How do I stop making silly mistakes?? (1 Viewer)

[WildestDreams]

Okay I always make silly mistakes, but I feel like coming in year 11 I've started making more silly mistakes in 3U and 2U. It's really starting to annoy me right now. How do I improve this? Even after doing past papers I don't seem to improve. I don't want this to happen in year 12, coz like one mark is all it takes from a band 5 to 6.

 

[parad0xica]

Practice mindfulness!

Little errors such as 3*3 = 6 are made as a result of putting your mind on autopilot (mindlessness), I think.

Since these computations are extremely easy and expend little mental energy, you will most likely not focus on them, thus your mind gets ahead of yourself.

This is analogous to walking and tripping, not watching your step - being mindless.

Another way of putting it is lack of focus.

Here is a suggested method: when studying, expend more than needed energy to focus on each individual step. Your brain will get used to it. Once you enter exam room, you have more focus and thus will less likely make mistakes. Worked for me!

 

[InteGrand]

Practise heaps of easy (but easy-to-make-silly-mistakes-on) questions.

 

[Ambility]

If you can find a way to check your answer, always do it, unless you are in a rush. In my exams, I am always given separate writing paper to write my solutions on. On this paper, I write a numbered list of the solutions. Whenever I have an opportunity to check an answer I do, and if I find it to be correct I circle the questions number. If the question doesn't require checking (such as a show something equals something question) I circle it once I finish it. This way, I could narrow down the amount of questions which could possibly have silly mistakes in them by the end of the exam, and direct my attention to the unchecked questions.

If you can get in the right mindset before an exam, this also helps. You have to be calm and meticulous with your working. You have to treat it as if there is no time limit and you are doing the questions for your leisure. This will reduce your pressure.

 

[WildestDreams]

Practice mindfulness!

Little errors such as 3*3 = 6 are made as a result of putting your mind on autopilot (mindlessness), I think.

Since these computations are extremely easy and expend little mental energy, you will most likely not focus on them, thus your mind gets ahead of yourself.

This is analogous to walking and tripping, not watching your step - being mindless.

Another way of putting it is lack of focus.

Here is a suggested method: when studying, expend more than needed energy to focus on each individual step. Your brain will get used to it. Once you enter exam room, you have more focus and thus will less likely make mistakes. Worked for me!

Thanks for you advice! Love the analogy. But, does this process slow you down?

 

[parad0xica]

Thanks for you advice! Love the analogy. But, does this process slow you down?

Yes. Find your balance and experiment

If a process seems easy, it tells you your mind is adapting and will cause it to become autopilot the more you do it, therefore it is recommended that you keep the mind challenged and under stress.

The brain is beautiful with it's ability to grow!

I remember experimenting on my brain's short-term growth where I would add/multiply 2-digit numbers, then 3-digit numbers and so on as the previous got easier. However when I went down a digit, I could feel significant improvements in speed, accuracy and easiness compared my past performance

 

[Tomk23]

silly mistakes = quick finish of the exam. Avoid that and try to slow down and check your work few times before proceeding to submission

 

[Drongoski]

We have people bemoaning their propensity for silly mistakes and seeking help to fix this problem. The difficulty in providing meaningful advice is there are so many kinds of so-called silly mistakes.

Without seeing your silly mistakes, it's hard to know what yours are. Some 'silly mistakes' are indeed silly mistakes, as a result of carelessness, or need to rush etc. But as I have pointed out many times before, many so-called 'silly mistakes' may not be silly mistakes at all, but are symptomatic of poor maths foundation, often basic algebra. When one has a chance to analyse the nature of the mistakes, then one is in a better position to offer useful advice. Since you are in Yr 11 now, there is still time to fix your problem, if they are due to a wobbly foundation. I'm not suggesting you do have such a problem; I just don't know.

 

[Ambility]

We have people bemoaning their propensity for silly mistakes and seeking help to fix this problem. The difficulty in providing meaningful advice is there are so many kinds of so-called silly mistakes.

Without seeing your silly mistakes, it's hard to know what yours are. Some 'silly mistakes' are indeed silly mistakes, as a result of carelessness, or need to rush etc. But as I have pointed out many times before, many so-called 'silly mistakes' may not be silly mistakes at all, but are symptomatic of poor maths foundation, often basic algebra. When one has a chance to analyse the nature of the mistakes, then one is in a better position to offer useful advice. Since you are in Yr 11 now, there is still time to fix your problem, if they are due to a wobbly foundation. I'm not suggesting you do have such a problem; I just don't know.

