All of us are prone to errors, especially in a testing setup under timed conditions. Some of these errors don’t occur because we don’t know the topic or the approach but there are careless errors as well. These are the errors that you look at yourself and say “Oh! That was dumb…”
We are more prone to these “dumb” errors on the SAT and the ACT math section as both these tests are timed and require you to solve questions faster than what you would do on your school math. Hence, it is important to focus on your pattern of errors when you do the practice tests. Spend quality time to understand the most common errors that you make on these tests. That being said, there are some common errors that all students tend to make. Here, we list down some of these common errors.
Not skipping and revisiting a question
Most students tend to stick to the current question till they get an answer to the same. It is a good strategy if you don’t tend to overspend time on that question. But, sometimes there are questions that get stuck. So, keep in mind that working on the questions in the order they are presented is not necessary. You can skip the questions that you find tough and can come back later when you are done with others.
Not writing all the steps
As the two tests are timed and we need to solve the questions faster, all of us tend to skip a few steps to save some time. What this means for most of us is that we end up marking an incorrect answer. This is also one of the simplest errors to fix. You just need to start writing each step.
Using the calculator too much
Even though the SAT has a section that does not allow the use of calculators, some students have gotten accustomed to using calculators for every math problem. While some problems do require a calculator, most problems on the SAT and the ACT can be easily solved without the calculator.
Hence, it is important for you to limit the use of calculators while you practice on some mock tests. Also, not using the calculator will make you faster for sure.
Not studying relevant formulas
The two tests cover a plethora of topics and don’t provide a reference for each of the formulas required to solve the problems. The SAT does provide a reference for geometry formulas but the ACT gives no reference for any formulas at all. This means that you should know all the commonly tested formulas for the two tests. Some formulas that you should know in time for the test are:
- Slope-intercept
- Quadratic Equation
- Area of triangle
- Special Triangles
- Pythagorean Theorem
- Area of circle
- Area of sector
- Trigonometry functions
- Keeping the formulas in mind doesn’t just help in answering the questions better but also helps save time.
Not reading the question carefully
Many questions on the two tests are word problems. Some students find it difficult to translate them correctly to mathematical problems. When a question is misread, it leads to an incorrect answer. Hence, it is helpful to keep in mind some words that are associated with some common mathematical symbols. Here is a small list for you:
- is, are, was, were, will, gives mean =
- sum, increased by, more than, combined, total mean + (addition)
- difference, decreased by, less than mean – (subtraction)
- multiplied by, of , product of, twice mean X (multiplication)
- divided by, per, out of, ratio of mean ÷ (division)
Missing the negative sign
Some questions on the SAT and the ACT have a value with both signs (positive and negative) as answer choices. And, it is common for most students to miss the negative sign while solving the question, hence, picking the positive answer choice more often. So, if you come across such a question, make sure to check your work multiple times before picking the final answer.
The switch error
This error happens when the question has asked you for a ‘y’ value and you give them an ‘x’ value. These questions play against the normal expectations and set you up for a trap. Some of the common traps are:
- Asking for 2x or x2 instead of x
- Converting between units such as inches and feet, m and cm
- Providing you diameter instead of radius
To avoid this error, underline or highlight the question itself.
Be mindful of these silly errors as you prepare for your test. All the best!
Collegify
Collegify’s E-learning platform helps you learn, measure, and excel at standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT. We believe that each test taker is unique and needs a learning path flexible enough to allow for optimum performance. Take charge of your own preparation through detailed analytics that leave nothing to chance.
