Experience is making mistakes and learning from them’- Bill Ackman. Making mistakes in a physics exam helps you to learn. It allows you not to repeat the errors in the next test. Therefore, once you make a careless mistake, learn from it.
You should take physics exams seriously. The test requires to be done step by step to avoid careless mistakes. This is because careless mistakes lower your final performance. As a result, you may fail to hit the pass mark set by your physics teacher.
As a good student, once you receive your physics exam result paper, go through it, and mark where you made mistakes—the purpose of working on those errors is to avoid repeating the same mistakes in your upcoming test. Some of the common causes of careless mistakes are anxiety, poor exam techniques and stress.
Handling Careless Mistakes in Physics Exam
1. Read Each Question Properly
In an exam room, you are most likely to see what you want because of the anxiety that comes with the test. As a result, you answer the questions wrongly. For instance, you might be asked to compare, but instead, you contrast. Always know that even if your answer is brilliant, it doesn’t match with the question.
In a physics exam, read each question thoroughly at least two times before you attempt to answer. It will give you time to digest what you are asked. Also, your brain will start to recall what you have learned about that question. As a result, it will be easier to answer the question.
Besides, mark the keywords in a question. It will help you to understand which problem you need to solve. It allows you to know which physics concept to use to solve the physics exam questions. Lastly, understand the difference between examiners’ instructional words like calculate, state, or answer accordingly.
2. Manage Your Time Well
Learn to manage your time correctly in a physics exam to avoid silly mistakes like leaving blank spaces. You can use various exam handling techniques to finish all the questions on time. For instance, you handle the easy questions first and then do the complex ones later or vice versa.
Also, do not spend too much time on one question. Move to the next question and then come back to the hard one later. Have a watch during the physics exam and set time intervals for every exam sections. It will keep you on track of keeping time.
Proper time management in an exam room increases your chance of performing better. It allows you to tackle all the questions on time. It allows you to do all the challenging and straightforward questions on time. Besides, you get enough time to handle tricky questions that require more minutes.
3. Check through Your Answers
Once you have done all the physics exam questions, check through your answers. Leave some minutes to go through the exam answer booklet to spot careless mistakes. Please do not take it as dull; instead, be keen when counter checking your answers.
You can use different methods to ensure you have gone through the whole answer booklet. Once you check the answer for a question and you are satisfied, tick it. Continue going through until you finish checking each answer. It will allow you to rectify any mistake you had made.
When checking through your answers, ensure they make physical sense. For instance, if you calculate an object’s speed and your answer turns out to be -120Km/h-that does not make sense. It helps you know that you have made a careless mistake in your calculation that needs correction.
4. Write Your Answers Neatly
Physics teachers like well-written work. Something they can read without struggling. Therefore, make sure you write your answers neatly to allow your teacher to read them properly. Make sure that your handwriting is visible. Write down all the letters correctly to avoid unclear meaning.
To make your work look neat, number each question. If the problem is number 13 on the question paper, label your answer to avoid confusion. Also, in calculations, write the steps systematically. It will make your work eligible and easy to go through.
You may lose a couple of marks due to ineligible handwriting. If you are doing a calculation in a separate paper, make sure you transfer the correct numbers. This is because even if you did the right math on a different paper and transfer the wrong ones to the answer booklet, you will lose the marks. Avoid this silly mistake in a physics exam.
5. Always Check the Units of Measurement
Physics involves a lot of calculation, and therefore, you cannot escape different units of measurement. Also, some physics exam questions come with varying units of measurement to trap you. Be keen when reading the question to capture the right units.
Besides, when writing your answers, make sure you indicate the unit of measurement. If you were calculating the pressure and the answer is 10, write it down as 10 N/m². You will avoid losing marks due to careless mistakes. Also, indicating the measurement units shows you are sure of what you are doing and not guessing.
Finally, check your units to avoid writing the wrong units of measurement. Check whether each answer rhymes with its unit. For instance, if you were to give your answer in km/h, do not provide it in M/S. This will make you lose some marks. Therefore, be keen on the units of measurement in a physics exam.
6. Ensure you have Attempted Every Question
In a physics exam, answer every question on every exam paper page and section. Avoid leaving blank spaces or incomplete answers. If a problem becomes hard on you, leave it, and do the simple ones first. Afterward, come back and try to handle it.
If you do not know the answer to a question, don’t make the careless mistake of leaving it blank. Write any facts you know about the problem. Think through and write something you can recall about the question. You may be lucky to earn yourself a few marks.
Mostly, in a physic exam paper, you are given the marks for every question done. Therefore, check that you have an answer to every question. It will help you not to leave blank spaces even for the simple questions you know. If a problem comes in sections, make sure you answer all the parts.
7. In Drawing Graphs, Label and Mark the Axes
It is one of the familiar careless students make in a physics exam. You can draw your graph correctly as required but fail to label your X and Y-axis. The examiner will deduct some marks because of this silly mistake that can be avoided.
Once you draw a graph, first indicate the axis and write the measurement units before you proceed. Once the axes are labeled, you can fill in the graph to attain the required results. Remember that graphs carry many marks in a physics exam, and doing them well improves your performance.
8. Practice a lot Before the Physics Exam
Practice makes perfect. It will help you avoid some silly mistakes that lower your performance. Make the mistakes before the exam and learn from them. This is because the more you practice, the sharper your skill becomes. Create time to practice answering physics exam questions early enough.
You can invite a private physics tutor to help you practice regularly. As the physics tutor takes you through the syllabus, ask for tests regularly, maybe after every topic. It will help you make mistakes and correct them during the revision.
Practice will also make you familiar with most physics questions. It gives you adequate knowledge on how to handle particular problems. Also, it makes you realize the time you can spend solving a specific question. Therefore, you will avoid careless mistakes like poor time management during the physics exam.
9. Be Relaxed During the Physic Exam
The physics exam comes with a lot of anxiety and tension. If you are not confident, you might become confused and make some careless mistakes that will lower your grade. Once you enter the exam room, take a breather to take away the anxiety.
Besides, avoid being overconfident during your physics exam. Even if you have done enough practice, stay low-key to prevent careless mistakes. Do not look down on a question because it is simple. Please read it thoroughly and answer it systematically.
Be relaxed and confident to do your best. When you come across several questions that you cannot handle appropriately, do not start tensing. It will make you anxious and even fail to answer the questions you know correctly. Therefore, maintain a relaxed environment during a physics exam.
Careless mistakes in a physics exam can lower your score by 5%-6%. This can make a big difference in your grade. Therefore, be keen when answering every question in the physics exam. Put your focus on the questions and answer them accordingly. Correct any error you make before you submit your answer booklet.