Guessing on the ACT
The ACT has no penalty for wrong answers. Here is how to turn that into extra points.
Never Leave a Bubble Blank
Because there is no added scoring penalty for incorrect answers on the ACT, you should never leave a bubble blank on your answer sheet. Even if you run out of time, fill in every remaining bubble.
The "Letter of the Day" Strategy
We counted all of the correct answers on three recent, released ACT exams. We found that the distribution of answers by position on the answer sheet was almost exactly even.
This means that there is no position that is more likely to be correct than any other.
How Answer Positions Work
The letter assigned to the positions change depending on whether you are working on an odd or even question:
- Odd-numbered questions: A through D (or E on Math)
- Even-numbered questions: F through J (or K on Math)
Since the answers are distributed fairly evenly across the positions, you should always guess the same position if you are guessing at random.
Pick a "Letter of the Day" (e.g., A/F) and stick to it for every blind guess. This statistically maximizes your chances of hitting correct answers compared to random zig-zagging.
Of course, if you can eliminate a choice or two, or if you have a hunch, then this advice doesn't apply. Always use your best judgment first!
Don't Worry About Patterns
Seeing a string of the same letter?
Some students worry if they notice long strings of same-position answers on their answer sheets (e.g., three "A"s in a row). This arrangement does not necessarily indicate a problem.
In analyzing actual, released ACT exams, we counted strings of up to six questions long whose correct answers were in the same position. Trust your answers, not the pattern on the sheet.