The conventional wisdom is plain: stick with your first instinct and don’t change the answer. The conventional wisdom is also wrong. Nearly every study conducted on the topic has shown that when students change answers on tests, they are significantly more likely to change from a wrong answer to a right answer (sweet!) than they are to switch from a right answer to a wrong one (d’oh!). Students who change their answers usually improve their scores.[31] So, why does this wrongheaded advice endure? Anticipated regret distorts our judgment.
