Should You Guess on the SAT or ACT? - The Olive Book Blog (2023)

We’ve all been there. It’s the middle of the test. You turn the page, read the next question and *record scratch* – you have no idea how to answer it. So what do you do? Should you guess on the SAT or ACT? And if so, what are the best guessing strategies for the SAT or ACT?

Should You Guess on the SAT or ACT?

If you’re between guessing and leaving a question blank, you should always guess. There is no penalty for guessing on the SAT or the ACT, so you have nothing to lose – and maybe even a point to gain!

Everything to Know About the ACT

Guessing is the Best Answer When…

Guessing should not be your go-to when taking the ACT or SAT, but sometimes it’s just necessary. If your choice is between spending too much time trying to solve a question you don’t understand and spending time on a question you actually know the answer to, it’s better to guess and move on to the question you know how to do. Here are a few situations you could encounter that would require you to guess your answer:

Reasons to Guess on the Math Section

Many students get stuck on math questions when they don’t know how to get started. If you’re drawing a blank, you may want to guess and move on. You can mark the problem to come back to later if you have time. Some other reasons you may need to guess:

  • You don’t know how to start solving the problem, maybe because:
    • You don’t recognize the type of problem
    • You can’t remember how to solve that type of problem
  • You solved the problem but your answer is not an answer choice
  • You attempted, but got stuck halfway through
  • You are running out of time to solve all the questions

Reasons to Guess on the English/Writing and Language Section

This section is similar to the math section because you have to know specific information to answer each question. You want to guess when:

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  • You don’t know how to start answering the question, maybe because:
    • You don’t recognize the type of error
    • You can’t recall what you need to know to decide what is correct/incorrect
    • You don’t even see an error
  • You’ve eliminated the choices down to two and don’t know which choice is better
  • You are running out of time to answer all the questions

Reasons to Guess on the Reading and Science Sections

These sections always come down to time! Are you running out of time to read the passage, not understanding the passage, or spending too much time in general looking and deciding which answer to select? You want to guess when:

  • You’ve eliminated the choices down to two but don’t know which choice is better
  • You don’t understand what the question is asking – thus you cannot eliminate any choices
  • If you had trouble understanding the passage, then inference questions or deeper understanding questions will be harder
  • You are tempted to re-read the passage.
    • You can return to a specific place in the passage and read to find an answer, but if you think you have to re-read the entire passage in order to answer one question, then you should guess.
  • You don’t understand the graph or table
  • You are running out of time to answer all the questions

Everything to Know About the SAT

How to Guess Strategically

If you make the decision to guess, there are a few strategies you can use to make the most of your answer. Your first step: eliminate any answers you can. Next:

Guessing Strategies for Math

  • Are you looking for a large or small number?
  • Compare the answer choices. You can eliminate outliers and narrow your guess to answers that look alike. For example, if the choices are A) 7, B) 13, C) -13 and D) 40, a good guess would be B or C.

Guessing Strategies for English/ Writing and Language

  • Just like with the math section, compare the answer choices. What makes them similar and different?Use this information to help you determine what the error is and how to correct it.
  • Eliminate any choices that introduce new errors
  • The shortest answer is often the correct answer–not always, but often.If you are stuck, the shortest answer makes a good guess.

Guessing Strategies for Reading

  • You just need to eliminate some of the answer choices.
    • Are you looking for a specific or a general answer?
    • Should the answer be positive, or negative? For example: “The author agrees…or The author disagrees…
  • Look for questions that refer you to a specific place in the passage. These questions can often be answered without reading the entire passage.

Guessing Strategies for Science

  • You just need to eliminate some of the answer choices.
    • Compare the answer choices and eliminate outliers.Are you looking for a large or small number? Or just whether the values are increasing or decreasing?
    • Do the answers have units?Use the units to help you locate which table/graph to use to find the answer.
    • Are you looking for a specific or a general answer?
    • Should the answer be positive, or negative? For example: “The author agrees…or The author disagrees…
  • Does the question give you a hint about where to find the answer: in a table, on a graph, in the research summary (text)?

Additional Strategies for Guessing

The moment you realize you don’t know where to start answering a question, you need to guess and move on. If guessing and moving on saves you time to answer a question you can actually get right, it’s worth it to move quickly even if if you guess incorrectly. So when you come across a question that stumps you, go through the strategies above, make a guess, and then quickly move on.

If guessing and moving on saves you time to answer a question you can actually get right, it’s worth it to move quickly even if you guess incorrectly.

Moving On is Key

“Moving on” is a key part of the guessing process. We’ve had students get stumped by a question – especially towards the beginning of a section – and really let it haunt them for the rest of the section. They’re totally thrown off, their confidence is shaken, and they can’t let the question go!

