Cheat codes / Every part
Never leave a blank, guess smart
A blank can never score, and a guess sometimes does, so every question gets an answer before the module ends.
How I think about it
The code in steps
- 1Eliminate every option you can prove wrong.
- 2Enter an answer at once from what is left, so there is no blank.
- 3Mark the question for review if you want to return.
- 4Before the module ends, open the question menu and fill every blank.
Learn it
1. What it is
On the Digital SAT, your raw score is the number of questions you answer correctly. There is no penalty for a wrong answer. So a blank has a score of zero for sure, and a guess has a chance of a point.
The code has two parts. Part one: never leave a blank. Part two: when you must guess, guess smart, by removing the options you can prove wrong first.
2. The facts about Bluebook you need
You can move around inside a module and use 'mark for review' (the bookmark) to come back to a question. The question menu shows which questions are answered and which are marked.
Once you leave a module, you cannot go back to it. So before time ends, open the question menu and check that every question has an answer. A question left blank in the menu is a point you gave away.
3. The exact steps
1. Do your best on the question for your time budget. If you do not have the answer, cross out every option with a named defect (see 'Every wrong answer has a defect').
2. Pick one of the options that are left. Enter it right now, so that it is never blank.
3. Mark the question for review with the bookmark if you want to return to it.
4. Two minutes before the module ends, open the question menu and fill every blank. Use the last seconds only to enter answers, not to start long problems.
4. How to guess smart
The odds are simple. With four options and no idea, you have 1 chance in 4. If you remove one option, it is 1 in 3. If you remove two, it is 1 in 2. Every option you remove with a real reason raises your chances.
In Reading and Writing, remove options that are off topic, too extreme, the opposite or not stated. In Math, use the options: put an option into the question and check (back-solving), or use Desmos to see which one fits. If you cannot remove any, pick any option and move on. Do not waste a minute choosing among four equal options, and do not follow a pattern of letters, because the test is not made with a letter pattern.
5. A tiny drill
Practice in a mock test: when time is nearly up, answer the last questions with a smart guess instead of leaving them. Write on paper which options you removed and why. Later, check how many smart guesses were right.
Why it works
College Board scores the Digital SAT by counting correct answers, with no deduction for wrong ones, and this is widely published. That means a guess can only help. Because you cannot return to a module after you leave it, a blank at that moment is permanent. Removing options before you guess is not a trick, it is simply using what you know, and it raises the chance of a point from 1 in 4 to 1 in 3 or 1 in 2.
Watch out: Guessing is a safety net, not a plan. If you guess on every hard question without trying, you will lose points you could have earned. The code also does not tell you to rush every question. It tells you what to do when time or knowledge has run out. And please do not trust any pattern like 'C is more common'. I cannot show you that such a pattern helps.
See it work on real questions
Try each question your usual way first. Then open the box to see the code at work.
Words in Context · question 8
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Inferences · question 7
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Transitions · question 8
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Percentages · question 8
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Linear equations in one variable · question 8
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Do not just believe me. Test it.
Do a timed set of 20 questions (about 24 minutes for Reading and Writing or about 32 for Math). For the last 5 questions, pretend you only have 15 seconds each. Write the options you can remove and pick from what is left, and never leave a blank. Afterward, check them and count how many of those 5 were right. Repeat with another set of 20 on another day. Do not expect a promise, just compare how many guesses were right with the 1-in-4 you would get with no thinking.