These general test-taking strategies always help:
All unanswered questions are considered “incorrect,” so be sure to answer all questions. Guess the ones you don’t know or don’t have time to solve.
Annotate word problems to ensure that you solve them quickly and to the best of your ability.
Guess on questions you do not understand, to save time for questions you might understand better.
Look out for words that are bolded, italicized, or in all caps. These words are key to finding the right answer. If you ignore or forget them, you will probably miss the question.
Use your calculator as often as possible, even on simple calculations, to help avoid careless mistakes in your math.
Consider choices like “cannot be determined” as possible answers. They’re just as likely to be correct as any other option.
If you can’t remember the details of a formula, trust your intuition. Making an educated guess based on what “seems right” is better than a random guess.
If you find that you get lost or impatient with certain questions, backtrack to the facts/formulas and then go forward one step at a time.
Some questions tell you to consider random values like , , and and refer to them as “some number,” “any positive number,” or something similar. In these cases, try picking any number that fits the requirements of the question. For example, if a question refers to “any positive whole number ,” you could try plugging in a simple number like for .