<p>i've been doing practice math tests and keep on making silly mistakes. what's the best way to prevent these kinds of mistakes?
thanks</p>
<p>read the questions VEEEERY CAREFULLY. In many cases you will be solving for one thing when you're meant to solve for another... (CB is usually counting on this). Also, if you're genuinely good at math just use the strategy of working quickly through all the problems and then go back and check them. Thats what I do, and I had the same problem.</p>
<p>Take your time when answering the questions (Not too much time; just enough to let you understand what the question is asking) most people make silly mistakes because they read the question too fast and end up picking the wrong choice.
this might seem rediculously obvious but: u should shade the right oval. I know alot of people who knew the right answer but shaded the wrong oval and got much lower scores.</p>
<p>gosh <em>sigh</em> just don make ne...what's so hard about that <em>lol</em></p>
<p>i dont agree with the "quickly finish the questions first and then go back and check" strategy..
my idea is to work as slowly and carefully as possible(only for people who are good at math and feel condescending while doing problems like those on SAT I. this feeling always makes you over-confident)</p>
<p>well i guess different things work for diff. people. sum wud prefer to go fast and then check back while others wud prefer to go slow and steady on each one...</p>
<p>The problem with going slow and steady is that you might not finish all the problems. Atleast when you go fast, even if you didn't finish checking them all over, there is atleast a chance that some of them are right.</p>
<p>It depends on ur skills really..you should really just try different stragies during practice tests and see which one helps you the most...</p>
<p>Underline the question. Many problems can be solved in more than one way (try algebraic manipulation AND brute force methods / solve by hand AND graph). If you're decent at math or just SAT stuff and your score is 700-780, try and READ CAREFULLY and solve at a medium pace as mentioned above. </p>
<p>I used to take the "rush and check w/ 10 min. left" strategy, but I couldn't hit the 800 mark. After completing some problems, I felt irresolute and ended up missing it. The SAT is a reading test, take it slowly and organize yourself and you can get an 800 on math.</p>
<p>when im lost on a problem i go straight to the answer choices and try to work them into the equation or triangle or whatever is there. It works most of the time.</p>
<p>Write down the important steps. </p>
<p>It's easier to spot a mistake when it is visible.</p>
<p>snipez90 - thanks Im going for an 800 (previosly got a 710) so I will try your approach</p>