Eliminate, Flag, and Review

Even well-prepared readers meet questions that stump them. What separates a strong score from a shaky one is often not knowing every answer but handling the hard ones wisely. Three simple habits — ruling out wrong choices, marking tough questions for later, and checking your work at the end — help you earn every point your reading has earned you.

To eliminate is to cross off answer choices you know are wrong, to flag is to mark a hard question so you can return to it, and to review is to use your leftover time to recheck flagged and unanswered questions. Used together, they turn uncertainty into more correct answers.

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Eliminate and Flag

When an answer is not obvious, do not guess blindly — use elimination. Read all four choices and cross off the ones that clearly cannot be right: options the passage contradicts, options that answer a different question, or options that are only partly true. Often you can knock out two choices quickly, which makes your final decision far easier and your odds far better. If you still cannot decide, make your best choice and flag the question rather than sitting on it. Flagging lets you keep your pace and come back later with fresh eyes, sometimes spotting the answer instantly the second time. The key is never to leave a question truly blank — there is no penalty for a wrong guess, so an eliminated-down guess is always worth making.

Reviewing at the End

If you finish the questions with time to spare, do not just sit — review. The test’s review screen shows which questions you flagged and which you left unanswered, so start there. Return to your flagged questions and give them a fresh look; the pressure of the first pass has lifted, and answers often come more easily. Confirm that every question has an answer, since a blank earns nothing while even a guess might be right. Be careful, though: change an answer only if you have a real reason, not just a nervous second-guess. Your first instinct, backed by the passage, is usually sound. A calm final sweep catches careless slips and turns leftover minutes into extra points.

Watch: A Short Video Lesson

Test Prep Today, With A Plus gives a clear overview to go with this lesson:

A Routine for Hard Questions

1. Cross off answer choices you know are wrong.
2. Make your best choice from what remains.
3. Flag the question if you are still unsure and move on.
4. Review flagged and unanswered questions at the end.

Practice

1. What does it mean to eliminate an answer choice?
2. Name one kind of choice you can cross off.
3. What should you do if you still cannot decide?
4. Why should you never leave a question blank?
5. Where does the review screen tell you to start?
6. When should you change an answer during review?

Answers

1. Cross off choices you know are wrong.
2. Any: contradicted by the passage, answers a different question, only partly true.
3. Make your best choice and flag the question.
4. There is no penalty for a wrong guess, so a guess might be right.
5. With your flagged and unanswered questions.
6. Only when you have a real reason, not a nervous second-guess.

Where This Fits in Your RLA Prep

These habits keep you on pace alongside timing, stamina, and test day, and they fit the tools described in question types and the test interface. See every topic on the Language Arts Prep Hub.

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