What would be an example of a poor algebra mistake that is often classified as a silly mistake?

 

[Drongoski]

What would be an example of a poor algebra mistake that is often classified as a silly mistake?

There are heaps.
(I can think of only a few right now, the 2nd one being not a very good one; can't think of a few good ones right now. I've come across many of these in the course of my tutoring, with weak students'. I beg your pardon - I misread you. The examples below are what I do not call 'silly mistakes'; they are mistakes in algebra):

1) writing down -7² instead of (-7)²

2) a - 5(b - c) = a - 5b -5c

3) log (a x b) = log a x log b

4) cancelling the '4's in:



5) saying: (a + b)² = a² + b²

6) not realising:

7) not realising:

8) thinking:

 

[si2136]

I have you could say a feeling of uncertainty after maths tests. I have the mindset that I won't do as good as I hoped in the test because I'll surely make some silly mistakes. This stops me from having a positive mindset when doing maths tests, and I don't make silly mistakes anyways.

 

[jathu123]

I have you could say a feeling of uncertainty after maths tests. I have the mindset that I won't do as good as I hoped in the test because I'll surely make some silly mistakes. This stops me from having a positive mindset when doing maths tests, and I don't make silly mistakes anyways.

True

 

[WildestDreams]

We have people bemoaning their propensity for silly mistakes and seeking help to fix this problem. The difficulty in providing meaningful advice is there are so many kinds of so-called silly mistakes.

Without seeing your silly mistakes, it's hard to know what yours are. Some 'silly mistakes' are indeed silly mistakes, as a result of carelessness, or need to rush etc. But as I have pointed out many times before, many so-called 'silly mistakes' may not be silly mistakes at all, but are symptomatic of poor maths foundation, often basic algebra. When one has a chance to analyse the nature of the mistakes, then one is in a better position to offer useful advice. Since you are in Yr 11 now, there is still time to fix your problem, if they are due to a wobbly foundation. I'm not suggesting you do have such a problem; I just don't know.

I actually feel like it it's due to me not being confident, overthinking too much and getting nervous as well. I'm not sure what to do...

 

[Drongoski]

I actually feel like it it's due to me not being confident, overthinking too much and getting nervous as well. I'm not sure what to do...

Not being confident usually comes from inadequate mastery of a topic or subject. You think you know it, but one who really knows it can tell how much you really know.

If you live near Epping, I'd be happy to have a look at your maths and give you my opinion/advice, for free. Without having a look at how you do your maths, it's really hard for anyone to realistically offer you any useful advice, however well-intentioned most of them here may be.

 

[Katebate]

Hey!
I totally get where you are coming from, in extension 1 I tend to loose all my marks from silly errors, which is so frustrating! especially when other's don't experience this as badly. It's either because I'm stressed, over-tired, over-confident, or something like that. However, you can experiment with different things that will calm you and keep your brain switched on (running before tends to work for me). Also, I've found that doing quite hard questions that are beyond my course really help to get rid of these silly errors, as things I may get confused with or forget about become basics in my mind.

 

[WildestDreams]

Not being confident usually comes from inadequate mastery of a topic or subject. You think you know it, but one who really knows it can tell how much you really know.

If you live near Epping, I'd be happy to have a look at your maths and give you my opinion/advice, for free. Without having a look at how you do your maths, it's really hard for anyone to realistically offer you any useful advice, however well-intentioned most of them here may be.

Yeah...If I really think about it, that might be the case too. But I completely understand everything when I learn it? So I'm guessing I should focus on applying more?

Hey thanks! That'd be great, but Epping is a little far out for me. I'll definitely think about it though

 

[WildestDreams]

Hey!
I totally get where you are coming from, in extension 1 I tend to loose all my marks from silly errors, which is so frustrating! especially when other's don't experience this as badly. It's either because I'm stressed, over-tired, over-confident, or something like that. However, you can experiment with different things that will calm you and keep your brain switched on (running before tends to work for me). Also, I've found that doing quite hard questions that are beyond my course really help to get rid of these silly errors, as things I may get confused with or forget about become basics in my mind.

OMG Yes that's how I feel! And I actually did try doing that last year for my year 10 yearlies (I did practise papers from other schools) and ended up getting 2nd highest! Thanks for the advice