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To avoid this, prepare yourself to guess before you take the test. Use the strategies above in your practice the week before the test, and mentally prepare yourself to guess on a few questions. Come test day, guessing will be just another one of the strategies in your test-day tool belt!

Prepare yourself to guessbeforeyou take the test. Use the strategies above in your practice the week before the test, and mentally prepare yourself to guess on a few questions. Come test day, guessing will be just another one of the strategies in your test-day tool belt!

And on test day, let the end of each section be a closed book. Don’t fret about the questions you guessed on. What’s done is done! You get a good score by being present and calm.

Guess Less by Studying Smarter

Ok, but the whole goal of studying for the SAT or ACT is to guess less, right? You want to be so confident in the material that you barely need to guess at all!

Get there with Olive Book’s ACT and SAT study courses. Each course is online, self-paced, and covers every section of the test through practice questions, videos, and study guides. You can check it out and enroll at www.olive-book.com!

Get a better score. Get into a better school.

Olive Book’s free online ACT and SAT courses are all you need to boost your score. Check them out:

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FAQs

Should I guess on SAT or ACT? ›

You should guess when you don't know the answer, when you're running out of time, or when the question is going to take way more time than it's worth. We're going to help you guess strategically so that you can maximize your points—even when you don't have all the answers.

Is it better to skip or guess on the ACT? ›

There is no penalty for guessing on the ACT. Never, ever, ever, leave any answers blank. You have a 25% chance of getting the question right if you guess. So at the very least, always guess!

Should you randomly guess on SAT? ›

If you've ever taken a standardized test—like the SAT, ACT, or PSAT—you've probably encountered some questions that you didn't know how to answer. When this happens, you should always guess, even if you have no idea which choice is correct.

What is the best answer to guess on the SAT? ›

Because there is now no guessing penalty, it's always in your best interest to guess. Remember, a blank answer is always “wrong," but a guessed answer always has a chance to be correct. Some people may believe that guessing on the SAT shows a student's lack of preparation or strategy or that they've given up.

Do colleges look more at ACT or SAT scores? ›

Both ACT and SAT scores are used for college admissions decisions and awarding merit-based scholarships. Most colleges do not prefer one test over the other.

Is C the most common answer on SAT? ›

Every answer choice on the SAT will have a statistically even distribution of 1 in 4 for each answer choice letter, A, B, C, or D. In other words? There is no most common answer on the SAT. Ultimately, guessing C (or any letter!) will give you the correct answer only a statistical 25% of the time.

Will a 27 on the ACT get you scholarships? ›

Some scholarships don't even require one specific score, but rather one within a given range. At a minimum, an ACT score of 25 should qualify you for lower-level scholarship money. However, as the amount increases, scholarships become more competitive and the score ranges increase.

What is the best guess on a multiple choice test? ›

Eliminate the highest and lowest options. Certain questions have answers that are closely related or almost identical, except for one detail. This should be your clue to choose one of the two similar answers. The similar choices cannot both be correct, but either of them may be the correct answer.

What is the best guessing strategy for multiple choice? ›

Guessing Strategies

Try to make an educated guess. Always use the process of elimination as a first step. Use the wording of the question or answer as a clue to eliminate possibilities. Choose the most precise answer.

Is C the most common answer on tests? ›

Remember, the expected likelihood of each option being correct is 25%. And on tests with five choices (say, A, B, C, D, and E), E was the most commonly correct answer (23%). C was the least (17%).

Does retaking the ACT improve your score? ›

As referenced earlier, retesting at least once is associated with increases in average Composite scores when comparing first and second test instances.

Is it better to leave a question unanswered on the SAT? ›

You may be happy to learn that wrong answers won't count against you on either the ACT or SAT. Students will be awarded points for each correct answer with no points taken away for any incorrect ones. This is why never leaving an answer blank on your test is so important.

What is the best letter to guess on a test? ›

Most people (and tutors) tell students that, if they have no idea on a question, to just guess answer choice “C” — the middle answer on most multiple choice tests.

How do I outsmart the SAT? ›

Below, we break down nine ways to prepare for the SAT, with advice from test-prep experts.
  1. Create an SAT Study Schedule. ...
  2. Use Quality Prep Materials. ...
  3. Increase Your Reading Speed. ...
  4. Target the Mistakes You Can Control. ...
  5. Come to Test Day Prepared. ...
  6. Answer the Questions You Know First. ...
  7. Eliminate Incorrect Answers.

