Wrong answers on hints can affect your score
Updated 19 Feb 2024
Students often believe that "no penalty for opening hints" is the same as "no penalty for answering hint questions incorrectly." This is not true for Mastering assignments.
- If your professor does NOT charge for opening hints, but DOES charge for wrong answers: You'll be charged for a wrong answer to a hint question, just as you would be for a main Part question. This isn't a penalty for using hints. It's simply a standard penalty for a wrong answer.
- All other assignment grading policies in effect, such as the number of allowed answer attempts, also apply to hints with questions. How to check the assignment grading policy
The scoring of hints is different from main Part questions in only two ways:
- You don't have to open a hint, and may receive a bonus for not opening it.
- If you open a hint that asks you a question, you don't have to answer it.
You may be charged slightly for opening the hint, but you won't lose additional credit if you leave it blank.