ETEA Engineering Test common mistakes
ETEA Engineering Test · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Substituting centimetres or grams directly into formulas written for SI units, such as using r in cm in F = Gm1m2/r² or using mass in grams in kinetic energy.
Formulas are memorised as number patterns, so unit conversion is treated as optional and the final unit is copied from the formula without checking.
What to do instead
Before substitution, write a 'given' line converting every quantity to SI, then carry units through the calculation and reject any answer whose unit does not match the requested quantity.
Adding perpendicular velocities or forces arithmetically, for example treating the horizontal and vertical components of projectile motion as one speed.
Everyday experience treats speed as a single number, so vector direction is ignored when the question asks for resultant velocity or net force.
What to do instead
Draw a component sketch with a labelled x-axis and y-axis, resolve each vector, and combine perpendicular components with Pythagoras or trigonometry rather than simple addition.
Reading mole ratios from an equation that has not been balanced, especially in limiting-reagent and gas-volume problems.
The equation looks familiar and the coefficients are assumed to be correct, so balancing is skipped under time pressure.
What to do instead
Balance the equation first and write the mole ratio directly beneath the balanced coefficients before converting grams or litres to moles.
Reversing periodic trends, such as saying electronegativity decreases across a period or ionisation energy increases down a group.
Trends are memorised as slogans without an anchoring model, so similar-sounding properties get swapped under exam stress.
What to do instead
Anchor each trend to effective nuclear charge and shielding: across a period Z_eff rises, so ionisation energy and electronegativity rise; down a group shielding rises and size increases, so both fall.
Dividing both sides of an equation by a variable expression or squaring both sides, then reporting only one solution or an extraneous root.
The goal is to isolate x quickly, so domain restrictions and the possibility of losing or adding solutions are not checked.
What to do instead
Factor instead of dividing by a variable, write 'or' for ± cases, and substitute every candidate back into the original equation to reject extraneous roots.
Applying only the outer derivative in a chain-rule expression or mixing up the product and quotient rules in differentiation questions.
The expression resembles a standard derivative pattern, so the inner function is overlooked and the rule is chosen by appearance rather than structure.
What to do instead
Name the structure first: if it is f(g(x)), write u = g(x) and differentiate outer then inner; if it is a product, write u and v explicitly before applying the rule.
Choosing a synonym or preposition because the word looks familiar, without checking whether it fits the sentence's collocation or register.
Vocabulary is learned as isolated word lists, so meaning is matched loosely and grammar patterns such as verb + preposition are ignored.
What to do instead
Substitute each option into the full sentence and read it aloud mentally; eliminate any option that creates an impossible collocation or changes the sentence's tone.
Missing qualifiers such as EXCEPT, NOT, only, and least in the question stem or passage and then selecting a true statement that does not answer the question.
The eye jumps to the options before the stem is fully processed, and negative qualifiers are easy to skip at speed.
What to do instead
Underline or mentally circle the qualifier before reading the options, and after choosing an answer re-read the stem to confirm the option satisfies the exact instruction.
Sinking four or more minutes into one early physics numerical while leaving easy English or chemistry items unattempted.
Candidates follow the paper order rigidly and treat abandoning a question as failure, so one hard item consumes time needed elsewhere.
What to do instead
Use a two-pass strategy: attempt every item once with a 90-second cap, mark unsolved numerics, and return only after all quick items are answered.
Changing a previously selected answer during review without identifying a specific error in the original reasoning.
Anxiety near the end of the test makes the first choice feel wrong, so answers are altered on impulse rather than evidence.
What to do instead
Change an answer only when you can state the concrete mistake in the first attempt, such as a misread unit, a missed negative sign, or a qualifier overlooked.