Should You Guess on the SAT 6 Guessing Strategies

Should You Guess on the SAT 6 Guessing Strategies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It can be hard to know when to guess on the SAT, especially since the recent overhaul has changed for the test is scored.But the truth is more straightforward than you might expect! Read on to find out whether you should guess on the SAT and what you can do to maximize the number of correct answers you end up with from guessing. Should You Guess on the New SAT? The SAT used to have a guessing penalty of a quarter of a point per incorrect answer. This made the question of whether you should guess on the test much more complex.Depending on how many answers you could eliminate, it might have been a good or bad idea to guess within the remaining choices.Guessing incorrectly on four questions would lead to a loss of a full point in your raw score whereas if you left them blank, you wouldn’t have any points subtracted. With the new version of the test, this guessing penalty is gone!This means that the answer to the question in the heading of this section is yes. You should answer every multiple-choice question on the new SAT, even if you have to guess.If you get all of them wrong (which is unlikely), you won’t be any worse off than if you didn’t bother to answer. This will come as a relief to many students, but you should still be cautious about guessing unless you’re almost out of time and are forced to fill in random bubbles.Don’t resort to blind guessing too quickly when you get frustrated with a question just because you know you won’t lose points; you’ll end up selling yourself short.The next section will give you strategies for smart guessing on each part of the test. Blind guesses: usually not the best option. Strategies for Making Educated Guesses Here are some strategies that will help you to avoid guessing randomly and increase your likelihood of choosing the right answer. Reading #1: Listen to Logic The SAT Reading section includes challenging passages that come from real scientific and historical writings. This means that the answers to questions about details in the passage should align with your ideas of what makes sense for the topic. Here's an example of a question that asks about an adapted excerpt from Elizabeth Cady Stanton's address to a Women's Suffrage Convention in 1869: If you're trying to guess on this question, you can eliminate some answers even if you only know the bare minimum about the content of the passage and US history as a whole. Choice A doesn't really make sense because the problem that Stanton is fighting against is long-term control of society by men. She probably wouldn't argue that "the control of society by men" was a recent development at all. Choice B also seems incorrect for larger reasons. It's unlikely that anyone would claim that the spread of war and injustice was a recent historical development at that time in history. Choice C doesn't make sense because women, not men, had traditionally dominated domestic life. This was especially true at the time that Stanton was speaking. Choice D is the answer that seems most plausible if we look at the question logically. Only recently had women begun to be appreciated as human beings on an equal intellectual footing with men (although still to a limited degree obviously, since we didn't get the right to vote until 1920...sigh). This strategy only works for some questions, but it shows how you can sometimes guess without reading the passage and still come up with a likely answer. Keep your wits about you. If something doesn't make logical sense to you, you should listen to that feeling. #2: Use â€Å"Find the Evidence† Questions An interesting development forthe Reading section on the new SATis the introduction of â€Å"find the evidence† questions.These questions will ask you to choose a quote from the passage that best supports your answer to the previous reading question.Although this could be dangerous because getting one wrong might also mean getting the other wrong, it might actually help to ground you in your decision about the most valid answer to the original question. Here’s a pair of questions from a new SAT practice test that illustrates my point.For context, in the passage Akira is a young Japanese man who is meeting a woman named Chie to ask for her daughter Naomi's hand in marriage before he accepts a job in America. Let’s say you aren’t sure about the answer to question 9. You think there are a couple of different possibilities, and none of the answers seems totally out of the question.You can check the evidence listed in question 10 for hints that might give away the answer to question 9.One of those lines must provide direct evidence for the answer. The lines for each choice in question 10 read: A. â€Å"I don’t want to trouble you.†B. â€Å"Normally I would approach you more properly, but I’ve received word of a position. I’ve an opportunity to go to America, as a dentist for Seattle’s Japanese community.†C. â€Å"Depending on your response, I may stay in Japan.†D. â€Å"I see I’ve startled you.