Maths is often considered the backbone of all STEM-related careers. Developing a clear and deep understanding of its key concepts—especially at such a fundamental level—is not only essential but crucial for anyone pursuing these fields or even just for everyday life. After all, who wouldn’t want to calculate the probability of winning a game?
While most of us recognize the importance of this subject, some might excel while others may struggle. Regardless of where you stand, we’ve all likely experienced the frustration of realizing a silly mistake after the fact. If that sounds familiar, you’re in the right place! I’ve compiled a list of common mistakes students (myself included) often make, in hopes of helping you reduce your chances of making them.
Insufficient Working
Have you ever encountered a question and jumped with joy because you knew exactly how to solve it? In that moment of excitement, you might forget to write down all the necessary steps, costing you valuable method marks. There’s a reason why these marks exist! Writing everything down not only helps the examiner understand your approach, but it’s also essential for earning all the points in the question.
Incorrect Use of Formulas
Memorizing formulas can be tedious and boring, but it’s crucial if you want to score full marks. Imagine confusing the formula for the area of a circle (πr²) with the formula for its perimeter (2πr)! That completely changes the structure of your answer and will inevitably lead to a deduction of marks. One tip to avoid this is to practice plenty of past papers to reinforce your formula recall. Additionally, create a formula list and review it daily—especially for more complex formulas like the cosine rule, which requires understanding multiple terms and prerequisites before applying them.
Failing to Check Units
Converting units may seem like a small detail, but failing to do so can instantly cost you marks. Beyond simple conversions like meters to centimeters (and vice versa), you’ll also encounter unit conversions for areas and volumes. Be prepared! A good strategy is to convert units to the required format at the very beginning of your solution and clearly indicate it. This will help you avoid this common mistake altogether.
Misreading Questions
During exams, stress and the ticking clock can make it easy to overlook key details, especially in longer questions involving mensuration or word problems. These questions often require you to juggle a lot of information. One simple way to avoid this is to underline the key information—such as units required or other important details in the question—so you keep them in mind while solving and checking your work.
Tips for Performing Math Faster
In addition to reviewing the subject content and practicing many questions, here are some tips for performing math faster during exams
- Get your basics Right
Practice Fundamentals: Allow yourself to learn the concepts, the formulas and the rules. This is what will make you finish problems fast because you won’t be thinking too much about it.
Memorize Important Formulas: If you remember how to apply basic formulae (arising in geometry, trigonometry, algebra) it will also be helpful. Terms that you forget will be reinforced if you revise them from time to time.
- Work on Mental Math
Develop Mental Calculation Skills: Make it a habit to have some calculations done ‘in the head’ especially when doing basic calculations without the intention of reaching for a calculator. This is useful for rapid checks.
Use Estimation: There are instances where you will not need the exact figures. In such cases, it is possible to give an approximate figure to see whether the answer is reasonable thereby saving the time of going through the wrong path.
- Learn Shortcuts and Tricks
Use Approximations for Large Calculations: Embrace the habit of using approximating in numbers to hasten the computation.
Identify Common Patterns: Pay attention to certain questions or question patterns that you might encounter repeatedly. For example, in algebra, most factorization questions are solved using the same techniques.
Work Backwards in Some Cases: Sometimes, especially in multiple-choice examinations, it can be quicker to take the provided answers and work the solution backwards from them.
To wrap up, the best approach is to attempt all questions with caution and always recheck your answers as if you were seeing the questions for the first time. Looking at the problem from the examiner’s perspective can also be helpful in catching simple yet easy-to-overlook mistakes. Good luck with your studies!
