Guides / Process of elimination
Eliminate two answers before you even try to solve
One answer choice in almost every question is wrong for a reason you can spot in seconds. Clear it first.
On both the SAT and ACT, at least one answer choice in almost every question is wrong for a reason you can spot in a few seconds, without doing any real work. Clear those first. It's faster than solving from scratch, and if you run out of time, you're guessing at 50% instead of 25%.
The three trap patterns to look for
- Extreme values. If three answer choices cluster together and one is way off to the side, the outlier is often a trap built for students who make a specific, common error, not the right answer.
- The "forgot a step" number. A choice that's exactly what you'd get if you squared instead of took a square root, or added instead of subtracted, is placed there deliberately. If you can identify which step it skips, you can eliminate it instantly.
- Answers the wrong question. Especially on Reading and Writing, some choices are true statements that just don't answer what was asked. They're accurate, and still wrong.
A rectangle has a perimeter of 36. Its length is 3 more than twice its width. What is the width of the rectangle?
A and D can be cut before any algebra: a width of 18 alone would exceed half the perimeter, and 13 leaves no room for a length that's "3 more than twice" it within a total perimeter of 36. That leaves B and C. Setting up 2(w + (2w+3)) = 36 gives w = 5, matching B.
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