Mistakes to avoid in GRE

Whatever your purpose for studying for the GRE, this professional guidance will undoubtedly be beneficial.

We’ll look at several tactics for preventing thoughtless errors on the GRE in this post. Our major focus will be on reducing mistakes in the Quantitative component of the test, although some of the tactics can also be used in the Verbal section.

Before we get into these tactics, it’s worth noting that some of them can be time demanding. So, before you contemplate applying any of these, be sure you’re not prone to making stupid blunders.

The Story of silly Mistakes

Some students tell themselves the Silly Mistakes tale to cope with less-than-ideal exam scores. After all, it’s a lot easier for the ego to tell yourself that you made stupid mistakes than it is to admit that you may have some knowledge gaps. So, let’s be clear about what makes a stupid error.

We’ll start with errors that aren’t always silly.

It is not a dumb error to use sophisticated mathematics to solve a word problem in 3 minutes when you could have put in the answer selections and completed the question in 1 minute. The issue is that you overlooked a different/better/faster way.

It is not a dumb error to not know where to begin on a hard geometry issue; it is a signal that you need to go back and review the rules and techniques for solving geometry questions.

It is neither a ridiculous error to fail to examine the answer possibilities and use general approximation to rapidly answer a question, nor is it a silly mistake to forget that most probability problems can be handled using either probability rules or counting procedures.

All of the above examples indicate that you do not yet have the appropriate tools to answer those queries.

Silly errors are another story. These are situations in which you have all of the essential abilities to answer an issue, but something went wrong.

A foolish error occurs when:

Because of your imprecise penmanship, a 7 has unexpectedly turned into a 1.

You overlook the fact that a question is an EXCEPT question.

You overlook critical information such as “x is an integer” or “w 0.”

When the inquiry asked for Pat’s age in 5 years, you compute his present age.

First and foremost, strive to avoid referring to yourself as someone who makes stupid errors. I’ve encountered a number of people who almost boast about making thoughtless mistakes, and this negative thinking may become self-fulfilling. So, rather of dwelling on petty errors, be the one who seeks to reduce them.

The remaining tactics are dependent on the sorts of errors you tend to make. There are two main types:

1. Errors in reading
2. Errors in computation
3. The tactics you choose will be determined by the type of mistake.

Reducing Reading Errors

Reading errors are errors caused by improper reading and/or poor recall. Consider the following suggestions if you frequently make reading mistakes.

To begin, keep track of the many sorts of reading errors you make. Some examples are:

• Failure to recognise numerical limitations. “X is positive,” for example, or “k is an even integer.”
• Answering the incorrect question. For instance, you estimated the time in hours, but the query called for it in minutes.
  Ignoring the fact that a question is a “EXCEPT” question.
• You’ll be able to see the possibility of foolish mistakes before they happen if you become acutely aware of the sorts of reading faults you frequently make. This step alone may be sufficient to prevent the majority of reading mistakes.
• If you use the aforementioned procedure and the reading issues remain, there are more options to explore. Just bear in mind that these tactics might be quite time demanding.
• Slowing down and attentively reading every single word is an apparent solution for pupils who make frequent reading mistakes.
• The second advice is to totally immerse yourself in what you’re reading. Under the stress of a formal test, pupils frequently lose focus and allow their thoughts to wander. So, remember to employ some of the tactics you do while reading comprehension passages. For example, pretend to be interested or picture the supplied facts.
• Another method to explore is keeping track of important information. For example, if you have a habit of answering the wrong question, you should write down the needed activity.
• Finally, if you’re still making frequent reading mistakes, you may need to read the question (or text) again. Another alternative is to read the issue, respond to the question, and then reread the question before giving your response. Yes, it takes time. However, this strategy may be required to increase your score.

So, those are some pointers to assist you in reducing reading mistakes. Now, let’s look at some pointers to assist you reduce calculation mistakes.

Errors in Computation are Reduced

Computation mistakes are errors that result in a wrong response despite the fact that you have all of the abilities required to answer the question correctly.

You can reduce calculation mistakes in the same way that you can reduce reading errors by first noting the sorts of computation errors you frequently make. Some examples of frequent kinds are:

• A mental fart. For example, assuming that 7 times 9 is 56… oops.
• There are too many mental computations. For example, suppose you solve the equation 5x – 7 = 1 – 3x in your brain and mistakenly conclude that x=4… oops.
• The writing is sloppy. For instance, writing 7/2 as part of a computation and then interpreting it as 1/2… oops.

Once you’ve discovered the sorts of arithmetic mistakes you’re prone to, you’ll be able to detect their potential from a mile away. The solutions to calculation mistakes are rather simple. Take your time and consider conducting certain calculations twice to avoid brain farts. Use your note board more frequently to avoid mistakes caused by too many mental computations. Improve your handwriting to reduce untidy writing errors.

You should be able to limit the number of dumb mistakes and obtain a GRE score that accurately represents your ability with a little effort and common sense.