"FOR YEARS, THE SAT was scored in a manner that discouraged students from guessing. Omitted questions were not counted, and a quarter of a point was deducted for each wrong answer.
The College Board’s decision to eliminate the guessing penalty with its 2016 revision came as a relief to many. Guessing is a technique that most test-takers rely on at one point or another. It can help students earn additional points on the SAT and ACT, especially if they eliminate one or two wrong answer choices first.
Although wrong-answer penalties have been done away with on the SAT – and did not exist on the ACT – and guessing has proven benefits on both tests, myths about guessing as a test-taking strategy persist among high school students. Here are three common myths:
- Guessing is a sign of inadequate preparation.
- Guessing involves no real strategy.
- Guessing is akin to giving up." ...