of instructional words in short answer questions. As you work on your answer, carefully consider what instruction word you were provided with and whether you’ve followed that instruction. If there are multiple instruction words in the same question, check off the applicable terms to ensure you've addressed each one.  

4. Stay focused

Whether your short answer question asks you to respond in paragraph form or through solving an equation, keep your answer focused on what the question is asking. Include only the ideas that are directly connected to the question.    

5. Show what you know and how you know it  

Providing the correct answer isn’t enough! Short answer questions often require you to show your work to demonstrate your understanding. If you’re working with formulas, each step can earn partial marks, so write clearly and neatly in the space provided or in the margins. If you’re working with concepts, use “signposts” like “as a result” or “this demonstrates” to show how individual ideas in your answer relate to one another.  

6. Go beyond the answer   

Depending on your discipline, you must explain your conclusion (so what) and its broader implications (now what).  Summarizing your answer to a conclusion, or by connecting to a broader concept, can help to round out your answer.