† Now, let's look back at question 9 and evaluate the choices. There’s nothing about the speaker’s parents in the evidence, so we can cross off A.There’s also nothing about Akira's fears of Naomi’s rejection, so B is a no-go as well.There is clearly some evidence for C in choice B on question 10, so we can keep that one.There doesn’t seem to be clear evidence for D either; although the statement is true, it’s not the reason the speaker feels this is a matter of urgency, and it’s not explicitly mentioned in the quotes for Question 10. We can conclude that the answers to these questions are C and B respectively. If you use "find the evidence" questions wisely, you can go from taking a blind guess on two questions to feeling relatively confident in your answers to both. Crap, this question reminded me that I really should go to the dentist. Or even get to the point where I have an adult dentist (a dentist that treats adults, that is. My dentist isn't a child, I just happen to like putting Play-Doh in my teeth and pretending it's real fillings). Writing #3: Choose the Shortest Answer In the Writing section, the right answer is usually the one that's the most clear and straightforward.If you can’t decide between a couple of different choices and they both seem like they could be correct, pick the one that has the least number of words in it.Here’s an example: Typically, the ice sheet begins to show evidence of thawing in late summer. This follows several weeks of higher temperatures. In this case, A is the correct answer because it allows for a combination of the two sentences without including any superfluous or repetitive words.This doesn’t work for every question, but if you have to resort to guessing, it’s a good rule of thumb to follow. #4: Read Back Your Options Again This may seem obvious, but if you’ve narrowed down your choices to a couple of options, it doesn’t hurt to read them back to yourself again in the context of the passage.Even if you don’t know the grammar rules, reading things back in your head may clue you into answers that feel â€Å"off.†If you read a sentence like this under non-test conditions, would it sound right? Or would you think it was weird? There’s a tendency to twist perception to feed doubts you have about eliminating odd-sounding choices because of the pressure involved on the SAT.If you make an effort to be more objective and think of the question apart from the stressful context of the test, incorrect choices may become obvious. Don't get it twisted. Math #5: Plug It In If you think you’ll have to resort to guessing on a math problem that involves solving an equation, and you aren’t too short on time, you can try plugging in all the possible answers.You have a good chance of answering correctly if you do this, even if you had no idea how to solve the problem originally.This is a case where putting in just a little extra effort into your guess can reap some serious rewards. #6: Use the Visuals The math section includes many diagrams that illustrate the scenario described in the problem.If you’re not sure how to solve a math problem, and it has an accompanying visual element, you should make a logical guess based on the visual.Here’s an example (from a sample practice test for the new SAT) of what I mean: By looking at the diagram, you can tell that there’s only one answer that makes sense even if you don't know how to solve the question. Angle 2 is clearly larger than a right angle, so it must have an angle measurement greater than 90 degrees. This means that the first three answers are all too small to be a good fit based on what we can see in the diagram.The answer has to be D, 145 degrees! Extra-Special Bonus Section: Guessing on Non-Multiple Choice Questions There's also no penalty for incorrect answers on grid-in Math questions.You either get one point for a correct answer or no points for a blank or incorrect answer. Guess if you think you might have a shot at the right answer. Even if you don't feel confident, you have nothing to lose. I want to emphasize what makes these questions different from multiple choice on the guessing front. The grid-ins are the only questions where you shouldn't guess if you have absolutely no idea what the answer is. It’s a waste of time to fill in those bubbles at random because the chances of getting the correct answer that way are astronomically low. It's like rolling dice, but with way more sides than the number that regular dice have. Conclusion You should answer every multiple choice question on the SAT because there’s no guessing penalty! However, you also need to be meticulous in your guessing strategy so that you’re not just filling in bubbles at random.If you want your guessing success rate to be higher than it would be through pure chance, you should follow the tips I’ve given you in this article. To Review: Reading 1. Eliminate choices without direct evidence 2. Use find the evidence questions as anchors Writing 3. Choose the shortest answer 4. Read the choices back to yourself objectively Math 5. Plug in the answer choice 6. Use the visuals Special Note on Grid-Ins Guess if you think you might know it, leave it blank if you have no clue! With a little bit of extra thought on the new SAT, you can turn your blind guesses into answers that make you feel pretty confident. What's Next? If you're not sure how to prepare for the new SAT, check out this article for some study tips! Since the new SAT is out of 1600 instead of 2400, you might not have a good idea of what your target score should be. Find out how to calculate a good goal for yourself here. It's possible that the ACT will be a better standardized testing choice for you than the new SAT. Learn more about which test aligns more favorably with your strengths and weaknesses. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by SAT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

