SAT Calculator Strategies • Lesson 4 of 4

Smart Guessing

There is no penalty for a wrong answer — so never leave anything blank.

The SAT does not subtract for wrong answers, so a blank is strictly worse than a guess. When you are stuck or out of time, guess smartly: remove every choice you can prove impossible, then pick from what is left. Even removing one option lifts your odds.

Eliminating impossible answer choices before guessingEliminate, then guessA)−5negativeB)0.5C)12D)900too bigTwo impossible choices gone → a guess is now 50/50.
Cross out the impossible, then commit to a guess.

What makes a choice killable

  1. Wrong sign — the answer must be positive but the choice is negative.Eliminate it.
  2. Wrong size — a part bigger than the whole, or a discount above the original price.Eliminate it.
  3. Breaks a stated condition — “x is an integer” but the choice is 2.5.Eliminate it.
💡
On grid-ins there are no choices to eliminate — so always enter your best computed value. A blank grid-in scores zero for certain; an attempt might be right.
← Verification Strategies Try a full-length mock →