Avoiding “Stupid” Mistakes on the Free-Response Section ❮ 395• The grader cannot see your calculator display or a graph/table that you do not include
in your answer. Show all your work that you want graded; sometimes showing this will
help you get a point that you might otherwise have missed.
• In general, the graders are not “mind readers.” Show your work and your reasoning.
Don’t assume the grader will know what you meant. They grade only what you have
written down.
• Answer the question asked, not the question you wanted. You might have a great
response to a question, but if that doesn’t answer the exact question asked, it is WRONG!
• It is usually simpler to use the units given in the problem. It is less work on your part
and less work on the grader.
• Using extra calculation steps provides additional opportunities to make errors. Show
all your pertinent calculation steps, but extra steps are spots for potential errors. This is
especially true when you are tired.22-Moore_APP_p371-412.indd 395 31/05/18 1:59 pm