Prelims test whether you can think inside a box. Research tests whether you can build one. Some people never learn how to do both.
Today I reminded myself how to use paper. Actual paper, with an actual pen. That’s how the prelim is, so that’s how I’m going to practice. When doing math on paper, I had to return to very basic habits: always write the full expression, especially when working with limits, expectations, sums, integrals, or probabilities. Things fall apart quickly when you can’t see whether a limit is inside or outside an expectation.
I also started finalizing my pre-prelim survival checklist. It’s mostly a list of things to meditate on before the exam. If you’re like me and constantly thinking outside the box, this kind of review is a reminder of how to think inside the box. And for prelims, that’s exactly the right frame.
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