Cross one out, then guess.
Should you guess on the SSAT?
An original website mini lesson · Learning On My Own
The rule
On the Middle and Upper Level SSAT, a right answer earns 1 point, a wrong answer loses ¼ point, and a question left blank scores 0. Each question has 5 answer choices. So is a guess worth it? You can work it out with fractions.
20 blind guesses
- With 5 choices, about 1 in 5 guesses is right: 4 right out of 20.
- That earns 4 × 1 = +4 points.
- The other 16 are wrong: 16 × ¼ = −4 points.
- Total: 4 − 4 = 0. On average, a blind guess earns nothing.
Now cross one choice out
If you can rule out one wrong choice, you are picking from 4. Out of 20 guesses, about 5 are right (+5) and 15 are wrong (15 × ¼ = −3¾). Total: +1¼ points. Crossing out just one choice turns guessing from "no help" into "worth it".
And on the ISEE?
The ISEE has no penalty for wrong answers, so a blank and a wrong answer both score 0. Answer every question. Rules can change, so check the official rules for your test date.
Your turn
You can rule out 3 of the 5 choices, so only 2 are left. Out of 20 guesses like this, how many points do you expect to gain?
See the answer and reason
About half are right: 10 × 1 = +10. The other 10 are wrong: 10 × ¼ = −2½. Total: +7½ points. The more choices you cross out, the more a guess is worth.
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