Study all your FE exam mistakes! Including the “silly” ones.

Those notorious silly mistakes! As you practice FE exam problems, you will certainly make a lot of mistakes. Do you notice when you’re making mistakes? Particularly those so-called “silly mistakes”? 

Students often approach mistakes by recognizing the mistake and examining the solution to the practice problem. But I’m here to tell you that this is not enough! 

Telling ourselves that we won’t make these mistakes as long as we’re “careful enough” is a common trap we all go through. The same goes for any moment we examine a solution to a problem and think, “I understand where my mistake occurred.” This is what we call an illusion of competence. 

All mistakes (including silly ones) arise because of gaps in our knowledge. These gaps are typically not in plain sight. We have to dip real deep to discover these gaps.

When doing practice problems, you can begin to discover your gaps by actively looking for all types of mistakes. Note these down, and do not ignore them. Discovering your mistakes is a big first step in painting a clearer picture regarding which knowledge areas are your weakest. Therefore, hone in, dig deeper, and view these mistakes as valuable feedback for improvement.

You can then proceed by testing your confidence through practice problems and studying your mistakes. 

Confidence

How confident you feel when breaking down and solving problems is a big predictor of the likelihood of making a “silly mistake.” Let’s say you’re solving practice problems. Are you confident in the concept or process you are applying? It’s not about getting the right answer. It’s about feeling absolutely sure that you’re applying the right process, which confidently leads to the right answer. 

Study your Mistakes

Study your mistakes just like you study a concept or a practice problem. Ask yourself critical questions. Why are you making this mistake? What kind of mistake is it? Is it a unit conversion mistake? Is it a mistake because I misread the problem statement? Or maybe it’s a mistake due to a lack of understanding of the concept? 

As you ask more questions, your brain will automatically fill in the gaps. This would determine your next small step towards closing every knowledge gap that comes your way!