The Meaning of Multiple Choice
As we’ve suggested throughout this chapter,
the multiple-choice format of the ACT should affect the way you
approach the questions. In this section, we’ll discuss exactly how.
Only the Answer Matters
A machine, not a person, will score your test. This scoring
machine does not care how you came to your answers; it cares only
whether your answers are correct and readable in little oval form.
The test booklet in which you worked out your answers gets thrown
in the garbage, or, if your proctor is conscientious, into a recycling
On the ACT, no one looks at your work. If you get a question
right, it doesn’t matter whether you did impeccable work. In fact,
it doesn’t even matter whether you knew the answer or guessed. The
multiple-choice structure of the test is a message to you from the ACT:
“We only care about your answers.” Remember, the ACT is your tool
to get into college, so treat it as a tool. It wants right answers?
Give it right answers, as many as possible, using whatever strategies
Multiple Choice: You’ve Already Got the Answers
When you look at any ACT multiple-choice question, the
answer is already right there in front of you. Of course, the ACT
writers don’t just give you the correct answer;
they hide it among a bunch of incorrect answer choices. Your job
on each question is to find the right answer. Because the answer
is right there, begging to be found, you have two methods you can
use to try to get the correct answer:
Look through the answer choices and pick out the one
that is correct.
at the answer choices and eliminate wrong answers until there’s
only one answer left.
Both methods have their advantages: you are better off
using one in some situations and the other in others. In a perfect
scenario in which you are sure how to answer a question, finding
the right answer immediately is clearly better than chipping away
at the wrong answers. Coming to a conclusion about a problem and
then picking the single correct choice is a much simpler and quicker
process than going through every answer choice and discarding the
four that are wrong.
However, when you are unsure how to solve the problem,
eliminating wrong answers becomes more attractive and appropriate.
By focusing on the answers to problems that are giving you trouble,
you might be able to use the answer choices to lead you in the right
direction, or to solve the problem through trial and error. You
also might be able to eliminate answer choices through a variety
of strategies (these strategies vary by question type; we’ll cover
them in the chapters dedicated to each type of question). In some
cases, you might be able to eliminate all the wrong answers. In
others, you might only be able to eliminate one, which will still
improve your odds when you attempt to guess.
Part of your preparation for the ACT should be to get
some sense of when to use each strategy. Using the right strategy
can increase your speed without affecting your accuracy, giving
you more time to work on and answer as many questions as possible.