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Types of Test Taking Errors Main

There are several types of test-taking errors students commonly make and various remedies to avoid them. Careless mistakes occur when students do not pay sufficient attention, such as misreading numbers. To minimize careless errors, students should understand the cause of their mistakes, read questions carefully, double check their work, and learn from mistakes. Parents can help by having their child keep a list of errors, reminding them to avoid specific mistakes, and ensuring they understand concepts fully. Managing time well and presenting work clearly can also help reduce careless errors.

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625 views

Types of Test Taking Errors Main

There are several types of test-taking errors students commonly make and various remedies to avoid them. Careless mistakes occur when students do not pay sufficient attention, such as misreading numbers. To minimize careless errors, students should understand the cause of their mistakes, read questions carefully, double check their work, and learn from mistakes. Parents can help by having their child keep a list of errors, reminding them to avoid specific mistakes, and ensuring they understand concepts fully. Managing time well and presenting work clearly can also help reduce careless errors.

Uploaded by

api-276598326
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

Types of Test –taking Errors

Types of Test taking Errors Remedies / Solutions


Misread direction errors (skip To avoid this type of error, read all
directions or misunderstand directions, directions.
but answer the question or do the
problem anyway)
Careless errors (mistakes made which To avoid this type of error, watch for
can be caught automatically upon simple mistakes, carefully as you review
reviewing your work) the test. (know your mistakes made and
LEARN from it by not making the same
mistake again)
“It’s ok to make mistakes but it’s NOT
ok to make the same mistake twice”
Concept errors (not understanding the To avoid this type of error, go back to
properties or principles covered in the your textbook or notes and trace
textbook and lesson) through the logic of the principle or
concept you do not fully understand
Application errors (know the concept To reduce this type of error, learn to
but cannot apply it to a specific predict the type of application
situation or question) requirements that will be on the test.
Study errors (study the wrong type of To avoid these errors in the future,
material or do not spend enough time take some time to track down why the
studying pertinent material. errors occurred so that you can study
more efficiently the next time.

Test-taking errors (mistakes that you make because of the specific way you take
tests, such as:

a) Missing more questions in the 1st- If you find that you miss more questions
third, 2nd-third, or last-third of in a certain part of the test
a test consistently, use your remaining test
time to review that part of the test.

b) Not completing a problem to its To avoid this mistake, review the last
last step or not answering a step of a test problem or question first,
question fully. before doing an in-depth test review.

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Types of Test –taking Errors

c) Changing test answers from the If you are a bad answer changer, then
correct ones to the incorrect write on your test, "Don't change
answers." Only change answers if you
ones
can prove to yourself or to the
instructor that the changed answer is
correct.

d) Getting stuck on one problem or Set a time limit for each problem
question and spending too much before moving to the next problem.
time.

e) Rushing through the easiest part If you do this often, after finishing the
test, review the easy problems first,
of the test and making careless
then review the harder problems.
errors

f) In Math or Science, miscopying an To avoid this, systematically compare


answer from your scratch work to your last problem step on scratch paper
the test with the answer on the test.

g) Leaving answers blank Write down some information or try, at


least to do the first step.

CARELESS MISTAKES

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Types of Test –taking Errors

To avoid carelessness, we must know the definition of "careless".


Careless is defined as "not giving sufficient attention or
thought to avoiding errors" or "not concerned or worried
about".

To give sufficient attention to something, one main factor is ... one's


personality! What is the personality of your child? Is your child a
careful and mindful person?

What could be the main reason on why do children make SO


MANY careless mistakes?
In this modern world where each child possess at least one IT
gadget (tablet or mobile phone), the child is easily addicted to
playing internet games or watching YouTube channels. Without much
control on their usage and with the continuous stimulus that the
child is being exposed to, his brain will be trained to process
information very fast! With that, more careless mistakes can be
found in his work as he tends to skip words or read the numbers
incorrectly because his brain processes information much faster
than his eye and finger movements.

To avoid any careless mistakes, one's mind must be calm and


alert especially when solving Mathematics problem sums!

