SSAT Tip of the Week: How to Tackle Multiple Choice

The SSAT is a multiple-choice test; to answer such questions correctly, you will need a clear strategy that can be adapted to each section. When faced with a multiple-choice question, utilize these four testing strategies:

Strategy 1: Predict the Answer

After reading the question, try to predict the answer before reviewing the answer choices. This can deepen your understanding by engaging prior knowledge, improving comprehension, and enhancing critical thinking by helping you anticipate outcomes. It also leads to better retention and problem-solving skills. 

Strategy 2: Eliminate Wrong Answers

Even if you think you know the answer, always read through every answer choice and eliminate incorrect ones. When you eliminate an answer, ensure that you understand and can explain why it’s the incorrect choice.

Strategy 3: Check your Answer

When you have selected your answer, review the question and ensure that your choice makes sense in context. If your chosen answer does not sufficiently answer the question, revisit the answers you eliminated and re-evaluate them.

Strategy 4: Know When to Guess

There is a one-quarter-point penalty for wrong answers on the Middle and Upper Level SSAT, so you should make educated guesses whenever possible. If you can confidently eliminate even one incorrect answer, you can then guess between the remaining answer choices, giving yourself a better chance at a correct guess.

However, you should refrain from answering questions which you have no educated guesses for. You don’t want to lose points for guessing blindly!

Integrating this consistent elimination system into your test-taking process will improve your performance on multiple-choice questions. This approach works across the verbal, reading, and quantitative sections, so you should practice this method for each section. Find a post about multiple choice questions on the ISEE here.