Learn about the pros and cons of guessing on the digital SAT and how adaptive testing affects guessing strategy.
One of the most common questions students have about the digital SAT is whether they should guess on questions they're unsure about. The short answer is yes - but there are some important nuances to consider.
Unlike the old SAT which had a guessing penalty that deducted points for incorrect answers, the digital SAT has no such penalty. This means that from a pure scoring perspective, guessing is always better than leaving a question blank.
The key takeaway here is simple: never leave any questions unanswered. Even if you have to make a completely random guess in the last few seconds, it's better than no answer at all.
While random guessing is better than no answer, you can significantly improve your odds by eliminating obviously wrong choices first. Here's how the probability breaks down:
Random guess (no eliminations): 25% chance of being correct
After eliminating 1 wrong answer: 33% chance of being correct
After eliminating 2 wrong answers: 50% chance of being correct
Even if you can only eliminate one obviously wrong answer, you've already improved your odds significantly. If you can eliminate two answers, you've doubled your chances of getting the question right compared to a random guess.
While there's no direct scoring penalty for wrong answers, there is a potential indirect penalty through the SAT's adaptive testing system. The College Board uses Item Response Theory (IRT) to analyze answer patterns, including potential guessing patterns.
This matters because your performance on the first module determines whether you receive an easy or hard second module. If you're right on the borderline between receiving the easy or hard second module, excessive guessing patterns could work against you.
This is particularly important because only students who receive and perform well on the hard second module can achieve the highest scores. For example, even if you ace the easy second module, your maximum possible score will be capped around 600 per section.
Now that we went over the probability of guessing correctly and the nuances of guessing on the digital SAT, here are some best practices to follow:
Always answer every question - never leave any blank
Spend a few seconds trying to eliminate at least one wrong answer choice
If you're aiming for a top score (700+), be particularly careful with guessing on the first module since you need to qualify for the hard second module
If time is running out, quickly fill in answers for any remaining questions rather than leaving them blank