How do you get over when you make a stupid and careless test error?

[studentdoctor08]

I"m sure this has happened to nearly everyone, where you take an exam, whether it be the MCAT or a regular college exam, and literally the second after you turn the exam in a light bulb goes off in your head and you suddenly know the answer to the question that you struggled with during the test (and got wrong), or know the correct answer to an answer that you got wrong, or changed a correct answer to an incorrect answer. For the MCAT, when a difference of 1 question can make a difference in your score, how do you get over the fact that you made these dumb errors without torturing yourself while waiting for the scores? This is something that I am struggling with. Not a day goes by that I don't hate myself for making those stupid mistakes. I'd love to hear how everyone deals with this.

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[BerkReviewTeach]

I"m sure this has happened to nearly everyone, where you take an exam, whether it be the MCAT or a regular college exam, and literally the second after you turn the exam in a light bulb goes off in your head and you suddenly know the answer to the question that you struggled with during the test (and got wrong), or know the correct answer to an answer that you got wrong, or changed a correct answer to an incorrect answer. For the MCAT, when a difference of 1 question can make a difference in your score, how do you get over the fact that you made these dumb errors without torturing yourself while waiting for the scores? This is something that I am struggling with. Not a day goes by that I don't hate myself for making those stupid mistakes. I'd love to hear how everyone deals with this.

"To err is human!" I know it may not seem like much help at first, but you have to be fair when doing any self-assessment. There are going to be some careless errors, so rather than beat yourself up over one that lingers, develop a gameplan for how to (1) avoid making that same mistake again and (2) reduce the number of careless errors you make. If you know the type of careless error you made, and you see it occurring with some frequency, then you can alter your test approach to cut those errors of in advance. Many adaptations to avoid careless mistakes simply involve classifying answer choices.

 

[JLeBling]

punching bag

 

[alpharez]

I study more for the next test.