No More Penalty for Guessing on the SAT

No More Penalty for Guessing on the SAT

Is your child taking the SAT this spring?  I have good news, as of the spring of 2016, the SAT no longer has a penalty for guessing.

They used to calculate the number of correct answers and subtract 1/4 point for incorrect answers. In other words, a wrong answer used to hurt more than leaving the answer blank. Now, students receive one point for each correct answer, and zero points for any unanswered questions or incorrect answers. There are also only four answers to choose from, instead of five.

Test prep companies used to recommend using a strategy to answer SAT questions. Now answering is much simpler, just like the ACT! Of course, it's BEST when your child KNOWS the answer, but now they can fearlessly answer with their best guess if that's not the case.

For more information on the 2016 SAT changes, check out my article, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the SAT.




 

 

 

Please note: This post was originally published in February, 2012 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.