Thursday, November 21, 2013

Make An Educated Guess

Complete certainty is rare. Sometimes there's no other choice but to formulate a guess based on knowledge and experience. Think about all the times when you had to guess and found yourself mentally gathering information and eliminating possibilities. Whether during a test or during a casual conversation, we often find that the most we can do is speculate. These tips teach you the value of an educated guess.


Instructions


1. Read questions carefully if you are taking a test. In conversation, listen for the important details. To formulate an educated guess, you must have good information.


2. Rule out obvious bad choices. Eliminate the options, based on the information.


3. Pay attention to details. Look for a tip-off within a test question. Similarly, the answers may have clues.


4. Look for patterns. History does repeat itself. Use your experience in similar situations to predict the outcome of another.


5. Consider the simplest solution as the best. We often over-analyze and consider information that isn't relevant to the matter. This makes the process far more difficult. Keep it simple. Look for the obvious.


6. Use common knowledge. Practical wisdom goes a long way in making an educated guess. Use what you know.


7. Sign up for a review course. Take a class that offers tips and strategies for standardized tests. Many people receive higher test scores after participating.

Tags: educated guess