Academics · Study Skills · Free tool

Find the line
where it went wrong.

Enter a problem, your steps and your answer. The coach checks every line, names the kind of error, asks the questions a good tutor would, and gives you three more like it.

Check a problemLoad the example
9skills, grades 5 to 10
5error types
3practice problems each time

Check a problem you missed

Copy the problem, your work and your answer. The coach finds the line where the value changed and names the kind of error.

Loading the coach. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript or try another browser.

Your problems and the error log stay in this browser on this device; nothing is sent anywhere. The coach checks math by exact calculation, not by guessing.

Five kinds of error, five different fixes

A wrong answer is information. Naming the kind of error tells you what to practice next.

Conceptual

The idea behind the method is off, so the method cannot work yet. Fix: relearn why it works, with a picture or simpler numbers.

Procedural

You know what to do, but a step of the method was skipped, done in the wrong order, or done the wrong way.

Computational

The method was right; a calculation or a math fact slipped.

Careless

You can do this problem; a sign, a copied number or the last step slipped.

Reading the question

You solved a different problem than the one asked: another operation, another quantity, or another form.

Adding and subtracting fractions · Grades 5 and 6Multiplying and dividing fractions · Grades 5 and 6Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing integers · Grades 6 and 7Order of operations · Grades 5 to 7Decimal operations · Grades 5 and 6Percent of a number · Grades 6 and 7Percent change · Grades 7 and 8Solving one-variable equations · Grades 7 to 9Slope from two points · Grades 8 to 10

What this resource is

Test corrections work best when the student knows why an answer was wrong. The coach computes the right answer exactly, then tests the student's answer against the errors students most often make on that kind of problem.

Part of Academics · Study Skills in the Caveat Suite

Check a problem
Outcome
For each missed problem: the line where it went wrong, the kind of error, what to ask yourself, and practice of the same kind. Over time, a log that shows your most common error.
Who it is for
Students in grades 5 to 10 checking homework, quizzes or test corrections, and the tutors and parents helping them.
Format
A browser tool covering 9 skills. The error log prints and downloads as a spreadsheet or a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-up. Saved in this browser only.
Time
About 3 minutes a problem, including the practice.
Space
Academics · Study Skills primary space
Support
Questions or a problem with this tool: team@caveatacademic.com

Sources

  • Radatz, H. (1979). Error analysis in mathematics education. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 10(3), 163-172.
  • Ashlock, R. B. Error Patterns in Computation. Pearson (many editions). Systematic error patterns in arithmetic and fractions.
  • Brown, J. S., and Burton, R. R. (1978). Diagnostic models for procedural bugs in basic mathematical skills. Cognitive Science, 2(2), 155-192.
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Principles to Actions (2014), on using student errors to guide instruction.

The five error types are a practical sorting used by many teachers, not a formal diagnosis; a learning difficulty can only be identified by a qualified evaluation. Every right answer is calculated exactly with fractions; the error patterns and practice problems are checked by an independent python3 script (guide/suite/mea_verify.py) before release.