Elimination Strategy: What to Do When You Don’t Know the Answer

Most children learn to answer questions they know. Fewer are ever taught what to do with a question they don’t — and in a multiple-choice format, that gap matters. Elimination is a genuine exam skill: a repeatable method for narrowing four or five options down to one, even when the “right” answer doesn’t immediately jump out.

Why elimination is a real skill, not a shortcut

Multiple-choice questions always contain the answer somewhere on the page — the task is narrowing it down, not conjuring it from nothing. Ruling out one clearly wrong option before guessing turns a one-in-four chance into a one-in-three, and ruling out two turns it into a coin flip. That’s a meaningful, learnable advantage, not luck.

It also keeps a paper moving. A child who freezes on an unfamiliar question can lose far more time than the question is worth; a child with a method can make a reasoned choice and move on.

The 4-step elimination method

1. Read every option before deciding anything. Committing to the first plausible-looking answer skips the information the other options provide.
2. Cross out anything that’s clearly wrong. Even one confidently-ruled-out option narrows the field and builds momentum.
3. Compare what’s left. With two or three options remaining, look for what specifically distinguishes them — that’s usually where the real question is hiding.
4. Make an informed choice and move on. An answer built on partial reasoning beats a blank space every time; papers are rarely marked down for a wrong attempt the same way they are for no attempt.

Teach it with real practice, not just a conversation

Elimination is a habit, not a fact to memorise, so it needs to be practised on real questions rather than just explained once. Have your child physically mark through the options they’ve ruled out — a line through the letter, not just in their head — and say out loud why each one doesn’t work. The habit of marking the page is what carries over into the real assessment, where saying it aloud won’t be possible.

Common mistakes children make

• Picking the first reasonable-looking option without reading the rest — often the second or third option is actually the better fit.
• Eliminating on a feeling rather than a reason. “That one looks wrong” is weaker than being able to say why it’s wrong — encourage a specific reason for every option ruled out.
• Spending too long once it’s down to two options. This is exactly where a clear time budget per question matters most — a considered guess between two options and moving on beats stalling the whole paper.

What to do when two options both look right

This is usually a sign the question is testing precision, not just topic knowledge. Re-read the exact wording of the question stem — words like “always”, “best”, “most likely” or “approximately” often decide which of two plausible options is actually correct. Teach your child to look for the option that answers the question most precisely, not just the one that isn’t obviously wrong.

Building this into everyday practice, not just SEAG prep

Elimination works just as well outside timed practice — reading comprehension, general homework, even everyday decisions benefit from the same “narrow it down, then choose” habit. The more it’s used casually, the less it will feel like a test-day trick when it actually matters.

PrepPath is an independent preparation resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group.