Top 5 test/exam mistakes guaranteed to pull your math grades down [2021]

[ updated: July 2021 ]

Doing well in mathematics isn’t just about getting the answer right. There may be more than one way to get to the final answer; but these are THREE sure ways to miss out on that top grade.

Most students always take for granted that their teachers will spend copious amounts of time reading their workings and answers before awarding the marks. This is not always the case. If the handwriting is absolutely illegible, or the number resembles another (0 for 6, 3 for 5), teachers have the full discretion to withhold the marks.

Miss out on the units, and expect to miss out on some marks. Writing the units for workings and the final answer is just good practice. Don’t let this turn into a bad habit. This rule applies as well all through higher levels of education, so just get it right, right now.

Despite multiple reminders and instructions on the exam script, students often still choose not to include their workings and just write the final answer. Some even scribble some workings at the side and expect teachers to award marks for that. Be warned, not every teacher is so forgiving.

All this being said, a good tutor will drill these into your child during their lessons. At Nanolectures, our exam specialists work these seemingly non-mathematics related pointers into the cram course and prodigy courses on a regular basis, to drill good habits into our students.