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How do you treat dumb mistakes?
Bianca1234-1
Alum Member
I keep finding that an increasing number of my mistakes occur due to carelessness rather than a misunderstanding of the material. What have you guys done to tackle this type of problem? Should these be given as high a priority as cases of genuine confusion? I don't know what to do because there isn't a pattern but it occurs at least several times each test.
Comments
Depends on what type of carelessness - is it due to rushing ? Is it because you aren’t understanding the question and missing key details / indicators ?is it because you are zoning out when going over the question ? Try to do some sets untimed and focus on what they are asking for.
By and large, I treated mine with skepticism about whether they were actually silly or more likely were really indicative of a larger problem. It's usually the easy way out to call it a dumb mistake.
If you misread a rule, a prompt, or an answer choice you made a dumb mistake but probably not because you just are going to make dumb mistakes. It is probably because your system of reading the question is somehow flawed or rushed.
If you just missed a question and now the answer seems obvious, why didn't it seem obvious the first time. Maybe you need more practice identifying this question type and implementing your approach to it.
Additionally, do you catch these stupid mistakes in your blind review? If you don't then you are not learning everything you can from the test. After all, if you have extra time on the real test you are probably going to go back and check. Don't you want practice trying to catch dumb mistakes when you don't know they are there?
By and large, I treated mine with skepticism about whether they were actually silly or more likely were really indicative of a larger problem. It's usually the easy way out to call it a dumb mistake.
If you misread a rule, a prompt, or an answer choice you made a dumb mistake but probably not because you just are going to make dumb mistakes. It is probably because your system of reading the question is somehow flawed or rushed.
If you just missed a question and now the answer seems obvious, why didn't it seem obvious the first time. Maybe you need more practice identifying this question type and implementing your approach to it.
Additionally, do you catch these stupid mistakes in your blind review? If you don't then you are not learning everything you can from the test. After all, if you have extra time on the real test you are probably going to go back and check. Don't you want practice trying to catch dumb mistakes when you don't know they are there?
Personally never chalked anything up to "dumb mistakes." They were incorrect for a reason. For instance, I used to make bubbling errors all the time, so I created a new bubbling system that worked for me to bypass that issue.
thanks for asking this - I'm finding that I'm making "dumb mistakes" in the LG section of the CC. prior to watching a video, I try to complete the game board and answer the questions on my own first so that I can pin point the flaw in my execution. most often, my mistakes happen when I either fail to complete inferences or actually read the stimulus incorrectly (which I think means I need to slow down a titch).
the above answers were really helpful for me to recognize that these "dumb mistakes" are legitimate issues that I need to take seriously to correct.
Completing inferences is most of the work in logic games so failing to complete them is definitely not a silly mistake you can just dismiss.
And especially in games reading a rule wrong is just too costly to chalk up as a silly mistake. It's something you have to systemetize and get better at. However, it probably is still generally easier to fix. You just slow down go through the rules one at a time and if mistakes keep leaking through you can even go through and check each rule to make sure you had each rule right. If it took 30 seconds to check all the rules for each game that would be two minutes for a section which is way less than what it would cost if a mistake snuck through and you found it after your ssetup and a few questions or worse didn't find it at all.
It's hard to shift from a mindset of rushing through games to trying not to make mistakes on rules and then trying to get as many inferences as possible while in the setup stage before starting the questions because you can feel the clock ticking. But in the end it is worth it.
When I make a silly mistake, I just make certain that I really DO understand the principle at play. If you find you consistently understand the principles, then you're probably just going too fast. Walk before you can run! You need to take more time to properly understand the question. As you improve, you'll be able to get through the questions faster, without making those mistakes. But you need to slow down first.
It could also be an attitude thing. Every question is a threat. Treat them with the respect they deserve. Don't assume any question is a gimme. Be very careful, and build up your ability to maintain a high level of focus for the duration of the test, on every single question.
Don't lose faith in your ability to answer the question. Just realize that this is related to your attitude/strategy, and those are very malleable. You got this
I'm thinking your correct and that I'm probably rushing too often. The problem with catching these mistakes is they usually don't occur on questions that I mark for blind review. With LR for example, sometimes I'll read a word such as "can" as "cannot", probably from glossing over the content rather than focusing, and it causes me to eliminate the correct answer choice. I used to do this on LG rules as well but I have since managed to stop it. The problem is there is a lot more reading on the LR section, and i feel like reminding myself to do this creates a distraction from the actual question at hand.
Another problem I have is while taking practice exams, sometimes I get what could only be referred to as "cloudiness" during some of the LR sections which causes me to miss a few questions. When I go back after the fact I can immediately find the correct ac, but for some reason fatigue sets in when im doing actual questions. Maybe I just need to practice more? I don't really know how to address that but your answer was helpful. Thanks.
Sounds like you need to train for endurance and focus. Set time limits for goals, ie, 2 straight hours no distractions. It's like cardio, ya gotta build it up.
This is supremely true! I was pleased with my June score of 156, because although I want to score over 170, I know I still need a lot of work in LG, and always planned to retake. Main reason to take in June at all was simply to know my response during a standardized test, I haven't taken one since high school, and I graduated in 1983. I was fine.
I scored -13 in LG, so had I done well in this section, I would be close to my goal, which is what I expected. However, upon reflection, my only issue is NOT slowing down to set up the game boards and make inferences. I have a very solid understanding of how to do LG. I BR'd the June 2018 games and finished them with few mistakes in the time allotted. During the actual test, I properly set up 1st game. Panic set in with 2nd game, I skipped it entirely, looked at 3rd, did the same, and moved on to last game (arguably the hardest) and told myself to stop panicking; I set the board up and got all correct.
So while initially pleased, its actually a major bummer. At least I realize it. My mission for the next couple of months is to force myself to slow down and make that shift, because as @"Seeking Perfection" said, in the end it will be worth it.
I'd also suggest doing a few sections untimed -- just go through, don't worry about the clock, take as much time as you need per question. Give your brain the time it needs to go through the logic, weigh the options, etc. If you keep rushing through all the questions, you'll never solve the carelessness!
I'd try going back to blind reviewing everything istead of just those you mark then. It does not take as long as you might think if you are pretty confident on most of the questions.
My stupid mistakes usually come from misreading a single word. While setting up my game boards, I started circling words like "before", "after", "only", and "exactly". In the questions, I now circle things like "could" and "must", and I pay special attention to the wording of any question that talks about a "complete and accurate list". Some of the "complete and accurate" questions want a list of ANY members who could be in the group, and other questions want a list of who could be in a group at the same time.
A dumb mistake happens occasionally. Dumb mistakes happening often are a pattern, and a symptom of a recurring problem. Are you rushing your reading? Are you inferring something incorrectly? These are problems.
I am definitely having this problem too. I notice on logical reasoning and logic games that lately I have been misreading a lot of questions. I know it’s because I’m rushing and I am trying to blind review so I can take note of when I need to slow down. It’s definitely difficult though.