How many questions can I miss on the SAT to get a perfect score? ›

You can find official SAT practice tests and their scoring tables at the College Board. As you can see with the above SAT scoring chart, it's possible to get some questions wrong and still earn the max SAT score. Generally speaking, you can miss 1-2 questions on each section and still get a perfect 1600.

Do colleges really care about ACT? ›

In a word, no. Colleges say that they do not act preferentially to those who took the ACT versus the SAT. Those interviewed for the NY Times spread said that both tests are good predictors of college performance.

Do colleges actually care for SATS? ›

SAT scores help colleges compare students from different high schools. Your scores show your strengths and readiness for college work. But remember standardized test scores are just one part of your college application, along with grades, course rigor, and recommendations.

Do colleges actually care about ACT scores? ›

The short answer: No. All colleges that consider test scores in 2023 accept both the ACT and SAT for admissions and don't discriminate based on which test applicants take. The biggest reason why you might think a college prefers one test is that a college typically receives more of one test than the other.

What is the hardest SAT section? ›

Some find the math portion much harder than the writing or reading portions, and vice versa. The hardest part to improve upon is probably the Critical Reading section, only because it involves more deeply ingrained, long-term bad habits that need to be broken before you can excel.

What is the easiest SAT? ›

Myth: The March SAT® is the easiest SAT test date. Fact: There's no such thing as “the easiest SAT test date.” While it's true that some versions of the SAT are easier than others, it's false that some test dates are predictably easier than others.

What ACT score gives you a full ride? ›

Overall, my research so far has been surprising in that there are a few schools that will offer full-tuition scholarships starting in the 22 – 25 ACT range, but most full-ride scholarships require a 28 ACT or higher.

Can you get a full ride with a 28 ACT score? ›

A 28 ACT score makes you eligible for merit scholarships, as well as merit aid from potential colleges and universities. Make sure to also apply for scholarships based on your location, extracurriculars, life circumstances, passions, future majors, and more!

What SAT score will get you a full ride? ›

So you're probably wondering, What's a good SAT score for scholarships, and how can I find them? The short answer is that you should aim for an SAT score between 1200 and 1600 if you want to secure some scholarships based on merit–and the higher within that range you score the more money you're looking at.

How do you outsmart a multiple choice test? ›

How to ace multiple choice tests
  1. Read very carefully. Take the time to carefully read each question and answer choice. ...
  2. Come up with your own answer. ...
  3. Look for common types of wrong answers. ...
  4. Eliminate answers in two rounds. ...
  5. Do not obsess over your choices. ...
  6. Manage your time. ...
  7. Answer every question.
Nov 15, 2022

What is the most common multiple choice answer on ACT? ›

The idea that C is the best answer to choose when guess-answering a question on a multiple choice test rests on the premise that ACT answer choices are not truly randomized. In other words, the implication is that answer choice C is correct more often than any other answer choice.

What is the best answer choice to guess on the ACT? ›

For those guessing on only a few of the last ten questions, A/F would be the better option. The Safe Bet: Answer choice E/K is the safest choice because it, so far, has always had one correct answer. In fact, E/K has met or exceeded the expected average 82% of the time, making it the most consistent answer choice.

What are the odds of passing a test by guessing? ›

The basic idea behind this advice was that if you left a question blank then you had no chance of getting the question right. However, if you made a guess then you had a 25% chance of answering the question correctly.

How hard is it to get a 36 on the ACT? ›

How Many People Get a 36 on the ACT? Getting a perfect ACT score is a pretty rare feat. The number of students in 2020 who scored a full 36 was 5,579 out of over 1.6 million — or about 0.33% of test-takers.

Which test format is the most prone to guessing? ›

Objective exams encourage guessing more so than essay exams. ?

Why choose C if you don't know the answer? ›

On multiple choice tests, why is it always encouraged to choose option "C" if you don't know the answer? Tests are often constructed so that one option is more attractive to someone who doesn't know the answer but guesses.

Should I retake ACT with a 27? ›

Should I Retake the ACT with a 27 Score? Since your ACT score is in tip-top shape to be competitive at most colleges you'd apply to, it may be more beneficial to focus on the other aspects of your college application, such as your GPA, extracurriculars, and personal statement, rather than retaking the ACT.

Should I retake ACT with 34? ›

Should I Retake the ACT with a 34 Score? There's no need to retake the ACT with a score of 34. A 34 makes you eligible and competitive for all colleges and universities, which is the goal! For juniors, remember that most colleges weigh ACT scores and GPA about equally.

Should I retake ACT with a 29? ›

There's no pressing need to retake the ACT with a score of 29, unless your ideal school would like to see a higher score. The only schools that require a score higher than 29 are typically very competitive, making them difficult to gain admittance to, even for qualified students.

