Comments on: Guessing on the SAT http://increaseyoursatscore.com/guessing-on-the-sat/22/ In less time than you think Wed, 16 May 2012 05:09:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Paul http://increaseyoursatscore.com/guessing-on-the-sat/22/comment-page-1/#comment-16746 Paul Wed, 16 May 2012 05:09:09 +0000 http://increaseyoursatscore.com/?p=22#comment-16746 love your post. there is, however, a fourth reason not to guess when many companies claim you should. advocates claim " the points received for correct guesses are greater than the fractions lost for those missed." but that kind of expected value analysis is strictly applicable to massive amounts of data - iow, if each student were answering about 10,000 questions, it might even out for them. it also pretends that kids will be sharing their 'profit and loss' - that a few kids coming out ahead can justify greater numbers of kids damaging their scores. this kind of misuse of a concept like expected value is disturbing because impressionable kids will hear it and think 'ohhhhh they MUST know what they are talking about' without realising that the person really does not understand the parameters of the concept. love your post. there is, however, a fourth reason not to guess when many companies claim you should. advocates claim ” the points received for correct guesses are greater than the fractions lost for those missed.” but that kind of expected value analysis is strictly applicable to massive amounts of data – iow, if each student were answering about 10,000 questions, it might even out for them. it also pretends that kids will be sharing their ‘profit and loss’ – that a few kids coming out ahead can justify greater numbers of kids damaging their scores. this kind of misuse of a concept like expected value is disturbing because impressionable kids will hear it and think ‘ohhhhh they MUST know what they are talking about’ without realising that the person really does not understand the parameters of the concept.

]]> By: Jason McDonald http://increaseyoursatscore.com/guessing-on-the-sat/22/comment-page-1/#comment-7772 Jason McDonald Sun, 11 Sep 2011 11:50:00 +0000 http://increaseyoursatscore.com/?p=22#comment-7772 Thank you for your feedback, Julie! Made my day :) Thank you for your feedback, Julie! Made my day :)

]]> By: Julie http://increaseyoursatscore.com/guessing-on-the-sat/22/comment-page-1/#comment-7743 Julie Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:11:12 +0000 http://increaseyoursatscore.com/?p=22#comment-7743 As a long time SAT tutor, your advice is excellent. The trap answers are usually so well written that it is nearly impossible to rule them out by guessing. Every part of your argument holds water. Thank you for posting this wonderful explanation. As a long time SAT tutor, your advice is excellent. The trap answers are usually so well written that it is nearly impossible to rule them out by guessing. Every part of your argument holds water. Thank you for posting this wonderful explanation.

]]> By: Jason McDonald http://increaseyoursatscore.com/guessing-on-the-sat/22/comment-page-1/#comment-5152 Jason McDonald Sat, 09 Apr 2011 12:18:39 +0000 http://increaseyoursatscore.com/?p=22#comment-5152 Anonymous, MYTH #6: You should not leave any grid-in questions blank because there’s no guessing penalty on that question type While it’s true the SAT scoring system does not subtract points for wrong answers on grid-ins, the penalty is lost time. In addition to reading through the question, coming up with a solution, writing down the answer, you must bubble in each digit and decimal point. If you’ve worked through a problem and have an answer you’re unsure of, sure, take the time to transfer it to your answer sheet. If there are just a couple minutes left and there are several questions you have not looked at, better to focus on one than take the time to fill in random guesses for all of them. Accuracy is more important than speed on multiple-choice as well as grid-in questions. Anonymous,

MYTH #6: You should not leave any grid-in questions blank because there’s no guessing penalty on that question type

While it’s true the SAT scoring system does not subtract points for wrong answers on grid-ins, the penalty is lost time. In addition to reading through the question, coming up with a solution, writing down the answer, you must bubble in each digit and decimal point. If you’ve worked through a problem and have an answer you’re unsure of, sure, take the time to transfer it to your answer sheet. If there are just a couple minutes left and there are several questions you have not looked at, better to focus on one than take the time to fill in random guesses for all of them. Accuracy is more important than speed on multiple-choice as well as grid-in questions.

]]> By: Anonymous http://increaseyoursatscore.com/guessing-on-the-sat/22/comment-page-1/#comment-5129 Anonymous Fri, 08 Apr 2011 02:36:58 +0000 http://increaseyoursatscore.com/?p=22#comment-5129 I read on the Kaplan web site that you get no points off for a wrong answer on the grid questions in the math section. Is this true? Does this mean that if you don't know the answer, that you should always guess on the grid questions? I read on the Kaplan web site that you get no points off for a wrong answer on the grid questions in the math section. Is this true? Does this mean that if you don’t know the answer, that you should always guess on the grid questions?

]]> By: Salient http://increaseyoursatscore.com/guessing-on-the-sat/22/comment-page-1/#comment-4902 Salient Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:13:20 +0000 http://increaseyoursatscore.com/?p=22#comment-4902 Thanks. I've always been to told to the opposite, but your explanation is really good. Thanks. I’ve always been to told to the opposite, but your explanation is really good.

]]> By: thang http://increaseyoursatscore.com/guessing-on-the-sat/22/comment-page-1/#comment-133 thang Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:49:45 +0000 http://increaseyoursatscore.com/?p=22#comment-133 Yes, I most positively advocate your opinion. Guessing is never the solution for SAT. Yes, I most positively advocate your opinion. Guessing is never the solution for SAT.

]]>