Peru Admission Exam common mistakes
Peru Admission Exam · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In Razonamiento Matemático, candidates read a word problem once and immediately start operating with the first two numbers they see, without writing down what is asked or identifying the unknown.
Under time pressure the exam rewards speed, and candidates trained on drills skip the translation step because it feels slow. Peruvian secondary school practice often emphasizes mechanical calculation over problem modelling, so the habit carries over.
What to do instead
Adopt a fixed 20-second protocol before any calculation: underline the question, list given data with units, and write 'x =' for the unknown. Do 30 mixed problems practicing only this step (no solving) until it becomes automatic, then solve.
In Aritmética, candidates confuse porcentaje de una cantidad with porcentaje de variación, computing 20% of 150 when the problem asks for the price after a 20% discount followed by a 10% increase.
Successive percentage problems are taught as separate formulas rather than as multiplicative factors, so students add percentages (20% + 10% = 30%) instead of multiplying (0.8 × 1.1 = 0.88).
What to do instead
Drill the factor method: discount of d% → multiply by (1 − d/100); increase of i% → multiply by (1 + i/100); successive changes multiply factors. Solve 20 chain problems (two or three successive changes) writing the factor product explicitly before computing.
In Álgebra, candidates solve equations by 'moving terms to the other side' and change signs inconsistently, especially with negative coefficients or fractions, producing sign errors that survive to the final answer.
The shortcut 'pasa al otro lado con signo contrario' is memorized as a rule without the underlying balance principle, so it breaks when a term is subtracted, when both sides are fractions, or when a minus sign precedes a parenthesis.
What to do instead
Force full written steps for two weeks: subtract the same quantity from both sides, then divide both sides by the coefficient. For parentheses, expand before transposing. Verify every solution by substitution in the original equation, not the simplified one.
In Geometría, candidates apply a formula from memory (area, volume, Pythagorean theorem) without checking that the figure's conditions hold - e.g., using the Pythagorean theorem on a triangle that is not stated to be right, or mixing radius and diameter in circle problems.
Formula recall is over-trained relative to condition-checking, and figures in textbooks are usually drawn to scale, so students trust appearance instead of stated hypotheses.
What to do instead
Before choosing a formula, write the hypothesis line: 'right triangle? yes/no', 'radius or diameter?', 'units consistent?'. Practice 15 problems where the figure is deliberately not to scale and the correct answer requires rejecting an inapplicable formula.
In Trigonometría, candidates evaluate expressions like sen 30° + cos 60° by adding the angles (sen 90°) or by using the calculator in the wrong mode (radians instead of degrees).
Function notation is read as ordinary multiplication/addition, and calculator mode is rarely checked because classroom problems use standard angles memorized as a table.
What to do instead
Memorize the exact-value table for 0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90° and write it at the top of the scratch sheet at the start of the exam. Always check DEG/RAD on the calculator before the first computation, and never apply f(a) + f(b) = f(a+b).
In Comprensión Lectora, candidates answer from prior knowledge or personal opinion instead of from the text, choosing an option that is true in the world but not supported by the passage.
Exams reward activation of prior knowledge in other subjects, and many school reading tasks ask for opinion. The candidate transfers that expectation to literal and inferential items where the text is the only authority.
What to do instead
For every option, ask 'where in the text?' and point to the line. Eliminate any option that requires information not in the passage, even if true. Practice with 10 passages marking each chosen answer with the paragraph number that supports it.
In Redacción, candidates write long, complex sentences with chained subordinate clauses to sound academic, producing subject-verb agreement errors, dangling modifiers, and unclear referents.
Secondary writing instruction often rewards length and ornate vocabulary, and candidates believe complexity signals competence. Time pressure then prevents revision.
What to do instead
Write one idea per sentence, subject before verb, and keep sentences under 25 words. Reserve 3 minutes at the end to read aloud mentally, checking agreement and that every 'que', 'este', 'su' has a clear referent. Practice rewriting 10 overly long sentences into two shorter ones.
In Ciencias Naturales, candidates memorize conclusions ('la mitosis produce dos células') without the mechanism, so they cannot answer items that change one variable, such as asking what happens if the spindle does not form or if a reaction is run at higher temperature.
School assessment often tests recall of definitions, so students build flashcards of facts rather than causal models. Transfer questions then expose the gap.
What to do instead
For each topic, write a one-page causal chain (cause → process → consequence) and then answer three 'what if' variants you invent yourself. In Química, always balance the equation and identify limiting reagent before computing; in Física, draw the free-body diagram before writing equations.
In Ciencias Sociales, candidates memorize dates and names in isolation, so they cannot distinguish causes from consequences or place a Peruvian event (e.g., the Reforma Agraria, the Guerra del Pacífico) in its regional and economic context.
History is studied as a chronological list for exams, and geography and economics are studied as separate subjects, so cross-domain items (e.g., how mining exports shaped regional migration) find no prepared framework.
What to do instead
Build timelines with three columns: cause, event, consequence, and add one economic or geographic factor per row. Practice linking each Peruvian period to one economic activity and one geographic region, then explain the link in two sentences.
In Razonamiento Verbal and Inglés, candidates choose the answer that 'sounds right' in their first language, ignoring connectors, false cognates (actual, realizar, asistir), and the grammatical structure of the target language.
Everyday exposure to Spanish and to English media creates fluency illusions; the candidate transfers Spanish syntax and word meanings into English items and picks synonyms by surface similarity rather than by logical relation.
What to do instead
For Inglés, keep a personal list of the 40 most frequent false cognates and test each in a sentence. For Razonamiento Verbal, classify the relation before looking at options (synonym, antonym, part-whole, cause-effect) and eliminate options that change the grammatical category of the stem.