<p>I feel SO stupid...I just got a few math tests/quizzes back and I got Bs/Cs/Ds on all of them due to stupid mistakes (adding instead of subtracting, taking square roots of entire terms rather than single numbers, misreading problems)...and having a tough teacher isn't making things better.</p>
<p>Basically how do you guys avoid doing this? Any tips at all? I'm in Honors Alg. 2 by the way.</p>
<p>I usually double check my answers by redoing all the problems (if I have time). If there's more than one way to do the problem, I'll sometimes do it a different way to make sure I get the same answer.</p>
<p>I'm in alg 2 hon too...i usually do a lot of practice problems, and take it very seriously when I make a "stupid mistake". As in, literally get angry, and rewrite the problem 3x (especially if it's long). Like, even today, I did one practice problem for the quiz I had, and realized I had forgotten something stupid that would have messed up my whole quiz if I hadn't had done it. Good luck, hope that helps</p>
<p>take a LOT of time reading over the questions-- sometimes i'll circle the numbers i'll need to use, or mark key words so i actually answer the question.
then when i finish the problem i make sure the answer actually seems logical, and if there's time plug it back into the problem or redo it on scratch paper just to check.</p>
<p>best way is to not take math all together.</p>
<p>Concentrate. If you still make mistakes and you're concentrating fully on the test, that means you just don't understand the material.</p>
<p>Triple check your answers.</p>
<p>Chipmonkey's advice > All other's advice</p>
<p>That so made me laugh!</p>
<p>if you have an equation. then plug in your answer in the initial equation to validate it.
if it is a question that requires a lot of reading. Write down in mathemitacal terms all the information you can extract. (and re-read).
if it is a very tricky question, do it twice... (and different ways if possible)</p>
<p>Re-copy the equations that are in the problem. For example, if you have to factor something, rewrite the unfactored equation first, and make sure you have all the signs, exponents, variables, and coefficients correct. If you just dive in and start working, you may misread something important and mess up the entire problem. (This is the first thing my calc teacher told us before our first test - always rewrite the equation you're differentiating before you start to differentiate!)</p>
<p>When you do your problems, use lots of parentheses. It will help you keep track of which terms are being squared, which are being subtracted (and where you need to distribute a negative), etc.</p>
<p>Learn how to spot answers that don't look quite right. Two simplified examples: if your answer involves eggs that cost $12 each, or if you come up with four roots for a third-degree equation, there's clearly something wrong.</p>
<p>Do you have time to go over your work once you finish the test? If you do, and you haven't been, start. And actually concentrate - don't just skim the material that you've already written down. If you have a lot of time it may help to pull out some scrap paper and actually repeat the problems that you're not sure about, without looking at the work you've already done. A somewhat faster way is to start with your answer and review all your work going backward.</p>
<p>when i was in algebra II, if I had an equation the first thing I would do after solving the equation was to plug my answer back into the equation to make sure it worked.</p>
<p>Look over the problem while you're thinking. Then again, don't sweat it. In classes like calc you can easily get an A on a test while not getting any right answer )</p>
<p>
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In classes like calc you can easily get an A on a test while not getting any right answer
[/quote]
Hm, why's that? You get grades on the work you do to get there?</p>
<p>i always make stupid mistakes on math tests.
the other day i wrote out the formula, correctly
then I plugged in the numbers and FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON changed teh (-) to a (+)
who knows......</p>
<p>I dont have the timeee to check answers. if I did, I would. </p>
<p>and my stats teacher takes off like 5 pts for every tiny thing. not helping.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Hm, why's that? You get grades on the work you do to get there?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yeah, like let's say there is a test of five questions and each question is worth 10 points (like in my calc class I took fall). So, let's say you do a very long integration in each of the questions and then in the end you end up dividing something instead of multiplying. Let's say you divide instead of multiplying on all of them (just for kicks).</p>
<p>If the teacher is not an arsehole, he will only take one point away, giving you exactly 100-5*1=93 points which is A.</p>
<p>(Because if you know how to solve a bloody differential equation you sure as hell don't need a lesson in arithmetic. In the work you'll be doing, you'll probably let the computers do all the boring stuff).</p>