Whenever a student asks me, “How can I improve my GRE score?,” I immediately ask the student about his propensity for careless mistakes. Careless mistakes come in all shapes and sizes. You might fail to register a crucial word in the given information (ex., “x is a positive integer”), or make a calculation error (ex., you simplify 16/20 as 3/4), or forget that the question asked you to find Taylor’s age 3 years ago instead of Taylor’s current age. Enough of these mindless errors can undoubtedly have the power to keep your GRE score at a standstill. So, becoming more accurate when solving GRE questions will go a long way in raising your score.

Careless Mistakes Are Unforgivable

Careless mistakes are different from other errors that lead to incorrect answers because careless mistakes don’t typically reflect gaps in your knowledge of GRE content (although they may). More often, silly mistakes result from bad habits such as reading questions too quickly, rushing through calculations, relying too much on mental math, or taking sloppy and disorganized notes.

Careless mistakes can be debilitating and frustrating because they can cause you to get questions wrong that you should get right. So, if you tend to make many careless errors, fixing them will certainly lead to an improved GRE score. Fortunately, careless mistakes are avoidable and can be eliminated with focus, proper strategy, and practice.

Careless Mistakes Are 100% Avoidable

Overall, one of the most powerful things you can do to reduce the likelihood of making a careless mistake is to become aware of the types of careless mistakes you tend to make. Once you are aware of your patterns, you can alert yourself before you make a certain type of mistake, even catching yourself in the act and averting a mistake before it has a chance to affect your score. Your error log will help you understand the types of errors inhibiting your ability to make significant gains in your score. So, be sure to note when you get a question wrong because of a careless mistake and what the mistake was.

If, for example, you notice a pattern of answering questions that aren’t being asked, then start double-checking what the question is asking before you choose your answer. For example, if you are asked to determine Martha’s age, be sure that you don’t answer the question for Theresa’s age. Believe it or not, these types of mistakes are quite common, and fixing them will do wonders for your GRE score.

Or, if you often mix up numbers or lose track of calculations that involve math skills you know you’re solid in, reevaluate your note-taking techniques and brush up on your pencil-and-paper calculation skills.

In addition to becoming aware of which careless errors you commit, you must take a mindful and methodical approach to your work when answering GRE questions. This means doing something that many test-takers dread doing: slow down. Slowing down and working carefully on the problem in front of you can greatly reduce careless errors that keep your GRE score in a holding pattern. Focus intently on each problem, working through each step as efficiently as possible without rushing.

Think of it this way: It’s better to slow down and prevent four silly mistakes, even if doing so forces you to guess on the last question because you ran out of time, than to rush through those four questions and get all of them wrong because you made mindless, preventable mistakes.

Conclusion: Working slowly and carefully reduces careless errors that keep your GRE score in a holding pattern.