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Read the Questions Carefully
One way people lose points on the test is that they know how to work a problem, but they don't read the question correctly. Take a look at this question.
An Example
If 3n - 7 = 2, what is 5n?
(A) 3
(B) 6
(C) 9
(D) 12
(E) 15
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Working the Problem
You might answer the question this way:
- 3n = 2 + 7
- 3n = 9
- n = 9 / 3
- n = 3
What Is the Question Asking?
At this point, you might think A is your answer, because n equals 3. But the answer is not 3, because the question asks for the value of 5n, not n. You have to take the value of n (3) and multiply by 5 to get choice E, 15.
Distraction Factors
The example you just saw might look simple enough, but imagine you're taking the test. You're under time pressure, you've been working for several hours under severe stress, your concentration's starting to flag, and the person sitting behind you is tapping his pencil and sniffling.
Under such conditions it's easy to misread the question and answer the wrong thing. So what can you do?
Circle Your Goal
As you read a problem, identify what you finally have to solve for, and circle it! Circling helps you focus on your final goal. And it helps you avoid the common misreading errors that are built into the test. You should also use this circling strategy on the reading questions of your test.
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