ACT Comparison - PrepScholar 2016 Students Encyclopedia

SAT / ACT Comparison - PrepScholar 2016 Students' Encyclopedia SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Colleges that require the SAT or ACT as part of their application procedures accept either test equally. Both the SAT and ACT are meant to measure academic ability and college readiness, but they differ in format, content, and overall structure. Note: this article is a series in the PrepScholar2016 Students' Encyclopedia, a free students' and parents' SAT / ACT guide that provides encyclopedic knowledge. Read all the articles here! Historically, students who lived on the East and West coasts tended to take the SAT and students in the Midwest took the ACT. Now the number of students who take these tests is approximately equal, with the number of ACT test-takers surpassing that of SAT test-takers for the first time in 20. Since colleges consider both tests to have equal validity, students benefit from choosing the one on which they can gain the stronger score. To determine which test better suits their abilities and test-taking styles, students can familiarize themselves with the differences between the SAT and ACT. Additionally, students can take official practice tests and use them to predict their probable score range. Differences in Format The SAT has three main sections, Critical Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. These sections are divided into 10 subsections, which are interspersed in various order between test administrations. Each subsection is 10, 20, or 25 minutes long. There aretwo 25 minute sections and one 20 minute section in SAT Critical Reading. There aretwo 25 minute sections and one 20 minute section in SAT Math. There isone 25 minute section for the essay and one 25 minute and one 10 minute section ofmultiple choice in SAT Writing. There is one 25 minute SAT experimental section. This section is unscored and could be Critical Reading, Mathematics, or Writing. The SAT consists of a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes, plus additional time for instructions and three 5 minute breaks. While the SAT is divided into tensubsections, the ACT tests its four subjects in four long sections. Once a section is complete, students will not return to it during the test. The ACT has four main sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. Students may also choose to take an optional 30 minute essay. While the order of SAT sections is unpredictable, ACT sections are always presented in this order, with the optional essay given at the end of the test. The sections are timed as follows: ACT English is 45 minutes. ACT Mathematics is 60 minutes. ACT Reading is 35 minutes. ACT Science is 35 minutes. The optional essay is 30 minutes. Unlike the SAT, there is no experimental section on the ACT. It comprises2 hours and 55 minutes, or 3 hours and 25 minutes with the essay. While the multiple choice questions on the SAT have five options and a 0.25 point deduction for wrong answers, ACT questions have four answer choices and no penalty for incorrect responses. For students deciding between the SAT and ACT, the above mentioned differences in format may be important factors in their choice. Students who prefer to focus on one subject at a time may benefit fromthe structure of the ACT, while those who feel energized switching between topics may prefer the experience of taking the SAT. Since anxiety is common around these admissionstests, students mayalso consider which exam structure helps relieve their stress. Some may prefer to divide the test into shorter sections that are finished in less time, as on the SAT. Others may benefit from the predictable nature of the ACT and dislike the variables, such as order of passages and the experimental section, that are part of the SAT. Both the SAT and ACTare similar in that they are strictly timed. Students may not return to a section afterthe allotted time has come to an end. The following information suggests a general amount of time per question. However, the actual time given to each question likely varies by each question's difficulty level, with easy questions taking less time and difficult questions requiring more. SAT Critical Reading: 54 seconds per question SAT Math: 67 seconds per question SAT Writing: 43 seconds per question ACT English: 36 seconds per question ACT Math: 60 seconds per question ACT Reading: 53 seconds per question ACT Science: 53 seconds per question Students typically report havingmore difficulty with timing on the ACT. Students who struggle to answer questions at a fast pace may perform better on the SAT. Since the ACT features four long sections, students have reported that they have a difficult timerecovering if they encounter time management problemswithin a particular section.Timing and pacing are additional considerations for students when determining the suitability of the SAT and ACT for their college planning. Differences in Content and Skills Both the SAT and ACT purport to measure the skills of problem solving and literacy needed for college level courses, but they do so in different ways. The SAT has three main sections, the Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing, while the ACT has four: Reading, Mathematics, English, and Science. The SAT Critical Reading is comparable to the ACT Reading, SAT Math is similar to ACT Math, and SAT Writing is analogous to ACT English. The ACT Science section is unique and