I’m one of those people who can’t sit still during a test. By that, I mean if there is any time left, be it 15 minutes or 15 seconds, I will 100% be checking over my answers.
I’ve never taken a specific approach to checking my answers. I typically go back and redo every single problem. Now, that method is probably one of the most useless ones in the book as it doesn’t help with understanding the question at all.
I recently found out about the USQ approach for checking maths questions and I will definitely be making the most of it in my upcoming tests. Having a strategy that I know can help me check my answers will definitely help me to save time when going back over my work.
Here’s a quick guide to checking your answers, the USQ way.
USQ stands for Units, Sense and Question and consists of three steps to checking each question, without having to do the problem again. : )
U – Units
What units does the question ask for? Have I included units and used the correct ones?
S – Sense
Does the answer make logical sense? Does my working out make sense? Does each step follow clearly from the one before?
Q -Question
What did the question ask me to solve? Is my answer what the examiners are looking for? Have I answered the question with a full sentence (if necessary)? Does the number of marks available match with what I’ve provided?
Doing the steps in this order is not always the most efficient or logical way; I prefer checking the question first and then going on to steps S and U. The point is, with a strategy that you know works for you, you won’t be wasting time redoing all of your questions!
Maths can be a difficult subject to study for but you can use my tips to maximise your marks in this notoriously difficult subject. Click here for more!
Chamomile & Colour 