hey guys. im in year 11, and i do Mathematics Advanced, and Extension 1. I really need help on how to stop making stupid mistakes. Maths is my best subject and last year i came around 2nd in the year overall. in my maths advanced test i just did recently i got 40/45 which was 6th, and 32/45 in extension 1 which was about 8th. if i didnt make stupid mistakes i could have aced the test full marks easy but i can't seem to sotp making them. i really need help. thanks in advance
how to stop making stupid mistakes (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter chriss95
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What I tend to do is check my answers twice after I finish the exam. Also, i've noticed that during my check, I start to get paranoid and change the answers [usually from correct answers to incorrect answers]. Unless you're absolutely sure you've made a mistake, don't change you answer because you're more likely to be correct the first time than the second [IMO]
Why don't you post your actual work. We can then determine which of your mistakes were "stupid" ones and which are symptomatic of things more fundamental. I have nagging feeling a lot of so-called "stupid mistakes" are not stupid mistakes.
Agreed.
32/45 shouldn't be all from stupid mistakes, and if they are then you're being way too careless. Post what you've done wrong and we'll see how we can help you.
If in fact they are stupid mistakes, the only way to iron them out is repetitiveness.
jamesfirst
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focus I guess...
keep practicing ...
keep practicing ...
Aluminesis
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I agree with Drongoski. It's important to know exactly what you define a silly mistake to be.
But to answer your question,there isn't a guaranteed way to avoid silly mistakes. The best you can do is go back and check your stuff, really. The best instances to check more thoroughly are when you get an answer that looks a bit off. I had my maths half yearly exam today and ended up with a square root answer so I went back and discovered that I'd copied the question wrong (now THAT is stupid). Reworked it and I got a nice clean answer. That's not to say that you should be immediately suspicious of square roots, fractions and whatnots. It's simply best to do a quick glance over your working out when you feel an answer doesn't seem right. Teachers don't always make questions with needlessly irrational answers. So just go back, checkcheckcheck. And when you can't find any mistakes, don't double-guess yourself. It's lethal.
But to answer your question,there isn't a guaranteed way to avoid silly mistakes. The best you can do is go back and check your stuff, really. The best instances to check more thoroughly are when you get an answer that looks a bit off. I had my maths half yearly exam today and ended up with a square root answer so I went back and discovered that I'd copied the question wrong (now THAT is stupid). Reworked it and I got a nice clean answer. That's not to say that you should be immediately suspicious of square roots, fractions and whatnots. It's simply best to do a quick glance over your working out when you feel an answer doesn't seem right. Teachers don't always make questions with needlessly irrational answers. So just go back, checkcheckcheck. And when you can't find any mistakes, don't double-guess yourself. It's lethal.
davidbarnes
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Just practice more. You learn from your mistakes and hopefully making a mistake once will stop you making that same mistake in the exam etc.
i dont have enough time to check all the answers even once. And all my mistakes were silly. These include: reading the question wrong, forgetting a squared symbol, doing a + instead of a -
SpiralFlex
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I tend to check my answers as I go along as Trebla suggested. The only way you can actually reduce silly errors is if you understand where you went wrong. Maybe have a correction book (correcting all questions you got wrong or correcting stuff you do not understand after the exam). Also maybe cover your answer and re-do the question when you check it, this will eliminate the influence of your first answer. Lastly, try to not skip steps for long algebraic expressions.
Last year I would skip steps and solve equations such as
in my head. I left out a few things and had the incorrect sign.
Last year I would skip steps and solve equations such as
Last edited:
When I do homework I leave steps out however when it comes to an exam I try to put as many steps in that I can comfortably do, just so I make sure I'm not leaving things out.I tend to check my answers as I go along as Trebla suggested. The only way you can actually reduce silly errors is if you understand where you went wrong. Maybe have a correction book (correcting all questions you go wrong or correcting stuff you do not understand after the exam). Also maybe cover your answer and re-do when you check it, this will eliminate the influence of your first answer. Lastly, try to not skip steps for long algebraic expressions.
Last year I would skip steps and solve equations such as
SpiralFlex
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I do the same too, the algebra can be tedious.
rawrence
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Practise, Practise, Practise, do past papers and get familiar with questions, I guarantee you it will help
Rule of thumb is: focus on your weaknesses before the test, focus on your strengths during the test
Rule of thumb is: focus on your weaknesses before the test, focus on your strengths during the test
Yea, and I've learnt from past experiences by leaving lines and losing marks because I have the wrong sign or something small like that
