SAT Guessing Penalty?

Hey, I've heard there's a penalty for guessing on the SAT. Is this true? How does this work, and how can I strategize my test-taking to minimize any potential penalties?

There used to be a guessing penalty on the SAT, but that changed with the redesigned SAT in 2016. Now, there is no guessing penalty. In fact, you should try to answer every question, even if you have to guess, because you only gain points for correct answers and there's no penalty for incorrect ones.

The scoring system on the current SAT is as follows: for each correct answer, you get one point, and for each incorrect or blank answer, you get zero points. Your raw score is calculated by taking the total number of questions you answered correctly and adding them up. This raw score is then converted to a scaled score ranging from 200 to 800 for each section (Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing).

To strategize your test-taking, you should focus on answering questions you're confident about first and then go back to the more difficult ones. This will help ensure you're spending the majority of your time on questions that you have a higher likelihood of answering correctly. If you run out of time, it's better to guess on the remaining questions than to leave them blank since there's no penalty.

Additionally, consider using the process of elimination to increase your chances of guessing correctly on challenging questions. By eliminating one or more answer choices that you're sure are incorrect, you can improve your odds of selecting the correct answer. Overall, practice and familiarize yourself with the test format and try using targeted strategies to improve your accuracy and timing. Good luck!