Tips to eliminate silly mistakes?

[vashappenin]

Hey all,
How do you stop making silly mistakes? Every sac I do, there's always at least  3 marks I lose solely on making silly mistakes! What are some tips to elimintate them? Please let me know, because they're costing me valuable marks!!

Thanks

[Conic]

Keep a notebook with you when you work through the course work. When you make mistakes write them into the book. Then when you finish a chapter you can find out where you make the most mistakes, so that you can practice more of that type of question. To prevent mistakes when using CAS make sure you check what you're typing rather than reading the question while typing.

[Jeggz]

Agreed with Conic! Keep a 'Problem Book' which you can fill with the different types of questions that you've had issues with over the course. It makes it easier to see which areas you need to address and require the most attention.  Apart from that, as cliched as this sounds, 'Practice Practice Practice' replicating exam/SAC conditions in order to tackle the issue of time management  Hope that helps!

[TheManG]

Thought I should say something here.

A log book is a definite must, if you are prone to making errors. You will be able to identify which areas you are struggling with.

But there is no point having a log book, chucking the questions and having the answers in it. Why not dedicate half a page, or even a whole page, on the theory behind the question?

Admittedly, I did a little of this for Methods but for Chemistry, I extensively made notes on each questions and after a while, everything clicked! (This also allows you to dissect a question)

So you are essentially writing notes for the topics you are not good with. What more could you ask for? 

[Fluttershy]

Whoa, 3 replies in the time I took to write up this post- you guys are fast! A log book is a great idea, probably one of the best methods of figuring out problem areas in any subject. My tips are more based on what to do in SACs and exams, if you were after that as well?

This is what I do:

-Work through each question efficiently but carefully. While keeping an eye on the time, ensure that you are laying out each step clearly and concisely. At every step, ask yourself 'why did I do that?' If you don't know why you did something, or if your logic seems a little shaky, go back and take a good look at the question again to see what it's asking for, and which method is best for solving it.

-When you finish the question, GO BACK AND MAKE SURE YOU'VE ANSWERED IT. I cannot count the number of times that I've done everything right, then missed the last step because I'd thought I already had the answer. Make sure your units are correct, and if applicable, you've written out a sentence describing what your answer means in the context of the question.

-Once you've finished the SAC/exam/whatever, go back and check your work. Cover up your work and mentally go through the process of how you would have obtained your answer. Check against your actual working to see that you've done it correctly. Some questions can be done using multiple methods; use a different method to solve the question to ensure that you have the correct solution. If you're pressed for time, and you only have 2-5 minutes to spare, scan through questions you found to be difficult, or questions of which you weren't sure your answer was correct, and ensure your logic is sound throughout them. With practice, you can quickly check a question in very little time, and it's a great skill to have in the exams.

Hope you can make sense of my rambling

[Limista]

Making silly mistakes is was my specialty 

Usually it was because I did the arithmetic wrongly, or skipped too many steps. Just be wary of how many steps you think you're capable of skipping without making a mistake.

[shadows]

I've always had this problem too! I don't even remember the last time I scored 100% in a math test, but often I am very close! I suggest being very meticulous in your working out, and try to write down every step even though you might think you can do it in your head (I've always been guilty of having really horrible working out..)  So that it is easier to spot out any mistakes.

When its reading time, read all the question carefully and look at marks allocated to each question... it gives you an idea of what working out is required. I always find myself losing marks forgetting to write down the domain of an inverse function, or forgetting to write a summarising statement at the end of working out.. etc.