TIPS ON SUCCESS IN MATHEMATICS

One of the keys to success in mathematics is regular practice, just as you practice when you learn to play or to dance.

Some tips for helping you succeed in mathematics are

Attendance :
Attend class regularly and take notes. Instructors formulate test questions based on material and examples covered in class as well as on those in the text books. Be an active participant in the classroom. Get ahead in the book, try to work some of the problems before they are covered in class. Anticipate what the Instructor's next step will be.

Ask Questions :
Ask questions in class. Don't be afraid to ask questions in class. There are other students also wanting to know the answers to the same questions but are too shy too ask. The Instructor will be pleased to see that you are interested, and you will be actively helping yourself.

Read Your Text :
Many students depend solely on the instructor's lecture and explanations in class to do their assignments, without reading the explanation or studying the examples in their text. If you get stuck, one of the best resources you have is your text! Many exercises are keyed to specific examples or objectives that will explain the procedures for working them. Math texts should be read slowly and carefully with pencil and paper at hand. Try to identify the main ideas that are in each lesson. Often they are clearly highlighted or boxed in the text.

Homework :
Try to do your math homework as soon after class as possible, and reserve some time later in the day to attack the problems that you get stuck on the first time around. Do the homework regularly and on time always. Check your work with the answers in the back of the book. If you get a problem wrong, check to see if there is an example in the book similar to the problem you are working on. Study that example and then try to solve the problem. If the answer is still incorrect, check your computations once and then get help with it. Keep your homework in a notebook. The more organized it is, the more it will serve you as a guide for seeking help in resolving difficulties and studying for tests. The problems help you learn the formulas and techniques you do need to know, as well as improve your problem-solving prowess. Each class builds on the previous ones. You are always reviewing previous material as you do new material. Many of the ideas hang together. Identifying and learning the key concepts means you don't have to memorize as much. You must keep up with the Instructor, attend classes regularly, read the text and do homework every day. Falling a day behind puts you at a disadvantage. Falling a week behind puts you in deep trouble. If you are in college then keep in mind that college mathematics is different from high school mathematics. A college math class meets less often and covers material at about twice the pace that a high school course does. You are expected to absorb new material much more quickly. Tests are probably spaced farther apart and so cover more material than before. The Instructor may not even check your homework. Take responsibility for keeping up with the homework. Make sure you find out how to do it. You probably need to spend more time studying per week and you do more of the learning outside of class than in class. Tests may seem harder just because they cover more material.

Get Some Help :
Get help as soon as you need it. Don't wait until a test is near. The new material builds on the previous sections, so anything you don't understand now will make future material difficult to understand. Use the available resources that you have. Ask questions in class. You get help and stay actively involved in the class. Visit the Instructor during Office Hours. Instructors like to see students who want to help themselves. Ask friends, members of your study group, or anyone else who can help. The classmate who explains something to you learns just as much as you do, for he/she must think carefully about how to explain the particular concept or solution in a clear way. So don't be reluctant to ask a classmate. Go to the Math Help Sessions or other tutoring sessions on campus. Find a private tutor if you can not get enough help from other sources. All students need help at some point, so be sure to get the help you need. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Any question is better than no question at all (at least your Instructor/tutor will know you are confused). But a good question will allow your helper to quickly identify exactly what you don't understand.

Control Your Help :
Helpers should be coaches, not crutches. They should encourage you, give you hints as you need them, and sometimes show you how to do problems. But they should not, nor be expected to, actually do the work you need to do. They are there to help you figure out how to learn math for yourself. When you go to your study group or a tutor, have a specific list of questions prepared in advance. You should run the session as much as possible. Do not allow yourself to become dependent on a tutor. The tutor cannot take the exams for you. You must take care to be the one in control of tutoring sessions. You must recognize that sometimes you do need some coaching to help you through, and it is up to you to seek out that coaching.

Study Time :
An important rule of studying mathematics is to spend at least 2 hours of study time per day. But this may not be enough. Take as much time as you need to do all the homework and to get complete understanding of the material. Whenever and wherever possible form a study group. Meet once or twice a week and go over problems you've had trouble with. Either someone else in the group will help you, or you will discover you're all stuck on the same problems. Then it's time to get help from your Instructor. The more challenging the material, the more time you should spend on it.

