You choose D, then D again, then another D. The repetition feels suspicious. Before changing an answer, return to the question: which detail, rule, or calculation supports your choice? A neighboring answer letter does not supply that evidence.
Give each answer a reason of its own
Answer letters identify choices. They do not explain why a choice fits. A conclusion about a reading passage depends on what the passage says; a math answer depends on the quantities and relationships in that problem.
The digital SAT uses adaptive modules and a scoring model that considers the questions answered correctly and incorrectly. It is not simply a fixed number of points for each correct response. College Board does not publish an answer-letter balancing rule for students to use.
Change an answer when you find new evidence
The evidence still fits
You reread the passage and the same sentence supports D. Seeing several earlier Ds adds no reason to change it.
The reasoning has a specific error
You chose a total, but the question asks for an average. Recalculating answers the actual question, even if it creates another repeated letter.
These checks are about reviewing your reasoning. They are original teaching examples, not official SAT questions.
Give review time to a named uncertainty
- 01
Name what feels uncertain
Was there an unfamiliar word, a rushed calculation, or a choice that almost fit?
- 02
Check the deciding detail
Reread the relevant sentence, test the answer in the equation, or identify the grammar rule.
- 03
Keep or revise with a reason
Change the answer if that check reveals a mistake. If the evidence holds, keep it and use your time on another question.
When you have no reliable basis for a multiple-choice answer, eliminate anything you can justify eliminating and make your best guess. College Board recommends guessing rather than leaving a blank for students trying their best. Mark the question for review if you want to return before the current module ends.