Why shouldn't you take the SAT more than 3 times? ›

The SAT does not place any limits on how many times a student can sit for the exam and students can superscore their best sections or choose which test scores to include in college applications, so there are many benefits to taking the SAT multiple times if needed.

How many questions does the average person get wrong on the SAT? ›

For Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, you can skip/answer incorrectly on average 9 questions on the writing portion and 12 questions on the reading portion. For Math, you can skip/answer incorrectly on average 17 questions between the calculator and no-calculator sections.

At what point should I not retake the SAT? ›

Don't Retake the SAT More Than 3 Times

Take the test more than 3 times and admissions officers will start to think twice about your abilities. Even if you do well, some will view you as a score-obsessed student with nothing better to do.

What is the most common SAT answer choice? ›

Sometimes it seems like “C”—or its equivalent, “H”—is the most common answer choice, but this is merely a myth. In fact, the answer choice orders on the ACT and SAT are generated by a computer and are entirely random.

What is a good method for guessing? ›

Look for patterns in true or false questions, and go with false if a question includes absolutes, such as "all" or "none." When guessing on multiple choice questions, use processes of elimination, look for grammatical clues and, when in doubt, go with the most detailed choice.

How long should I study for the SAT a day? ›

We recommend you spend 6–20 hours preparing for your first SAT. Make sure you reserve enough time to take at least one full-length practice test (about 4 hours if you practice the essay as well), and give yourself time to review the concepts you're struggling with.

What is the fastest way to improve your SAT score? ›

The best way to improve your score is to use Official SAT Practice, offered through a partnership between College Board and Khan Academy. Official SAT Practice makes your practice time more efficient by giving you personalized, targeted practice based on your SAT score report.

How Do I Stop overthinking on the SAT? ›

In addition, if you start to get anxious during the test, simply stop and take ONE DEEP BREATH while grounding your feet. Over time, this simple practice will become your automatic "reset" button for dissolving anxiety and thinking clearly, calmly, and accurately.

Is a 1600 SAT better than a 1570? ›

In the eyes of an admissions committee, a 1560, 1570, 1580, 1590 and 1600 are the same thing. They indicate an excellent student who can perform well on the SAT.

How hard is it to get a 1600 SAT? ›

A 1600 is only achieved by around 300 test takers per year and makes you eligible and highly competitive for admission at every college. Looking at this from another angle, a 1600 SAT score is in the 99nth percentile, which means you scored higher than 99% of all other 2 million+ test takers.

Is a 1200 Easy on SAT? ›

Utilizing a scoring scale of 400 to 1600, the SAT's best possible result is a 1600. A score of 1200 demonstrates an above average performance and shows that you answered a majority of the questions on the standardized test correctly.

Is it harder to get a perfect score on the SAT or ACT? ›

Section Summary: Neither the SAT nor the ACT is harder than the other – but each test benefits a different type of student. It's essential that you figure out which test is best suited for you, so that you can achieve the highest scores possible.

What is the most common answer on multiple choice test? ›

Remember, the expected likelihood of each option being correct is 25%. And on tests with five choices (say, A, B, C, D, and E), E was the most commonly correct answer (23%). C was the least (17%).

Is there a penalty for guessing on the SAT? ›

Most of the questions are multiple choice, though some of the math questions ask you to write in the answer rather than select it. On all questions, there's no penalty for guessing: if you're not sure of the answer, it's better to guess than leave the response blank.

How rare is a 1600 SAT? ›

A 1600 is only achieved by around 300 test takers per year and makes you eligible and highly competitive for admission at every college. Looking at this from another angle, a 1600 SAT score is in the 99nth percentile, which means you scored higher than 99% of all other 2 million+ test takers.

Will a 36 ACT get you into Harvard? ›

The middle 50% of Harvard's class of 2025 earned SAT scores of 1480-1580 and ACT scores of 33-36. Any score in the middle 50% is good, however, the higher in the range you score, the better your odds of admission are.

Who is the girl with a 1550 SAT score? ›

Kaitlyn Younger, 18, has been an academic standout since she started studying algebra in third grade. She scored 1550 on her SATs as a junior and will graduate this spring with an unweighted 3.95 grade-point average and as the founder of her school's accounting club.

What are the chances of getting a 36 on the ACT by guessing? ›

Unsurprisingly, a full 36 is the rarest score of all—just 0.313% of all test takers earned a perfect ACT score.
...
How Many Test Takers Get Top 1% ACT Scores?
ACT Score# of StudentsPercentage of All Test Takers
364,0550.313%
3511,9830.925%
3415,8751.226%
3318,4241.422%
Nov 25, 2021

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