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The Art of Guessing
Guessing, like pacing, is more important on the CAT than on any other test you
have ever taken. You'll have to guess often on the CAT because:
- You can't skip questions. If you hit a mental block, you have to guess at
the question in front of you. You can't pass over a question and go back to it
later. Since all answers are final, you have to make sure your guess is a good
one. Most students waste more than 1/3 of their time bogged down on a handful
of tough questions. You have to learn how to guess, move on, and cut your
losses after spending more than a few minutes on a question.
- At the end of the test, when time is about to expire, you have to hurry to
make sure to review every question (or else face the severe penalty for not
finishing all the test's questions). Many students have to do this last-minute
sprint and are often left guessing on the last few questions.
P.O.E.
The key guessing strategy is P.O.E. (process of elimination). A big asset going
into test day is knowing that one of the five possible answers must be right. If
you can eliminate two of the choices, you can increase your chances of getting
the right answer by 65% (from 20% or 1 in 5 to 33% or 1 in 3). Here's how to do
it:
- Eliminate answer choices you know are wrong. Even if you don't know the
right answer, you can often tell that some of the answer choices are wrong.
- Avoid answer choices that look suspicious. For example, in the
Quantitative Section, you can usually eliminate any answers that are negative
when all the other answers are positive.
- Once you have narrowed down the list of answer choices, pick one of the
remainder. It is a myth that some answer choices, like A or C, are more often
correct than other choices.
Draw a Grid
If crossing off answer choices on paper tests helps to clarify your thinking,
you might want to consider making a grid on your scratch paper. By drawing a
simple grid and labeling the rows A through E, you can keep track of which
answers you have eliminated by putting an X in that box. That way you can tell
at a glance which answer choices are still in the running. If you find that this
technique works for you, you'll find the fifteen seconds it takes to set up the
grid well worth it.
The Importance of Scratch Paper
Another big asset you have going into test day is virtually unlimited scratch
paper. Use it and make sure you have lots of it on test day.
You'll need scratch paper because you are taking a test off of a computer
screen, and you can't write on the screen. The result is that you'll often have
to carefully copy much of the question down onto paper without miscopying the
information. This is awkward and difficult. It takes valuable time to recopy
information and it increases the chance of a hurried error, so you have to be
careful about what you copy and what you don't copy. Try to use scratch paper
extensively on your practice tests to get a feel for this.
Don't Panic
If you have a bad day, don't panic; you have the option of canceling. The
computer will offer the option of canceling the test or accepting it when you
finish the test. If you cancel the test, neither you nor any school will see
your score. If you accept the test, the computer will display your score, and it
will be available to all schools. Make sure to schedule the test far in advance
of when it is due to the graduate schools so that you have time to cancel and
reschedule the test if necessary.
Experiment with the strategies suggested to see what works best for you. Now
that you know the CAT basics, you can progress to the specific subject areas.
You have just completed chapter 1 of the GRE CAT Online
Prep Guide. Chapters 2 through 8 are available by purchasing the GRE CAT Online
Guide.
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