The SAT is almost entirely a multiple-choice test.

^{NOTE: The essay and the math grid-ins are exceptions.}

And multiple-choice questions are particularly vulnerable to good strategy. Why? On every SAT question, the answer is always right there in front of you. It’s just hidden among a bunch of wrong answers. Your job is to select the right answer.

Taking the SAT is often just that simple: You’ll read a question, come up with an answer, look at the answer choices, and bingo—you’ll find the answer.

But sometimes you’ll read a question and just not know how to proceed. Maybe the problem is that you don’t understand the vocabulary words or got stuck on the math or can’t spot the grammar error. Whenever that happens, you should not just assume the question is impossible and skip it. Instead, first try to eliminate answer choices until you’ve either found the right answer or put yourself in a good position to guess by cutting at least one choice.

The strategies for eliminating answers vary by question type. The specific strategies that we explain for each question type later in this book are designed to tailor and sharpen your answer-eliminating skills to every kind of question you face on the SAT. For now, remember that just because you don’t know how to answer a question right away doesn’t mean you won’t be able to figure it out.