Conceptual
The necessary idea or fact is not yet understood.
Pristone Framework
The Pristone Error Taxonomy
Two incorrect answers can require completely different interventions. This taxonomy separates observable breakdowns so feedback can target the cause instead of prescribing undifferentiated practice.
Free to ask · replies within 2 hours
The Pristone Method
One capability loop across every track.
- Diagnose
- Prioritize
- Build
- Test transfer
- Measure
- Re-prioritize
The Pristone Error Taxonomy is a teaching and coaching framework for classifying observable performance errors. It is not a clinical, psychological, or standardized psychometric assessment.
Written and operationally reviewed by Edward Mabonga, founder of Pristone Academy.
Eight error classes
Name the breakdown before choosing the repair
Recognition
The learner knows the concept but does not recognize when it applies.
Strategic
The chosen approach is inefficient, fragile, or poorly matched to the problem.
Execution
The plan is sound, but the implementation, calculation, or procedure breaks down.
Interpretation
The learner misreads the task, evidence, constraint, or requested output.
Pacing
Time or attention is allocated in a way that prevents a complete performance.
Judgment
Tradeoffs are noticed but not weighed appropriately for the situation.
Communication
The reasoning is stronger than the learner's ability to make it clear and defensible.
Applied diagnosis
The same taxonomy behaves differently across domains
GRE Quant
A missed problem may reflect missing content, misreading, slow setup, fragile arithmetic, or poor time allocation.
AMC and AIME
A student may know the mathematics but fail to recognize structure, select problems well, or verify an integer answer.
Machine learning
A pipeline may run while the underlying failure is conceptual, evaluative, or a judgment error about leakage and baselines.
System design
A technically plausible architecture may still fail because the candidate scopes poorly, ignores consequences, or cannot communicate tradeoffs.
Repair logic
Examples of interventions that should not be confused
Conceptual repair
Reconstruct the underlying idea and check it with a fresh representation or example.
Recognition repair
Contrast near-neighbor problems and practice identifying the cue before solving.
Strategic repair
Compare multiple valid approaches and make the cost, risk, and stopping rule explicit.
Execution repair
Instrument the procedure, isolate the breaking step, and rehearse a reliable check.
Communication repair
Require assumptions, decisions, and consequences to be stated in a repeatable order.
Continue through the Pristone system
Stop prescribing practice before identifying the error.
A diagnostic separates the visible result from the underlying constraint and produces a ranked repair plan.
Founder-led by Edward Mabonga (MIT EECS) · no guaranteed scores, admissions, publications, promotions, or jobs