Which admissions tests penalize wrong answers?

Only one of these admissions tests is officially documented as taking points off for wrong answers: the Middle and Upper Level SSAT. On the TACHS, HSPT, ISEE and Elementary SSAT, a blank and a wrong answer score the same, so a guess can only help.

Test	Wrong answers	What to do
SSAT, Middle and Upper levels	Lose a quarter point each; skipped questions count 0	Skip questions you can’t narrow down
SSAT, Elementary level	No penalty	Answer every question
ISEE	No penalty	Answer every question
HSPT	No penalty	Answer every question
TACHS	No penalty	Answer every question
SHSAT	Official pages don’t mention a penalty; every question must be answered before moving on	Answer every question (required)

The SHSAT is a special case

On the fall 2026 computer-adaptive SHSAT, your child can’t leave a question blank. They must answer each question before moving on, and can go back only within an ELA passage set. The official pages don’t say anything about a wrong-answer penalty, so the practical question isn’t whether to guess but how to manage time.

The SSAT is the exception

On the Middle and Upper SSAT, a blind guess can cost a quarter point. Try our SSAT raw score calculator to see how the penalty adds up.