How to get rid of careless mistakes especially on the SAT Math section.

Question

I just took the April 2017 QAS and got a 1360 (710 math and 650 ERW). After reviewing the test and spotting my mistakes, I realized that in the Math section I could have gotten 5 more questions -- if I had not made some silly careless mistakes -- which could have increased my Math score from a 710 to a 760, greatly improving my overall score to a 1410. I am taking the March 9 SAT, so this is of great concern to me. I have some ideas about how to get rid of these careless mistakes, but I will love to hear from someone who has dealt with these kinds of mistakes. Anyone with any ideas about how they "wrested" against careless mistakes and optimized their score?

Answer 1

Ah yes, the careless math mistakes. I am too a victim of those. I once wrote 1+1 = 0 on a math test because I accidentally started thinking about the next problem and 0 was the answer to the follow problem.

If you want to avoid making careless mistakes, I would practice focusing on the problem. If you know the material, then the major thing that would lead you to make the mistake is lack of attention. What I did when I was studying for the SAT (which was less than a year ago) was talk to myself as I was solving the problem. This helped me focus my mind on the sound as well as the writing.

Also depending on the nature of your careless mistakes, you can adjust your strategies differently. For example, if you have a problem forgetting the negative signs (which is a common issue for many students) then practice problems that include a lot of negative signs and deliberately focus on including each one. If you struggle with plugging things into the calculator correctly, then practice that. Likewise, if you make silly algebra errors, practice slowing down. If you take a total of 2 seconds more to answer a question correctly, that's help you more than it hurts you. If your issue is bubbling in the correct letter, then perhaps the method of whispering the letter to yourself as you're bubbling it might help.

Also, you can always go back and check the questions. I always had a solid 5 minutes at the end of the math section to go back and check. However, if you don't have time left over, don't worry, just practice the techniques i've already shared and they will help.

I couldn't really tell from your question what type of "careless mistakes" you made on your test. If you message me with specifics, I'd be able to help you more.

Don't stress too much over the SAT though. As long as you're in a certain "range" for colleges, you're solid. I wish you the best of luck as you prepare to take the next SAT test. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to message me.