How to avoid making silly mistakes

[luken93]

I know I'm only in Year 10, but whenever I do a Maths test, no matter how hard or easy, I always seem to get one wrong. I know the topic inside out, and have never had trouble with any question in the whole year, but no matter what, I will always get an easy question wrong just by overlooking it.

Eg the question may ask where does the asymptote lies, and I will know that it goes along y=1, but I saw x=1 and circled that?

I try to read the test over and over looking for wrong answers, but I just seem to overlook it.

Are there any suggestions or techniques I could use to possibly correct this, because it may prove quite costly if I do it in every Exam,SAC etc.

thanks

[TrueTears]

The only way is to practise and train yourself.

[xXNovaxX]

It may be because you ARE looking over your answers, but only because u have the mentality "they say if i look over my answers I can find errors", therefore you are NOT PAYING ATTENTION, merely skimming over them.

You have to go over them one by one, as if you are re-doing the test, then you will find mistakes.

[n.f]

If the errors are mainly multiple choice then just use a 'cover then complete' method to check. Cover your your answers and redo them. I find that if I try to finish something too quickly errors are more likely to occur so you may need to just slow down a bit.

[vexx]

i think it's easier to do more practice in year 12 as there's so many practice exams in methods, so you'll be able to practice all the time:)

[luken93]

If the errors are mainly multiple choice then just use a 'cover then complete' method to check. Cover your your answers and redo them. I find that if I try to finish something too quickly errors are more likely to occur so you may need to just slow down a bit.

Yeh, I am generally fist finished in my class, because I have the opinion of "I'd rather finish everything with a question wrong than go slow and not finish" But as soon as I finish I will just start again and redo every question.

[Greggler]

practice, practice, practice. Especially with a subject like maths.

[luken93]

practice, practice, practice. Especially with a subject like maths.

practice what exactly?
I have known how to do everything all year?

[NE2000]

Firstly, slow down. If you know all the material, I assume you are fairly good at maths. When I see a test I briefly skim over (it's best if you have designated reading time). At this point I decide whether this is a long test. If not, I take it slow and aim to get it right the first time. If it's long then I go fast because you really don't want to be left unfinished.

Secondly, your double-checking process should be an active process. This does not mean you look over your working and think it looks alright so you leave the answer. For most questions you should aim to develop a secondary method of answering the question and/or a way to use your answer and check it's validity against the question. Don't do it in your head, use scrap paper or the side of your page (in small writing though, make sure your teacher doesn't have to search for your answer).

Stop before you answer. Is there an easier or safer method to work it out? Do you know how to work it out from every step? Sometimes you could also stop between steps to evaluate the successfulness of your method.

Keep an error book. This is where you note down every careless error you make in a particular subject. Keep this updated and read over it every now and then (perhaps the night before a test). You will learn how to look out for these errors.

Can't think of any more for now but you can improve I feel.

[stonecold]

It may be because you ARE looking over your answers, but only because u have the mentality "they say if i look over my answers I can find errors", therefore you are NOT PAYING ATTENTION, merely skimming over them.

You have to go over them one by one, as if you are re-doing the test, then you will find mistakes.

+1

Do your workings a second time.  This is the best way to find errors/careless mistakes.

[Greggler]

practice, practice, practice. Especially with a subject like maths.

practice what exactly?
I have known how to do everything all year?

Just do as many questions as possible. When you've done all the questions or whatever in your book, ask your teacher for more. Maths is a subject where if you do many of the same question type, you begin to eliminate silly errors.

When you make the same stupid mistake a few times on a similar type of question, the next time you see that style of question you will straight away be aware to not make that same mistake you had previously made.

[luken93]

okay thanks guys

[kyzoo]

This is essentially an error book for Methods - http://vcenotes.com/forum/index.php/topic,20778.0.html

And I have one suggestion - When you are reading the question underline any important terms. This ensures that you are actively processing the question.

[Ilovemathsmeth]

Practice, practice, practice. It's normal to make mistakes. Exams/test conditions create a stressful atmosphere increasing the likelihood of a mistake. You need to ensure that stress doesn't overtake your knowledge, causing you to make mistakes. Practice helps with this

[kyzoo]

Practice, practice, practice. It's normal to make mistakes. Exams/test conditions create a stressful atmosphere increasing the likelihood of a mistake. You need to ensure that stress doesn't overtake your knowledge, causing you to make mistakes. Practice helps with this

Make sure you make the most of your practice though. For example, don't waste practice papers doing them in the cars or in public transport; use them for one whole uninterrupted timed session to best simulate exam conditions. And analyse all your mistakes - ensure you fully understand why the right answer is right, and why the wrong answer is wrong, as well as determining how to preclude the same error from occurring again. Always be on the lookout for better methods when checking the solutions.

I'm referring to practice papers of course. No need to be so stringent with textbook questions.