Need Help with Eliminating Dumb Mistakes on Full Lengths

[dnic2693]

Hello Everyone,

I am seeking some advice on how you all managed to overcome or at least minimize the number of dumb mistakes you made on full lengths. I have taken 7 full lengths to date and the trend with these mistake is rather consistent unfortunately. I have 1 month until my test date. My issue is mainly in physical sciences where I'll average 4-8 dumb mistakes each time a take a FL. I am consistently hitting 9s and an occasional 10 on the PS. These careless mistakes are keeping me from hitting 10s and 11s (which is what I know I am capable of upon elimination of these easy mistakes).
The nature of these "dumb mistakes" are:
- Overcomplicating or being intimidated by a seemingly difficult question only to find the science and subsequent solution are so simple
- Having the reasoning correct but accidentally choosing the answer exactly opposite to what was asked
- Having difficulty figuring out what the question wants with its funky wording only to find out its a simple equation that I know

Basically, during the test when I'm pressed for time I just have trouble seeing the pathway to the solution when it is so simple. When I go back to correct the test I just wanna hit my head against the wall b/c the solution is so easy and is: definitely something that I know, have solved previously in practice, or just misread what the question was asking. I believe these mistakes are simply some form of carelessness and not a lack of knowledge. The same area shows up in BS but to a lesser extent. I really need help opening my eyes and thinking clearer so that I don't keep getting cut short by these questions that I am more than capable of getting right. Your input is appreciated.

Thank You!

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[tcon91]

I'm in the same boat as you. It's so frustrating that I get these easy questions wrong. When I spend just a little more time to look at them I get them right but I exceed 8 minutes which is a no no.

 

[dnic2693]

Yeah man, frustrating for sure. Knowing that you were easily capable of getting it right or forgetting to convert time from minutes to seconds for a calculation when you're under the gun is just killing me. I feel like it must be a matter of experience and awareness. Sort of like a football team who has the ability to be in the playoffs but is making too many mental errors and pointless turnovers to compete at that level (at their current state).. i.e. the skill level is there but they just aren't ready for the playoffs yet. Im hoping I will improve by going over my dumb mistakes, working out the answers to them, being more aware/confident, and less trusting of answer choices that seem to pop out at you before you've completely solved a problem. Seems to be a multi-facet issue. I know I'll overcome it because I really have no other choice if I want to score where I should. Hopefully there are some others that will comment that have been through the same thing and can offer some tips that helped them. Good luck to you man!

 

[tcon91]

Thanks brother. Same to you.

 

[avocadowallet]

How are you on timing? I ran into a similar problem with PS and BS, and managed to curb it by leaving ample, ample time to check over answers with a fine-toothed comb. From taking most of the AAMC exams, I've found that leaving about 25 minutes to really go over your answers and justify them in your head is good for catching careless mistakes. Then, at the last 5-10 minutes I spend really chewing the ones that I had troubles on. This seems to work for me since my mistakes are now just gaps in my knowledge. 25 minutes is quite a lot, but I feel safer with one or two check-through runs, just to be certain.

When it comes to calculations, I improved by being neater with my scratch work and numbering them as I go along. I don't know if this is something you'll find helpful, but I used to mess up on exponents a lot in school until I just wrote everything in scientific 'calculator' notation: 6000 would be 6E3, 0.05 would be 5E-2 and so on. It looks cleaner to me, and cleaner math work makes for fewer mistakes.

 

[dnic2693]

Thanks for your response. In regard to timing, I am always feeling rushed..I think that may be part of the issue like you mentioned. A lot of times I will kind of do like 3/4 of calculation or thought process then jump to the answer choice I see (which is often a distractor) since I am pressed for time. Or I will just not have enough time or clarity in my head to see the obvious right in front of me (breaking down a complex question stem into the simple science that it is asking for), and other dumb mental errors. I'm starting to use Sci Not. a lot more now, makes calculation a lot easier. I will make sure I am neater on my next test. Another thing I think I noticed is that when I am unsure of what to do I will let the problem sit in my head instead of just getting it down on paper. I'm finding that for a tricky calculation it helps me just to start writing out the calculation.

How do you manage to have 25 min leftover at the end of a section? I am down to the seconds..

 

[avocadowallet]

If in the first 20 seconds I can't (1) think of what the right answer is or what it ought to look like, (2) get decently far in calculations, (3) cross out any wrong answers, I mark and skip. If I have any doubt at all, I mark it. For the first one I took (AAMC 3), I was also down to seconds on all sections. What helped me practice was doing massive amounts of problems and passages from TPR science workbook and timing up. I've forced myself to keep trucking on, staying focused as best I can. Focus seems to be an issue for you, so discipline yourself when you practice. Force yourself to spend more time reading a passage - if you don't know what it's saying, skip it and come back. More time put to understanding what it's talking about, or understanding example experiments, diagrams, graphs, and data will pay off when you answer questions. That way, you spend less time wrestling with the meaning of the questions.

 

[dnic2693]

Ok thanks for the advice. I will pay more attention to the passage especially experimental stuff (which I struggle with a bit). And yeah focus is huge. I need to be more aware, alert, confident, and less trusting of answer choices that pop out at me I think. I might have to experiment with marking the questions some..I'm not sure how comfortable I would feel leaving a lot of questions unanswered and having to return to them after leaving the passage. But you're right that I shouldn't waste my time if I can't your 1-3 in a short amount of time, then it would be better to mark it like you said I guess. I just revised my study schedule to better fit my post content review needs. Basically for the next month I'm taking 2-3 FLs a week for a month and post phrasing and working practice problems for things that I get wrong.Thanks for your help avocado wallet!

 

[AmishExpressWay]

I find I make much less mistakes when my mind is well rested. The longer I study in one sitting, the more mistakes I tend to make due to gradual deterioration of mental focus. Therefore, to make less mistakes like this comes down to several things: practice, nutrition, exercise, a good ratio of work/play, ample sleep, good sleep schedule. There are a lot of things you can do to improve focus, and thus performance.

Edit: If you are truly dedicated, you can also try meditation. It helps eliminate unnecessary thought patterns you may have while taking a test.

Edit2: I don't mean "voodoo", reincarnate yourself meditation. I mean meditation where you focus on one thing like your breathing for a set period of time.

 

[dnic2693]

Haha thanks, I think some non voodoo meditation would be helpful. I might try that. I think you're right about being well rested. This past two months I was following the SN2 schedule which got really intense for me. I was fairly stressed out the whole two months and getting worn down even though I made a lot of good progress with content review. Taking practice tests in the midst of all that stress and lack of ample sleep and fun surely had its negative effects while taking my practice tests. I'll really work on my focus this month. I have about 8-10 more practice tests to work out these kinks before my actual exam.