Pointers for Guessing on the ASVAB

Guess wisely, and you can score some extra points on many of the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) subtests. Guessing on the ASVAB doesn't count against you on any portion of the test. If you leave the answer blank, you have a zero percent chance of getting it right. If you guess, you have a 25 percent chance.

These quick pointers can serve you well in the world of guessing:

• Eliminate the answers you know are wrong and then guess among the remaining answers.

• Answers that include always or never statements are usually wrong.

• Don't guess based on the frequency of previous answers. Just because the answer to the last ten questions has been C doesn't mean the next answer can't be C, too.

• If two answer options have opposite meanings, one of them is probably correct.

• If two answer options are very close in meaning, neither of them is probably correct.

• If you can't eliminate any choices, always choose the same letter for your guess. For example, if you have to guess on ten questions, always guess C. Choosing the same letter every time increases your odds of selecting the right answer for at least one or two of those questions.