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Guessing on the SAT is a tricky thing – you’re penalized for wrong answers, but don’t receive any points for guesses. Too many wrongs and your score may plummet, but too many blanks and your score will never increase.

So, what should you do? 

Guessing is a game of statistics and probability. Understanding and manipulating the scoring system ups the ante and increases your chances of making the right choice: blank or guess.

Each section of the SAT is scored out of 800 points. Students begin with 200 points, and work their way up the point-ladder to a perfect 800. For every correct answers, students move up one rung. For every blank, students remain where they are, and for every incorrect answer, students descend the ladder one quarter of a rung.

 Here’s the trick: Once a student is three quarters of the way up the ladder – at about a 550 – the whole guess versus skip becomes null and void.

The chances of a 550-level student answering every guess incorrectly are extremely slim. They’re strong enough test-takers to reach the 550-mark, so they’re strong enough test takers to answer a few questions they’re unsure about correctly – by sheer luck or by process of elimination.

So, before showing up to the actual exam, it’s important to know your performance level so that you can appropriately strategize.

More on SAT Scoring

The SAT is a beatable test!

Remember, you are in control.  Rely on the tips below to help you reach your testing potential!  More tips available at www.wilsonprep.com

General Tips

Chop away

This is a multiple choice test.  You won’t always be able to immediately pick out the correct answer.  However, you should be able to chop away at the wrong answers and whittle it down to the best choice.

Eliminate and guess

If you can eliminate two or more answers, take a chance and guess.  Probability is in your favor at this point.

Clear your mind

Don’t fall apart on the test.  If you think you’ve “bombed” a section, clear your mind, refocus, and move on to the next section with confidence.  Remember, there is an experimental section on the test that does not count.  You may have bombed this section!

Breathe Deeply

If you feel yourself getting anxious, take five deep breaths.  This will slow your heart rate and allow you to focus on the questions in front of you.  It helps to close your eyes during the deep breathing to truly block out the test for a moment and relax.

Leaving Blanks

Know when to leave blanks on this test!  In the 400-range: leave questions blank that you do not know the answer to.  In the 500-range: leave six or fewer blanks.  In the 600-range or higher: Absolutely no blanks!

Move on

This is a standardized, timed test.  Do not “get stuck” and waste time on one question that you may get wrong anyway when you could move on and get the next three questions correct.

Suck on candy

Studies have shown that students who suck on candy during an exam score higher than those who do not.  Bring some sucking candy to the test to help keep yourself awake and engaged.

No Mechanical Pencils

Although you can find #2 mechanical pencils, don’t bring them to the test.  They break, and you have to sit there clicking away waiting for the next piece of graphite.  You don’t need the added stress of mechanical pencils, so leave them at home. Plus, scantrons may not pick up the indentations of a mechanical pencil – don’t take that chance!

Bring Extras

You never know what to expect on the day of the test – so expect the worst!  Bring extra batteries for your calculator, extra pencils, extra erasers, an extra sweatshirt in case the room is cold, etc.  Be prepared!

Reading Section Tips

Bank your time

Don’t spend more than five minutes on sentence completions.  You should go through these quickly, like a machine, and spend most of your time on the reading comprehension questions.

Use the main idea

If you’ve narrowed down the answer to two or three choices, relate the answers back to the main idea.  Take a leap and choose the one that best fits with this main idea.

Don’t panic!

The readings can be confusing and overwhelming.  Don’t get sucked into the abyss of vocabulary words and nonsense!  If you find that you’re lost, don’t freak out.  Simply focus on the conclusion and get the main idea then tackle the questions.  Often, if the reading is exceptionally difficult to get through, the questions tend to be a bit easier.

Don’t be afraid of vocabulary

Just because you’re unsure of the definition of a word, don’t be afraid to pick it as the answer.  Use your ear – does the word sound like a good word or a bad word?  Rely on positives and negatives to get through the sentence completions quickly.

Writing Section Tips

Pick “No Error”

Don’t leave blanks on the grammar multiple-choice.  If you don’t see (or hear) a mistake, pick no error.  This is correct one in five times!

Rely on the keys

Remember, the SAT is setting traps!  Rely on the grammar keys to find the error and fix the sentences.  Being is bad!  Which is a witch!  It = vomit!

Jot an outline

Take a few minutes at the start of the essay to organize your thoughts.  Think LCHPS – which literary, current events, historical, personal or sports moments can you draw into this essay?

Math Section Tips

Use your calculator

Rely on your calculator to do the work!  Don’t miss questions because you’re making silly arithmetic mistakes in your head.

Grid-In!

Incorrectly answered grid-in questions do not result in any additional point deduction.  Therefore, it pays to grid-in something!

The PSAT is a milestone exam for most high school juniors (and some sophomores!).

Colleges DO NOT receive PSAT score reports.  Unless a student is competing for the National Merit Scholarship, in many ways, the PSAT is STRICTLY PRACTICE.  

However, it does have some predictive value – but take this with a  grain of salt.

Essentially, the exam is one half of a full-length SAT. There is no essay on the PSAT, only 2 reading sections, 2 math sections, and one grammar section. There is also no experimental section, the psychological mind-game section that students take during the SAT but is not scored. 

For these reasons, the PSAT can be misleading. Although it is formatted and scored like an SAT, results are often inflated. The 2.5 hours of PSAT testing that students endure is much less taxing than the 5 hours of SAT. Also, the essay (absent from the PSAT) may increase or decrease writing component scores depending on writing ability. And, the PSAT math questions are consistently easier than the SAT math questions.

We are not the bearers of bad news! The PSAT is indicative of strengths and weaknesses, but keep in mind that they are ball-park numbers.

The PSAT should be used as a preliminary assessment, to help formulate a game plan and to motivate students to attain goals.