A check that costs five seconds
- Before solving, underline the quantity actually asked for.
- Solve.
- Re-read the question.
- Confirm your answer is that quantity in those units.
The final re-read is the one that catches it, and it is skipped under time pressure precisely when it is most needed — late in a long test, when the error rate rises.
The usual traps
| The question wants | Candidates give |
|---|---|
| The difference | One of the two values |
| The percentage change | The new value |
| How many remain | How many were removed |
| The value in different units | The value in the original units |
| The smaller of two | The one found first |
The distractors are built from exactly these. Every one of the wrong answers is usually the right answer to a slightly different question, which is why the answer feeling right is not evidence.
Reading the question — FAQs
2 questions
Because the distractors are the correct answers to adjacent questions. Finding your answer listed is not confirmation.
Re-read the question after solving and confirm the quantity and the units.
More mathematical equations question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.