guessing – PWN Test Prep

If you get 1/4 of a point deducted from your score if you answer a question incorrectly, is it worth it at the last few minutes of your test to fill in all of the questions with the same letter?

Posted: November 7, 2015

Here is a question that might be simple, though I am stuck on it:)
If you get 1/4 of a point deducted from your score if you answer a question incorrectly, is it worth it at the last few minutes of your test to fill in all of the questions with the same letter because the chances are that 1/4 of them will be right (especially if you can deduct some of the obvious wrong answers)? They tell you not to guess, but to me it seems like it is worth a shot since you will probably get at least 1/4 right.

Why Vince Vaughn wouldn’t be a great SAT tutor

Posted: February 20, 2012

I get asked about guessing on the SAT all the time. All the time. And I’ve written about guessing on this blog often enough that there’s a special label for those posts, so that you can always find them. But I wanted to give a quick tip to aspiring tutors who come to my site (more…)

Risk aversion and SAT guessing

Posted: November 28, 2011

I just listened to a Planet Money story that I wanted to share with you. It’s a 4:26 long discussion of risk aversion and how some experts see it distorting the American housing market. I’m not recommending it because I think you need to be thinking about the housing market, though. I’m posting this because (more…)

How to know whether you should guess on the SAT

Posted: June 8, 2011

Because there’s a penalty of ¼ raw score point for incorrect multiple choice responses on the SAT, many students experience extreme trepidation about guessing when they aren’t sure about an answer. I’ve stated my general advice on guessing before, but the truth is that while I almost always find that my students benefit slightly from (more…)

“When should I guess on the SAT?”

Posted: February 13, 2011

[highlight style=”yellow”]Note: This post is about the old SAT (pre-2016). The “new” SAT does not have a penalty for incorrect answers. [/highlight] In short: almost always. (Note: This is generalized advice; if it doesn’t sit well with you, read this.) I’ve encountered a lot of misinformation about the SAT in my travels, but the single subject (more…)