Students often make silly mistakes on tests, like misreading the question, forgetting a minus sign, thinking 3+3=9 (arithmetic errors).
As you progress in math, the questions become more complicated, so this can be easier to do. which result in lower scores.
Sometimes, students dismiss “silly” mistakes as out of their control and not something they can improve on. However, silly mistakes lower test scores just like any other kind of mistake, so they should be carefully considered, so that they can be minimized.
Here are the most helpful strategies:
- Read the question slowly and carefully. The importance of this cannot be overstated.
Take note of the setup of the problem, and what information is given, perhaps underlining the key information. Also, recognize what the question is asking for, i.e. what should be your final answer.
To understand what techniques and steps you need to solve the problem, you have to know what the goal is. Re-read the question. After you’re done answering the question, go back and check to make sure you provided the kind of answer the question is looking for.
Often, students directly go into solving the problem without carefully looking at the details of the problem, and end up not answering the question properly, and so they lose marks.
- Don’t try to use too many techniques in one step. Instead, break them down into more steps. This way, you’ll be less likely to miss something. Write more steps and work, rather than less, and do so as neatly as you can. This also makes it easier for you to follow your work when checking your answers a second time.
- Practice to maximize familiarity. When studying for the test, practice until you achieve mastery of the material, until you can consistently and dependably get questions correct.
A common statement I hear after a poor test result is, “I knew the material, but I didn’t have enough time to finish”. This makes the poor performance like a fluke or due to external circumstances.
However, a test is naturally a rushed environment, and you know this ahead of time. If you are more familiar with the material, you will have more time to do the questions, and you may have extra time to spend checking answers. This makes it less likely you will make silly mistakes.