has no counterpart onthe SAT. While the aforementioned sections test similar skills, they have key differences in content and question types. By familiarizing themselves with these differences, students can further determine the fitof each test withtheir testing style and academic goals. SAT Critical Reading and ACT Reading Comparison Both the SAT Critical Reading and ACT Reading sections test students' reading comprehension and understanding of vocabulary. Both sections feature passage-based questions that ask students to analyze prose, make inferences, interpret details, glean the meaning of vocabulary in context, and determine author tone and perspective. Preparation for these sections includes review of literary terms, like theme, symbol, and simile, and practice with skimming text for key information and details. The main difference between the SAT and ACT in their reading sections is the SAT's emphasis on high level vocabulary words. The SAT features 19 sentence completion questions, which often require students to understand the meaning of difficult vocabulary. The ACT, on the other hand, asks questions that focus on vocabulary in context. These types of questions, which also appear on the SAT's passage-based questions, ask about relativelycommon words that may have multiple meanings in various contexts. Students with a strong vocabulary or who enjoy studying high level words may prefer the SAT, while students who respond to straightforward wording may perform better on the ACT. The SAT Critical Reading is divided into two 25 minute sections and one 20 minute section, with the possibility of an additional 25 minute experimental section. Each section begins with 6 to 8 sentence completions, followed by passage-based questions. The ACT Reading is one 35 minute section that features four passages, or five with a paired passage exercise. The passages always come from prose fiction or literary narrative, the social sciences, the natural sciences, and humanities, in that order, and are followedby 10 questions. As with the overall structure of the ACT, its Reading section is consistent and predictable, a feature that mayreduce test-taking anxiety for somestudents. SAT Mathematics and ACT Mathematics Comparison Both the SAT Math and ACT Math test concepts in pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics. The ACT additionally tests trigonometry, as well as, occasionally, matrices, complex numbers, and conic sections.Both SAT Math and ACT Mathask students to solve single and multi-step problems, often by combining concepts from multiple fields of study, and to interpret data from charts and graphs. In addition to testing more advanced math concepts, the ACTrequires students to memorize any needed formulas or facts. The SAT, on the other hand, presents students with formulas to measure area, volume, and circumference, as well as several facts related to geometry at the beginning of each math section. Both SAT and ACT Math sections allow the use of calculators. The SAT Math asks 44 multiple choice questions and 10 student-produced questions, while the ACT Math asks 60 multiple choice questions. The SAT is divided into two 25 minute sections and one 20 minute section. ACT Math is presented in one 60 minute section. Students who consider math to be their strength and have progressed into high school trigonometry may prefer the ACT, because it both tests more advanced concepts and requires stamina over one longer section. For students who feel uneasy about 60 multiple choice questions in a row, the SAT may be a better choice. SAT Writing and ACT English Comparison Both the SAT Writing and ACT English test students' understanding of the rules of English grammar and the organization of ideas within paragraphs. SAT Writing includes a mandatory 25 minute essay, which accounts for about 30% of students' Writing score. On the ACT, the essay is optional and does not get factored into the English section or composite score. SAT Writing asks 49 multiple choice in one 25 minute section and one 10 minute. ACT English asks 75 multiple choice questions in one 45 minute section. Its questions always refer to five passages, while the SAT asks about a combination of individual sentences and paragraphs. Both sections require an understanding of grammar, usage, diction, punctuation, parallel structure, and number agreement. Students must be able to identify errors within sentences and to choose appropriate revisions to correct them. Both sections also ask students to rearrange sentences within paragraphs to improve the flow and sequencing of ideas. The ACT, in particular, focuses on these skills of organization and grammar within the context of longer passages. It does not ask about individual sentences, like the SAT does, but instead focuses its questions around paragraphs and passages. The SAT, on the other hand, asks "identifying sentence errors" and "improving sentences" questions that are entirely focused on individual sentences. Only its "improving paragraphs" questions resemble the ACT's passage-based grammar questions. Given these differences, students can determine where their strengths lie, whether they be in identifying grammar rules based on a single sentence or in rearranging the structure of and ideas within longer passages. ACT Science Only the ACT features a Science section, though the SAT Critical Reading may have a passage derived from the field of natural sciences. The ACT Science section is 35 minutes long and