Tips to Avoid Silly Mistakes in Mathematics Paper (2024)

When it comes to mathematics, the most common thing to be heard around is ‘Silly Mistake’. Whether it is about regular class tests, board exams or competitive exams, the fear of making silly mistakes in mathematics always surround you.

To help you deal with this problem effectively and learn the tips & tricks of avoiding silly mistakes, today we have got some very important message from Jeevan Jyoti Sir, math faculty at ALLEN Career Institute.

He shared these interesting and effective tips during the Live Guidance Session on Math by the ALLEN Experts. While on the panel, Jeevan Jyoti Sir acknowledged this problem faced by students and provided very feasible and apt ways of dealing with this concern.

Explaining the reasons that lead to such ‘silly mistakes’, Jeevan Jyoti sir categorized it in two sections: Non-Academic & Academic.

Let’s have a look at the factors responsible for silly mistakes in each of this category:

Non-Academic

There are various factors involved in the non-academic category, which primary include your personality and the lifestyle that you follow.

Staying Up Late at Night

Jeevan Jyoti Sir states that students have the tendency of staying up at night till late, even a day before the exam. Often, they compensate for this loss of sleep at night by sleeping during the daytime. He adds that such a habit affects your metabolism negatively. This puts your body in an uncomfortable situation, both physically and mentally. And when your body is at discomfort, the functions of mind also get disrupted.

In order to sleep properly the day before your exam, it is imperative that your body system is accustomed to early sleeping and early rising. Most exams are conducted in the morning shifts, hence, having the habit of sleeping at night on time and waking up early, keeps you fresh both physically as well as mentally and you can perform better. While many might feel this to be irrelevant, but this happens to be one of the most important factors. Following a healthy lifestyle is the key to success.

Worrying Over Uncertainties

Another factor is worrying about the uncertainties of the future. Students who feel anxious thinking about future, often get nervous during the test and lose their focus. The approach you follow while solving question determines your chance of making a mistake. If while solving the doubt, you happen to be in a fresh state of mind with the complete focus on the problem, you are less likely to make a mistake.

Not having a proper breakfast or skipping food is another reason that leads you to lose focus and end up making mistakes.

In the exam hall, your only focus should be ‘Doing the Best & Forgetting the Rest’.

Academic

Talking about the academic factors leading to silly mistakes, Jeevan Jyoti Sir highlighted a few important points.

Doubts in Theory & Theoretical Aspects

It is very important that your theory and theoretical aspects are very clear. In case of uncertainty, you tend to develop a fear thinking that you aren’t well-prepared in a topic or concept. This fear ends up being the reason of you making a mistake while solving the question.

Not Remembering the Formula and Result

It is very important that you remember the formulas and results. In the absence of which you are bound to make mistakes, which can’t be categorized under silly mistakes. Proper revision of formulas is very important as it gives you the confidence of solving a question without any fear or self-doubt.

Not Practicing Enough

Even though you have read or prepared well, your performance can only be measured on the basis of your practice. It is very vital that you give more time to practice and solve as many questions and doubts as possible. More practice enhances your preparation and even clears your doubts and improves concept understanding.

Taking Pressure of Solving Questions at the Earliest

Another factor that leads to silly mistakes is taking unnecessary pressure of solving the questions at the earliest. During the exam, you should not let this pressure overpower you. It makes you lose focus and you end up making silly mistakes.

Self-Doubt

You should leave no room for self-doubt; attempt questions with full confidence and don’t doubt yourself. Too much self-doubt leads to confusions which are not good for your performance.

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While summarizing his tips, Jeevan Jyoti sir also added that you once you have completed a question, you should consider reading it once again before marking the answer. This allows you to think from a different angle and understand it thoroughly. Also, he advises students to not make it a habit of reading the questions along with the options because often they serve as important clues.

He says that these exams are more about identifying the answer as contrary to the school exams where you must find the answer. So, when you read the options and the questions carefully, you get to know how the answer can be identified and minimize your chances of making silly mistakes.