TS ICET common mistakes
TS ICET · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In Data Sufficiency, after reading both statements, the candidate solves the problem completely instead of checking whether each statement individually or together yields a unique answer, and then marks the option that matches the computed value.
The habit of solving quantitative problems from school carries over; the candidate treats the statements as given data rather than as sufficiency conditions, and often forgets that a statement can be sufficient even if it does not give a direct numerical value (e.g., a ratio or an equation).
What to do instead
Before any calculation, write the five answer choices on the rough sheet and restate the question as 'What exactly must I find?'. Test statement (1) alone with at least two different numerical examples; if both examples produce the same unique answer, mark it sufficient. Only if (1) is insufficient, test (2) alone. Only if both are insufficient, combine them. Never compute the final value unless needed to test uniqueness.
In Problem Solving (series, coding-decoding, seating), the candidate reads the question once and starts writing arrangements or codes immediately, without extracting all constraints into a compact diagram or table first.
Time pressure encourages jumping to computation; working memory overloads when multiple conditions (e.g., 'A sits second to the left of B, who is not adjacent to C') are held only in the head, leading to missed or contradictory constraints.
What to do instead
Spend the first 20–30 seconds converting every condition into a symbol or a slot on paper: for seating, draw empty chairs and label fixed positions; for coding, write the letter-to-number mapping in a table; for series, write the differences or ratios between consecutive terms. Then apply conditions one by one and cross-check the final arrangement against every stated condition before marking.
In Arithmetic (percentages, profit and loss, interest), the candidate applies successive percentage changes by simply adding or subtracting the percentages (e.g., a 20% increase followed by a 20% decrease is treated as no change).
The base of the second percentage is different from the base of the first, but candidates treat percentages as absolute additive quantities; this error is reinforced by mental shortcuts that work only for small changes or for changes on the same base.
What to do instead
Always write the multiplying factors: a 20% increase is ×1.20, a 20% decrease is ×0.80, so the net factor is 0.96, a 4% decrease. For profit and loss, fix the cost price as 100 (or as CP) and express selling price as a factor of CP. For interest, write the formula with the correct base (simple interest on principal only; compound interest on the amount at the start of each period).
In Time–Work–Distance and Averages, the candidate adds times or speeds directly (e.g., average speed for two equal distances taken as the arithmetic mean of the two speeds) instead of using the harmonic mean or the total-distance/total-time definition.
The word 'average' triggers the arithmetic-mean procedure learned in statistics, but average speed is a rate and must be weighted by time or distance; similarly, workers with different rates cannot be combined by adding their times.
What to do instead
For average speed over equal distances, use average speed = 2xy/(x+y); for unequal distances, compute total distance ÷ total time. For work problems, convert each worker's time into a rate (1/time) and add rates, never times. For averages involving groups, use the weighted average formula and check that the result lies between the group averages.
In Algebra and Geometry, the candidate substitutes numbers into a formula without checking units or the geometric configuration (e.g., using slant height instead of perpendicular height in the volume of a cone, or mixing centimetres and metres in mensuration).
Formulas are memorised as symbol strings without the associated diagram or unit conventions; examination pressure leads to pattern-matching the first formula that contains the given numbers.
What to do instead
Before substituting, write the formula with a small labelled sketch and list the given quantities with their units. Convert all lengths to the same unit. For solids, explicitly identify which length is perpendicular height and which is slant height; for coordinate geometry, write the distance, midpoint, and section formulas with coordinates labelled (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) before plugging in.
In Statistics and Data Interpretation, the candidate reads values from a table or chart without checking the axes, units, or the year/category labels, and computes a simple average when the question asks for a weighted average or a percentage change.
Charts and tables are scanned quickly for familiar numbers; the candidate's eye jumps to the largest or first value, and the question's precise wording ('percentage increase over the previous year', 'average per month') is not parsed.
What to do instead
Underline the exact quantity asked for in the question. Before calculating, annotate the table headers with units and note whether the chart axis starts at zero. For percentage change, write (new − old)/old × 100 with old clearly identified. For averages over groups of different sizes, use the weighted formula and verify that the answer is plausible relative to the displayed values.
In Vocabulary and Grammar, the candidate chooses a synonym or antonym by the word's sound or general 'positive/negative' feel rather than by its precise meaning in context, and in sentence correction selects the option that 'sounds better' without identifying the grammatical error.
Everyday exposure to words is imprecise; candidates rely on collocations heard in media rather than dictionary meaning, and they have not internalised the standard error categories (subject–verb agreement, parallelism, modifier placement, tense consistency).
What to do instead
For synonyms/antonyms, form a sentence with the given word and test each option in the same sentence frame; eliminate options that change the part of speech or the connotation. For sentence correction, scan the underlined portion for the specific error type: check the verb against its subject, check lists for parallelism, check pronouns for clear antecedents, and check modifiers for placement next to the word they modify. Mark the error type before looking at the options.
In Reading Comprehension, the candidate answers from prior knowledge or personal opinion, or chooses an option that is true in the real world but not stated or implied in the passage; in sentence-ordering questions, the candidate arranges sentences by topic familiarity rather than by cohesive links.
RC passages often deal with familiar subjects (business, technology, environment), so the candidate's background knowledge overrides the text; for ordering, cohesive devices (pronouns, conjunctions, repeated nouns) are not systematically identified.
What to do instead
For every RC answer, point to the line or paragraph in the passage that supports the option; reject any option that requires information not present, even if true. For sentence ordering, first find the opening sentence (usually a general statement with no pronouns referring backward), then chain sentences by matching pronouns and demonstratives (this, these, it) to the preceding noun, and confirm the completed paragraph flows logically.
In Computer and Business Awareness, the candidate relies on general knowledge from news headlines without distinguishing between similar terms (e.g., 'revenue' vs 'profit', 'RAM' vs 'ROM', 'IPO' vs 'FPO') and does not check whether the question asks for an abbreviation's expansion or an application.
Business and computer terminology is learned incidentally from newspapers and conversations, where precise definitions are rarely tested; similar-sounding terms are conflated, and the candidate answers the question they expect rather than the one asked.
What to do instead
Maintain a one-page glossary of frequently confused pairs with a one-line definition and an example for each (e.g., revenue = total income; profit = revenue − costs; RAM = volatile working memory; ROM = non-volatile firmware storage). When answering, restate the question in your own words and check whether it asks for a definition, an expansion, or a use case. For current business developments, rely on the exam's stated time window and avoid extrapolating beyond it.
Across all sections, the candidate spends too long on a single hard question early in the section, leaving insufficient time for easier questions later, and does not use the on-screen calculator or rough paper systematically.
The adaptive value of easy questions is underestimated; candidates treat every question as equally weighted and fear leaving a question blank, so they persist on a single puzzle or DI set beyond a reasonable time.
What to do instead
Set a per-question time budget (e.g., 60–75 seconds for Problem Solving, 90 seconds for DI sets) and practise with a timer. If a question is not solved within the budget, mark a plausible answer, note the question number, and move on; return only if time remains. Use rough paper for every calculation and for writing the answer-choice code before clicking, to avoid mis-clicks.