features seven passages. Three of these passages feature data representation, three present research summaries, and one discusses conflicting viewpoints. The scientific concepts tested on the ACT Science are generally basic and may refer to biology, earth science, chemistry, or physics, along with some elementary math. ACT Science questions often ask students to interpret data, compare scientific opinions, and understand and evaluate experimental designs. While the questions are related to scientific opinions and experiments, they are said to test skills of reading comprehension more so than specific content knowledge of science. While students who excel in science may prefer the ACT over the SAT because of this section, they would benefit from understanding that manytest experts liken ACT Science to a reading test rather than to a traditional science test. SAT Essay and Optional ACT Essay Comparison Besides the presence of a Science section on the ACT, the essay is another major difference between the SAT and ACT. The 25 minute SAT essay is mandatory and always comes at the beginning of the exam. The 30 minute ACT essay is optional and, if selected, is administered as the last section. While the SAT essay is part of a student's Writing and composite score, the ACT essay score is not factored in. Prompts for the SAT essay are often abstract, philosophical, and/or related to a social issue. They generally begin with a quote or excerpt from a work of prose, followed by a question to elicit the test-taker's opinion. Test-takersare asked to present their point of view and support it with examples from their reading, studies, experience, or observations. Most SAT expertsadvise students to use a 5 paragraph structure, provide three distinct examples, and choose a strong position, rather than a neutral one, in order to gain a high score. SAT essays are graded by two readers and receive a score between 2 and 12. Sample SAT Essay Prompt The ACT essay also asks test-takers to develop and support their point of view, but the prompts are generally considered to be less abstract than SAT prompts and more grounded in students' experience. ACT prompts are frequentlyrelated to students' experience in school and may elicit test-takers' thoughts on education and learning. Sample ACT Essay Prompt Students who consider writing to be their strength may appreciate that the SAT essay is a part of their overall score. At the same time, theymust consider what date they plan to takethe SAT, as the redesigned SAT, set to begin in March of 2016, will feature a significantly different essay section. Deciding Between the SAT and ACT By researching the differences in content, structure, and question types between the SAT and ACT, students can gain insight into which test better aligns withtheir skills and test-taking style. Since colleges giveboth tests equal consideration, students benefit from choosing the one on which they can achieve a higher score. Students can retake either test several times to improve their scores. Colleges differ in their policies towards test scores and score reports. Some may require that students send all of their results fromeverytesting date, while others allow students to select which score reports are sent. A number of selective colleges require SAT Subject Tests along with the general SATor solely the ACT, a policy which may constituteanother important practical consideration for students when deciding between the two. By researching the differences between the two tests and the standardized testing policies of their colleges of interest, along with taking official SAT and ACT practice tests, students can determine which admissions test better suits their academic strengths and overall approach to the college application process. Redesign Alert The SAT has undergone major revisions and will debut a redesigned version in March of 2016.The new SAT will resemble the ACT in several ways. For one, the SAT essay will be made optional and relocated to the end of the test. Instead of the current 25 minutes, the essay sectionwill be 50 minutes and will ask students to analyze an argument made bya provided passage. Like the ACT, the new SAT will ask about grammar and vocabulary within the context of passages. Sentence completion questions will be eliminated, and vocabulary questions will focus on easy and medium level words within the context of paragraphs and passages. The new SAT will also resemble the ACT by having four answer choices on multiple choice questions instead of five and by using rights-only scoring that does not deduct points for incorrect answers. The ACT is also undergoing some changes, although not as dramatic as the SAT. Its essay section will be lengthened to 40 minutes and will ask students to evaluate various perspectives on an issue and develop their own argument. Like the SAT, the ACT Reading will feature paired passages, which students will be asked to compare and contrast. On the ACT Science, some students will encounter six passages, while others will find the usual seven. Most ACT experts that the test has been getting more challenging and fast-paced in recent years. Because of this apparent increase in the level of rigor, students may find the best representation of the official ACT in practice tests derived from recent years. Read more from theSAT Encyclopedia! Further Reading What Are the Differences Between the SAT and ACT? Complete Comparison Charts: ACT vs. SAT Is the ACT Easier Than the SAT?