To Guess or Not To Guess?
The last SAT of the school year is this weekend. Many of us, including myself, are dreading taking it YET AGAIN.
If you've been in the SAT loop for any amount of time, you know that there's a bit of debate as to whether we test-takers should or should not guess on the exam.
Here's my rule: If you have a strong hunch, go ahead and guess (especially if you can eliminate choices). BUT, it is a much better idea to leave it blank as long as you are not leaving more than 20 questions blank.
Here's why. The SAT is graded on a curve, so these are a number of projected scores possible for you. I circle the ones you're most likely to get.
Say you get 20 questions wrong, and leave 5 questions blank because leaving questions blank makes you feel stupid and may greatly bother your perfectionistic side. That is half of the Math section, so you're going to get a lower than average score. Ouch. Unfortunately for some of us (including myself), this is closest to reality for my SAT score.
However, say you face your fears of all white bubbles, leaving 15 questions blank and do a little hard thinking. This time, you only get 5 questions wrong! You still have nearly half of the Math section either wrong or blank, but look how much your score will have improved:
That is a 70 point increase. At the very least, it's a 50 pt increase. For many, this SAT is the last, desperate attempt to qualify for scholarships. Let the little bubbles go, let them be blank. It's okay, you can do it.
So the moral of that story is, children, guess away. However, it's better to leave them blank than to make your hardest guess and be wrong. The SAT puts answers in your test that look good with the intention of tripping you up. It's better to let blank bubbles be.
romaincrisis
jbbartram-illu
jacobvanloon
