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March 29, 2024, 01:38:23 am

Author Topic: Tips for minimizing careless errors?  (Read 1181 times)  Share 

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edmododragon

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Tips for minimizing careless errors?
« on: October 07, 2016, 01:45:40 pm »
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Hey everyone! Could any of you share some of your tactics and tips that you use to ensure you don't make any dreadful careless errors and end up losing marks you should have secured? Currently, I like to read over all my lines of working once I've completed the exam, however I seem to miss a lot of errors this way.

jakesilove

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Re: Tips for minimizing careless errors?
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2016, 01:54:53 pm »
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Hey everyone! Could any of you share some of your tactics and tips that you use to ensure you don't make any dreadful careless errors and end up losing marks you should have secured? Currently, I like to read over all my lines of working once I've completed the exam, however I seem to miss a lot of errors this way.

Hey! I have a couple suggestions; some for mid-exam, and some for pre-HSC study.

Before the HSC, when you're doing past papers, make sure to mark them. When you see you've made a stupid mistake, WRITE OUT WHAT MISTAKE YOU MADE (broadly) in a sort of set of 'notes'. I liked to swear at myself when I did this ("If you forget to fu$king sub in dx one more time, I'll cave your fu$king head in" etc. etc.). You'll remember these mistakes that you make, and when you go to do another question, hopefully the notes will come to mind. That way, once you're focusing on the mistakes you made, you're less likely to make them again!

When it comes to the actual exam, it sort of depends on how much time you have. Since it sounds like you have time to read over each line, I'll guess you finish fairly early. I always REDID the entire question when I knew it was likely that I messed it up. I would ask for another exam booklet, and do it again from start to finish with no comparison to the original. That way, if I ended up with a different answer, I knew I screwed up somewhere. If I got the same answer, I knew it was unlikely that I made the same stupid mistake twice, and therefore probably got it right. Obviously, only do this once you've finished the paper!

Other than all this, just practice, practice, practice! Smash out those past papers, and best of luck :)

Jake
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Studying a combined Advanced Science/Law degree at UNSW