When to NOT answer a PGRE question.

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In summary, if you know nothing about a question, guessing will cost you as many points as you gain. However, if you can eliminate an answer or two, guessing will help you. If you answer one question correctly, answer the other 99 completely at random, you would expect to get 99/5= 19.4, which I will round down to 19, correct and 80 incorrect. So, if you get a total of 20 right and 80 wrong, you will get 20-19/4= -1 point.
  • #1
teroenza
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Hello. I have a quick procedural question about the physics GRE. I know that incorrect answers deduct 1/4 point from your raw score, but I do not understand how questions that are left unanswered affect you.

Basically I am trying to understand if I have absolutely no idea how to answer a question, whether or not I should guess, or leave it blank.

Thank you
 
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  • #2
Statistically, if you know *nothing* about a question, guessing will cost you as many points as you gain. (Guess 5 times, hit once, 1 - 4 * 1/4 = 0.) However, if you can eliminate an answer or two, guessing will help you. (If you can eliminate one answer, you'll hit 1 in 4 by guessing, and so 1 - 3 * 1/4 = 1/4.)

If you know absolutely nothing, Dirty Harry has the answer... "Do you feel lucky?"
 
  • #3
For the expectation value: If you can exclude some value, or at least think that one answer is more likely than another: guess.
Guessing will increase the spread of your expected result - that can be positive or negative, depending on the result you want, and the number of correct answers you find.
 
  • #4
Thank you both. I think I am confused about the penalty for leaving something blank. I'm used to the standard test where any attempt at an answer is better than a blank, so I don't understand why leaving a question blank would ever be advantageous on the PGRE.
 
  • #5
There is no penalty for leaving something blank.

The advantage is... a blank answer isn't wrong. :smile:

Statistics says that if you guess at 5 questions with 5 possible answers, you should expect one right on average. However, if you are just guessing randomly, there is a 32.768% chance you'll get them all wrong, and lose 1 1/4 points.

So... do you feel lucky... punk? :smile:
 
  • #6
This is a stupid question, but I have to ask it. What stops me from answering only one question, that I am absolutely confidant in getting right? Somehow this can't be allowed to happen, so would this process be penalized when the scaled score is computed?
 
  • #7
teroenza said:
This is a stupid question, but I have to ask it. What stops me from answering only one question, that I am absolutely confidant in getting right? Somehow this can't be allowed to happen, so would this process be penalized when the scaled score is computed?

You would get a 1% score. That doesn't seem very good...
 
  • #8
teroenza said:
This is a stupid question, but I have to ask it. What stops me from answering only one question, that I am absolutely confidant in getting right? Somehow this can't be allowed to happen, so would this process be penalized when the scaled score is computed?
No one is saying you are graded only on the questions you answer. What they are saying is that you get, say, 1 point if you answer correctly, 0 is you do not answer, and -1/4 point if you answer incorrectly.

If there are 100 question, you answer only one correctly, you get get 1 point, the "1%" micromass gives. If you answer that one question correctly, answer the other 99 completely at random, you would expect to get 99/5= 19.4, which I will round down to 19, correct and 80 incorrect Since you got a total of 20 right and 80 wrong, you will get 20-(1/4)(80)= 0 points.
 
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  • #9
Thank you very much HallsofIvy.
 

1. When should I not answer a PGRE question?

There are a few situations in which it may be best to not answer a PGRE question. These include not understanding the question, not having enough time to properly solve it, or not having the necessary knowledge or skills to answer it accurately.

2. Will not answering a PGRE question affect my overall score?

Yes, not answering a question will result in a lower score compared to answering it correctly. However, if you are unsure of the answer, it may be better to leave it blank rather than guess and potentially get it wrong.

3. Can I skip a PGRE question and come back to it later?

Yes, the PGRE allows for skipping questions and returning to them later. This can be helpful if you are stuck on a difficult question and want to come back to it with a fresh perspective.

4. Is it better to guess on a PGRE question or leave it blank?

It is generally recommended to leave a question blank if you are unsure of the answer. This is because incorrect guesses will result in a deduction of points, whereas leaving it blank will not.

5. Are there any specific types of PGRE questions that I should not attempt to answer?

It is important to carefully read and understand each PGRE question before attempting to answer it. However, if you are not confident in your ability to answer a specific type of question, it may be best to skip it and focus on questions you feel more comfortable with.

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