Can you help to minimize your child's careless mistakes?


To minimize your child's careless mistakes, you must first
understand the common careless mistakes made by your child.

I would recommend that you to keep track of your child's


mistakes by making a list of the careless mistakes made
in EACH EXAM and to get him to be aware of those mistakes and
avoid them during the next exam! If the mistakes are repeated, it
means that your child has not learnt from his mistakes. You will have
to put in extra effort to remind him to avoid these mistakes in his
coming exam!

Below are some of tips to help you to minimise your child's careless

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Types of Test –taking Errors

mistakes:
1) Do NOT jump into conclusion
-> When your child sees a familiar question, e.g. question on
overlapping figures, he might jump into conclusion that the question
is ALWAYS about finding the shaded part! However, it may NOT be
the case! So, remind your child NOT to jump conclusion and read the
question CAREFULLY to know exactly what is being asked.

2) Sometimes, our eyes play tricks on us. It is found that many


students read the number 255 as 225 or 3 x 3 = 6. If you know your
child tends to read certain digits wrongly, remind him about this
mistake the day before his exam.

3) When checking the answer, solve it in a new perspective by


trying the question again and check that his method answers
correctly to the question.

4) If your child tends to lose mark by forgetting to write the unit of


measurements, then I would recommend your child to make the
habit to write down what he is finding in the answer space
regardless if it is an unit of measurements (e.g. $, cm, g, etc)
or non-unit of measurements (e.g. apples, lollipops, pens, etc)

5) If your child has the tenancy of writing incorrect working


presentation, e.g. 2/5 = 30 or 2/5 x 100% = 40 (missing of %), then I
would recommend you to get him to write in the correct working
presentation 10 times EACH DAY! :)

6) Tell your child NOT to PANIC if he is running out of the time


during the exam or does not know how to solve the question. Do
deep breathing to control his anxiety. The more anxious he is, the
more mistakes he will make. Remind him to focus on one
question at a time and put in his best effort!

Learn to manage time well e.g. A 1-mark question should NOT


take more than 1 minute to solve.

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Types of Test –taking Errors

7) Label each working step CLEARLY and do not skip any step to
avoid losing method marks!

8) Always find the value of 1u FIRST. Most students made the


following mistake:
20u = 80
5u = 80 ÷ 4
= 20
15u = 15 x 30
= 300 (Wrong! Should be 20 x 3 = 60!)

9) Look out for transfer errors! CHECK, CHECK & CHECK!

 Check that the numbers are copied correctly from the


question. Do not lose marks due to using inaccurate values.
 Check numbers TYPED into the calculator are correct. Did
your child accidentally press '5' instead of '6'?
 Avoid copying the wrong values obtained from the
calculator. For example, the final answer in the calculator was
132 but your child wrote as 123.

How can I help my child further?


-> Help your child to identify the reason(s) for the “careless
mistakes”
i) Have a reward system that rewards him for doing his work
accurately.

ii) Does he read or think too fast? If yes, ask him to read word by
word TO YOU SLOWLY and you can manage his speed of reading
from there.

iii) Is he weak in his language of math? e.g, “Sean had 20% more
stamps than Leo”? If yes, drill him with the different types of
language of math by extracting some of them from the assessment
books or school works.

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Types of Test –taking Errors

iv) Does your child have a misconception of the topic? e.g. Most
students thought that all percentages can be added or subtracted.
This is the reason why when the students are asked to calculate the
amount payable after 7% GST is imposed on the discounted price
(e.g. 20% discount was given), most students will take 87% (100% -
20% + 7%) as the percentage for the amount payable! This is
incorrect because the base values (100%) are different!!!

Help your child understand the correct concept. Seek external help if
necessary.

v) Untidiness can result in him taking the wrong value for his
subsequent steps. If it is the case, then you will need to help him to
be more systematic in his work and guide him to present his
workings in an orderly manner.

Hope you find the tips and recommendation useful to reduce your
child’s careless mistakes!! 

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