<p>So I took a practice for math and writing and got 4 wrong on math and 3 wrong on writing =/... all of the math problems were careless mistakes and 1 writing was a careless mistake... How can I stop making these stupid mistakes?? Should I work slower? (I had about 18 minutes left on writing and 18 minutes left on math. I looked over my answers.. but I guess it wasnt thorough enough...)</p>
<p>oh, and I forgot to mention that I got 3 wrong on science- 2 of which were careless mistakes ;(</p>
<p>u already know the answer to ur problem. don’t spam the site man.</p>
<p>?? I was asking if there are any strategies I can use. Whats ur problem?</p>
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<p>There is no writing section on the ACT. Also your timer must be broken if you think you finished the math section with 18 out of 60 minutes to spare – maybe some easier prep guide version but not a real ACT test.</p>
<p>@LoremIpsum- No, I consistently have 18 minutes left on the math section on the real ACT prep guide. Even when I took it officially in April (scored a 34… probably the careless mistakes again). I dont know why there is so much negativity around here. I am a strong math student in the highest class possible at my school. In addition, I consistently get 800s on math–so obviously I can fly through the math section. The math level is a joke… And I am so sorry for saying that is was a “writing” section instead of english… give me a break…</p>
<p>Raza, it’s not so much negativity as it is that your answer is so obvious that one wonders why you ask it, unless you’re seeking oohs and aahs. A lot of kids who post here pray to get a 34 using every second of the 60 minutes. On the other hand, my son has twice gotten a 36.0 on his ACT and also got a 240 on his PSAT and he has never finished with anything near 18 minutes to spare, so I find your claim somewhat suspect. It’s possible you have instead mastered the art of making smart guesses, which is a great technique for those emergencies where you don’t have enough time and are willing to accept a small error rate. THAT can be done with 18 minutes to spare, but it rarely will get you the 36.</p>
<p>If you have half as much time remaining to review as you used to take the entire test, you should be able to find enough time to recalculate ALL of the potentially-difficult questions and find and correct your sloppy errors. Use a different method to solve for the answer on the second pass to avoid making the same mistake in the same way twice.</p>
<p>LoremIpsum, just because your “perfect” son can’t do something doesn’t mean it can’t be done. I totally believe when he says he has 18 minutes left over. Why? Because I always finish ACT Math with 20-25 minutes left over, and got a 36 on my last one (36 composite too). But nevertheless, if one has that much time left over at the end of the test, there’s no reason stupid mistakes should still exist. Go back and do any questionable problems a different way with different steps and see if you get the same answer. Plug the answer back into the question to make sure it works. Look at the answer to make sure it makes sense given the question. There are plenty of things you can do to eliminate stupid mistakes.</p>
<p>***… 18 mins left? you guys are nuts, most time I had left over is like 10mins for English and Math.</p>
<p>Thanks estan736… And @ LoremIpsum, all I was asking is if I should slow down and not leave to time to check my answers. I am asking for advice for different strategies not a parent annoying everyone on a forum… get a life</p>
<p>One of the most effective ways to reduce careless mistakes is to relax. It is much easier to think when you are not tense. And make sure you thoroughly read the ENTIRE question, perhaps twice, and make sure you know what the question is asking for. </p>
<p>And LoremIpsum, I agree with estan. Just because your son with perfect ACT and PSAT scores (thank you for mentioning that, btw) can’t finish a test with more than 18 minutes doesn’t mean any other student can’t. I finished the ACT Math and English section with enough time to check the english twice (got a 33) and the math one and a half times (got a 35, misread a picture). </p>
<p>"Also your timer must be broken if you think you finished the math section with 18 out of 60 minutes to spare – maybe some easier prep guide version but not a real ACT test. "</p>
<p>God, that is such an obnoxious and arrogant statement. Please, you really think that it’s impossible to finish an ACT section with over 18 minutes left? Such an ignorant and demeaning statement that it makes me feel pity for your son and disgust towards you.</p>
<p>My very math-talented daughter historically made a fair amount of careless mistakes when doing math, and none were mistakes of non-comprehension. Math teachers, over the years, said that they found that their more math-endowed students were the ones more likely to make careless mistakes, over their middle-of-the-road math peers, because the more math-confident students tended to rush.</p>
<p>In 10th grade, my daughter’s honors pre-calc teacher observed that my daughter seemed to be holding her breath during a test. He whispered in her ear that she was doing so, and I tell you that her rate of careless mistakes plummeted to almost nothing for the rest of the year and in the subsequent Calc BC and, then, Number Theory and Discrete Math. During the SAT and subject tests (one of which was MATH II), my daughter was very conscious of her breathing (and even wrote breathe on the back of each hand). Well, she got an “800” on the Math SAT and a 770 on the MATH SAT II. Coincidence or was there indeed some impact of making sure more blood reached her brain.</p>
<p>@ Lorem, you come off as imperious and unkind. Raza is asking for help/ideas not abuse and condemnation.</p>
<p>regardless the TS knows his answer. i don’t understand why u are posting this thread when u clearly know that u have so much time left and u are making ‘careless mistakes’. i don’t understand how u can be a strong math student without any logic. it’s clear u need to slow down to prevent the mistakes >< its not even logic. it’s common sense i gues…</p>
<p><<i don’t=“” understand=“” how=“” u=“” can=“” be=“” a=“” strong=“” math=“” student=“” without=“” any=“” logic.=“”>>
^^^nasty and misses the point that OP is asking for other strategies besides the obvious one of slowing down.</i></p><i don’t=“” understand=“” how=“” u=“” can=“” be=“” a=“” strong=“” math=“” student=“” without=“” any=“” logic.=“”>
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<p>Like i said before, I don’t think slowing down is the answer. Get through it as quick as you would normally, circle problems that are iffy, then go back and check through EVERYTHING, with emphasis on the circled questions.</p>
<p>estan, you don’t finish the math section with “20-25 mins to spare.” there’s no reason to lie/exaggerate on an internet forum, you aren’t impressing anybody</p>
<p>I guess there’s no way to prove this to you, but yes I do finish with that much time left. The math on the ACT is not the least bit difficult. There’s no reason for me to exaggerate on an internet forum. Thanks for the personal attack on my integrity, though. I appreciate it, especially coming from someone with the modest name of “perfect36”.</p>
<p>@perfect I finished the math section with 20-25 minutes left also. You think that, confirmed by your name, that since you probably can’t finish the math section in 20-25 minutes, then no one else can. No one likes a person who attacks other people, which you do. You are nothing but a ■■■■■ so just leave.</p>
<p>I looked into this thread because I was also hoping, like raza, to find some suggestions about careless errors, and I’m really surprised by all the negative responses. My daughter has a tendency to make careless mistakes on important tests - I hardly think it is unusual to make errors when under stress. The suggestion about breathing is an interesting one, and I thank you SWHarborfan for posting. I’ll have my daughter try it.</p>
<p>When I took the ACT, I took it at the same time as another guy who got a 36. Somehow, he managed to fall asleep before time was called for almost every section (not science). I don’t think he quite finished any section with 20 minutes to spare, but he had at least 10 minutes on three of the four sections.</p>
<p>As for the OP’s question, I think careless mistakes can only be eliminated with added care. If it’s the easy questions that get you, double-check your answers, especially if you’ve got time left over. Math questions should be the easiest to check, since you don’t need to have read a passage to get the answer. Also, more practice never hurts.</p>