EmSAT Achieve common mistakes
EmSAT Achieve · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Reading the Arabic passage once, then answering comprehension items from memory of the general topic instead of re-locating the line that supports each choice.
Arabic passages are short and feel familiar, so candidates trust gist memory; EmSAT Arabic items often hinge on a single word or connector (لكن، بل، غير أن) that reverses the apparent meaning.
What to do instead
For each comprehension item, underline the exact phrase in the passage that justifies the answer before selecting; if no phrase can be underlined, reject the option. Practise with passages containing contrast connectors.
Choosing an Arabic grammar answer by how the sentence 'sounds' rather than by identifying the case or mood trigger (e.g., after لام التعليل, after إنّ, after a jussive particle).
Spoken Arabic rarely shows case endings, so the ear gives no signal; candidates default to nominative or to the form they have seen most often.
What to do instead
Before answering, circle the governing particle and write the required case/mood in the margin (e.g., 'منصوب after لن'), then match only the option with that ending. Drill one particle family per session.
On English reading items, picking the option that repeats words from the passage rather than the option that paraphrases the passage's meaning.
Word-matching feels safe and fast; distractors are deliberately built from verbatim passage vocabulary while the correct answer is usually a synonym or restatement.
What to do instead
Eliminate any option that only echoes surface wording without stating the relationship; require yourself to name the paraphrase in the correct option before choosing.
Answering English grammar items by translating the sentence into Arabic and judging correctness from the translation.
Arabic allows structures English forbids (e.g., double negatives, dropped copula, different article use), so translated intuitions produce wrong tense and article choices.
What to do instead
Identify the tested structure first (tense marker, subject-verb agreement, article rule), apply the English rule mechanically, and only then check whether the result sounds natural.
Writing the English essay or short response with no plan, producing a list of ideas joined by 'and' and 'also' rather than a stated position with support.
Time pressure plus a habit of writing single-paragraph answers in school; candidates start writing the first sentence that comes to mind.
What to do instead
Spend the first 3 minutes writing a one-line thesis plus two supporting points; allocate one paragraph per point and reserve 3 minutes to check subject-verb agreement and articles in your own text.
Solving mathematics word problems by grabbing the numbers and applying the operation that appears most recently, without defining what is being asked.
Items are designed with plausible-number distractors; candidates pattern-match on keywords ('total' → add) even when the relationship is multiplicative or requires a two-step inverse.
What to do instead
Write 'Given / Find' in two lines, assign a variable to the unknown, and only then choose an operation. Check the answer against the units and against whether it is plausible in size.
Losing marks on multi-step algebra by making a sign or distribution error and then not substituting the result back to verify.
Working quickly under time pressure, candidates expand brackets mentally and drop negatives; the answer choices often include the value produced by the sign error.
What to do instead
Write each distribution step on its own line, then substitute the final value into the original equation. If two answer choices differ only by sign, treat that as a warning to recheck.
Reading a geometry or data-interpretation item and using the diagram's appearance (a line that 'looks' parallel, a bar that 'looks' tallest) as the basis for the answer.
Diagrams are drawn to scale often enough that visual guessing sometimes works, which reinforces the habit; but items testing properties or axis scales punish it.
What to do instead
Extract every stated condition (right angle, equal sides, axis units) into a short list and solve from the stated conditions only; check axis labels and units before comparing values.
In science items, choosing the answer that matches everyday experience or a memorable phrase rather than the mechanism the question asks about.
Common-sense intuitions conflict with correct physics and chemistry (e.g., heavier objects falling faster, heat and temperature used interchangeably), and candidates recognise familiar wording and stop reasoning.
What to do instead
Restate the question as 'which mechanism explains X', name the principle involved (e.g., conservation of energy, Newton's third law), and reject any option that contradicts that principle even if it sounds familiar.
Treating science data or experiment items as recall questions, ignoring the variables, controls, and units presented in the description.
Candidates skim the setup looking for a keyword to trigger a memorised fact, so they miss the independent/dependent variable distinction and the stated measurement conditions.
What to do instead
For every experiment item, write down the independent variable, dependent variable, and one controlled variable before looking at the options; then check whether the conclusion offered is actually supported by the stated data.