What are your chances of acceptance?
Your chance of acceptance
Duke University
Loading…
UCLA
Loading…
+ add school
Your chancing factors
Unweighted GPA: 3.7
1.0
4.0
SAT: 720 math
200
800
| 800 verbal
200
800

Extracurriculars

Low accuracy (4 of 18 factors)

To guess or not to guess on the SAT?

So, I'm prepping for the SAT, and I'm unsure if I should guess on questions I don't know the answer to. How risky is it? Could it hurt my score considerably?

5 months ago

Guessing on the SAT can actually be a good strategy if approached wisely. The SAT does not penalize you for wrong answers, which means there's no harm in taking a guess if you're unsure of the correct response. In fact, guessing on questions you don't know can potentially boost your overall score by giving you the chance to earn points for correct guesses.

To improve your odds of guessing correctly, first try eliminating any answer choices you know to be wrong. Doing so narrows down your options and increases the probability of selecting the correct answer. For example, if you can eliminate 2 out of the 4 answer choices, you'll have a 50% chance of guessing correctly.

In summary, guessing on the SAT will not hurt your score, so feel free to make an educated guess on questions you're uncertain about. Use the process of elimination to maximize your chances of guessing correctly, and remember to leave no questions unanswered since there's no penalty for incorrect guesses.

5 months ago

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.