Preparing for a Test :
Everyday Study is a Big Part of Test Preparation. Good study habits throughout the semester make it easier to study for tests. Do the homework when it is assigned. You cannot hope to cram 3 or 4 weeks / months worth of learning into a couple of days of study. On tests you have to solve problems; homework problems are the only way to get practice. As you do homework, make lists of formulas and techniques to use later when you study for tests. Ask your Instructor questions as they arise; don't wait until the day or two before a test. The questions you ask right before a test should be to clear up minor details. Start preparing for the test by going over each section, reviewing your notes and checking that you can still do the homework problems, actually work the problems again. Use the worked examples in the text and notes, cover up the solutions and work the problems yourself. Check your work against the solutions given. Get help with material you don't understand. Remember that in a test the problems from different sections are all together. Ask yourself what kind of problems you have learned to solve, what techniques of solution you have learned, and how to tell which techniques go with which problems. Try to explain to yourself loudly and in your own words, how each solution strategy is used. If you get confused during a test, you can mentally return to your verbal "capsule instructions". Check your verbal explanations with a friend during a study session. Many students work hard preparing for a test and yet they don't do as well as they expected. A couple of days before the test work through the sections to be covered on the test. Make a summary of the different kinds of problems that will be on the test. Describe each problem type, describe the steps in working the problem, do an example of each. Your summary should include key definitions and/or theorems.

The last studying you do before the test should be in reviewing your summary. For each problem type it includes, make sure that you know the steps needed for its solution. Also, make sure that you know and understand all key definitions and/or theorems. Finally put yourself in a test-like situation. Work problems from review sections at the end of chapters, and work old tests if you can find some. It is important to keep working problems the whole time you're studying. Also start studying early. Allot time in your schedule to reviewing for the test. Get lots of sleep the night before the test. Math tests are easier when you are mentally sharp. It is important to think about what strategies you will use when you take a test. Good test-taking strategy can make a big difference to your grade!

Taking a Math Test:
Many students feel that they knew the material for a test and yet they did not do as well as they should have. First look over the entire test. You'll get a sense of its length. Keep cool and think about your test taking strategies. Try to identify those problems you definitely know how to do right away, and those you expect to have to think about. Do the problems in the order that suits you. Start with the problems that you know for sure you can do. This builds confidence and means you don't miss any sure marks / points just because you run out of time. Then try the problems you think you can figure out. Finally try the ones you are least sure about. Make a reasonable attempt at each problem. If you get it, fine. Go on. If you don't get it, put a check by it and then forget it until you have finished the rest of the problems. When you have tried all of the problems on the test, go back and do the best you can on the checked problems. If you can do only part of a problem, do it. Partial credit is better than no credit.

Time is of essence: - work as quickly and continuously as you can while still writing legibly and showing all your work. If you get stuck on a problem, move on to another one - you can come back later.

Work by the clock: On a 50 minute, 100 point test, you have about 5 minutes for a 10 point question. Starting with the easy questions will probably put you ahead of the clock. When you work on a harder problem, spend the allotted time (e.g., 5 minutes) on that question, and if you have not almost finished it, go on to another problem. Do not spend 20 minutes on a problem which will yield few or no points when there are other problems still to try.

Show all your work: make it as easy as possible for the Instructor to see how much you do know. Try to write a well-reasoned solution. If your answer is incorrect, the Instructor will assign partial credit based on the work you show.

Never waste time erasing! Just draw a line through the work you want ignored and move on. Not only does erasing waste precious time, but you may discover later that you erased something useful (and/or maybe worth partial credit if you cannot complete the problem). You are usually not required to fit your answer in the space provided. You can put your answer on another sheet to avoid needing to erase. In a multiple-step problem outline the steps before actually working the problem. Don't give up on a several-part problem just because you can't do the first part. Attempt the other part(s) - if the actual solution depends on the first part, at least explain how you would do it. Make sure you read the questions carefully, and do all parts of each problem. Verify your answers - does each answer make sense given the context of the problem? If you finish early, check every problem meaning rework everything from scratch. Above all, remain cool. Don't think about how you are doing or what happens if you don't do well. (You can do that after the test.) Don't worry if you find something you don't know.