4 Common Mistakes Math Students Often Make In Examinations

As often said, mistakes are a positive part of learning. Though preparing for exams usually does result in some sort of frenzy atmosphere, this cannot be said of the much-dreaded mathematics.

There are various reasons mathematics has always constituted a nightmare for students and math exams are certainly one of the most distressing. This often makes students increasingly prone to mistakes during math examinations.

Therefore, the best way to reduce mistakes in math exams is to bury your fear and be mindful of the common errors students usually make. Here are 4 preponderant mistakes that are often made in math examinations and how you can avoid them.

Anxiety

Sometimes, the feeling of anxiety just before a math exam can be so overwhelming, probably due to the perceived difficulty of mathematics. Anticipating the type and manner of questions to be expected in a math exam is pulsating. Anxiety sets in and you just can't seem to get anything done. Anxiety often causes students to make mistakes they would not have made ordinarily.

Some common causes of anxiety include poor preparation, a bad experience in a previous exam and poor health. Set aside adequate time for practice and revision. Try not to panic, avoid negative thoughts, and imbibe self-encouragement. Also, ensure you are in a good state of health, otherwise request to write the exam at a later date.  These are just a few of the numerous tips for coping with anxiety.

Meticulousness

In contrast with other areas of discipline, math has a unique system of punctuation called notation. Notation is a system of symbols used to represent things. For example, "∞" means "infinity". Brackets, parentheses, among others are other forms of mathematical notation.

An improper notation will alter the meaning of a mathematical expression which will definitely lead to a wrong answer. Furthermore, pay strict attention to decimal places, conversions, rounding offs and units of measurement.

As a rule of thumb, practice, practice and more practice is the underlying principle of mathematics. It builds your confidence and makes you less likely to make mistakes in exam conditions. Coupled with the tips outlined above, your next math exam should be as easy as pie.

Poor time management

This is arguably the biggest mistake that students make in math exams. You should make an assessment of the amount of the time allowed for the exam and distribute it based on the number of questions and the degree of difficulty.

Wearing a watch to the exam is highly recommended in order to keep track of time. Other time management techniques such as fast writing can give you an edge. Additionally, make use of shortcuts. Any formula or procedure that shortens the solution is a shortcut. Be careful however not to exclude important steps that will reduce your marks

Improper planning

In math exams, it is important to plan the manner in which you answer the questions. The first 5 to 10 minutes should be used in skimming through the question paper. This makes you plan the questions you're going to answer in order of how confident you feel in that subject area.

Start with questions that you find easy to answer, then proceed to the more difficult and most difficult. This secures you good marks as you would have answered the questions in your areas of strength effectively. Starting with more difficult questions can make you lose confidence and time during exams.