NMAT (Philippines) common mistakes
NMAT (Philippines) · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Answering verbal reading-comprehension and analogy items from personal knowledge or opinion rather than from what the passage actually states, then picking the option that sounds most true in real life.
The passage topic is often familiar (health, history, science), so the brain auto-completes an answer from prior belief before the text is checked; the 'sensible' option is usually a deliberate distractor.
What to do instead
Force a one-line justification before choosing: underline or silently quote the exact clause in the passage that supports the option. If no clause exists, eliminate the option regardless of how true it is in general. For analogies, state the relationship as a full sentence ('A is a tool used by B for...') and re-read it against every option pair before selecting.
Treating EXCEPT / NOT / LEAST / FALSE items as ordinary items and choosing the first option that matches the passage.
Skim-reading under time pressure drops function words, so the stem is mentally stored as 'Which of the following is true...' and the one correct-supporting option feels like the right answer.
What to do instead
Physically mark every negative stem word with a circle or slash before reading options. Then predict three true statements from the passage first; the remaining one that cannot be supported is the answer. Never read the options before the negative word has been marked.
Solving number series by computing only the first difference and assuming a constant arithmetic rule, then abandoning the item when that fails.
The first two gaps of a series often coincide under several competing rules, and difference-checking is the most cognitively available first move, creating false confirmation.
What to do instead
Run a fixed checklist on every series in order: (1) first differences, (2) second differences, (3) ratios, (4) alternating sub-sequences (odd positions vs even positions), (5) squares/cubes plus an offset. Then verify the candidate rule against the last two terms before committing, not just the first two.
Attacking word problems with full algebra (two equations, two unknowns) on every item instead of back-solving or estimating, and then running out of time with items unanswered.
School mathematics trains equation-setting as the 'correct' method, and candidates feel unsafe guessing, so each item consumes 3-5 minutes rather than under one.
What to do instead
Adopt a 45-second decision gate: if the algebra setup is not visible within 45 seconds, switch tools. Back-solve by plugging the middle answer choice into the conditions; use unit/dimension checks and magnitude estimation to eliminate two or three options immediately; then mark, guess, and move on. Return only after all items have been answered once.
Rushing past a stated constraint (in units, per day vs per hour, total vs remaining, integer-only) and computing the arithmetically correct answer to the wrong question.
Word problems embed the constraint mid-sentence, and once the numbers are extracted the mind jumps to computation before the sentence is fully parsed.
What to do instead
Before computing, write a five-word translation line: 'Find: ___, Given: ___, Units: ___'. Convert every quantity to the same unit at that moment, and mark the question's final ask (total? remaining? rate?) with a star. After computing, re-read the star ask once before selecting.
Losing the place mid-string during same/different comparisons in perceptual acuity and marking pairs as 'different' because of eye drift rather than actual mismatch.
The eye makes small saccades when hopping between two nearly identical character strings, and the brain's pattern-completion fills in the expected character, producing both false matches and false mismatches.
What to do instead
Use a physical anchor: place the pointer/finger or cursor on the character being compared and move strictly left to right in chunks of three. Compare chunk by chunk, not character by character. Any pair flagged as different gets one confirmation re-check; pairs flagged as same do not, and are never revisited.
Confusing paired biology terms that sound alike and answering with the definition of the sibling term - meiosis vs mitosis, transcription vs translation, genotype vs phenotype, homologous vs analogous structures.
These pairs are learned together and stored close together in memory, so under timed recall the retrieval cue pulls the neighbouring term rather than the target one.
What to do instead
Build a two-column comparison table for each pair in which the rows are fixed attributes (location, purpose, number of divisions, products, template used, timing). Recite both columns from memory before the exam, and when a question appears, identify which attribute the stem is naming before recalling the definition.
Balancing equations or doing stoichiometry by adjusting coefficients visually, or skipping the mole conversion and working directly with grams and litres.
Balancing by inspection works for simple equations, so the habit generalises to redox and combustion items where it fails; and grams 'feel' comparable, hiding the fact that reactions proceed in mole ratios.
What to do instead
Use a fixed mole map on every stoichiometry item: mass → moles (divide by molar mass) → mole ratio from balanced coefficients → convert to the requested quantity. Balance in a fixed element order (metals, nonmetals, hydrogen, oxygen last) and finish by re-counting every atom on both sides, including charge when ions are present.
Substituting numbers into a physics formula without converting to SI units, or dropping the sign/direction convention for vectors.
Formulas are memorised in symbolic form, and the units in the stem (centimetres, grams, minutes, degrees) are silently treated as compatible because the arithmetic still produces a number.
What to do instead
Convert every given quantity to SI immediately after reading, writing the converted value next to the original. Then write the formula, substitute symbols first, and substitute numbers only at the final step. Declare a positive direction in one sentence before starting any vector item, and check that the answer's units and sign match the physical situation.
Answering social science items with personal opinion, present-day news framing, or moral judgement instead of the discipline's specific concept (e.g., mixing up ethnicity and nationality, or confusing the branch of government or historical period named in the stem).
Social science stems use everyday words that carry strong personal connotations, and candidates respond to the connotation rather than to the technical definition the item is testing.
What to do instead
Restate the stem as a definition request: 'The stem is asking for the term/concept that means ___.' Then choose the option that matches the textbook definition and the stated period or institution, not the option that matches your view. Keep a one-page map of commonly confused pairs (ethnicity/nationality, state/nation, primary/secondary source, the three branches) and the sequence of Philippine historical periods.