12 Tips for Math Success

As an educator and tutor, I have worked with students for over 20 years helping them learn math.  Here are a few suggestions to help you reach success in whatever class you are taking!  Good luck to you!  

  1. Take notes in class and review them the same day
  1. If your teacher writes a problem or an equation on the board, write it down in your notes even if you don’t understand it at the time.  You can always ask someone else to help explain it to you later and it is always good to see how a teacher solves a problem since they will expect you to do it the same way.  Don’t wait too long to review your notes.  If you have class everyday, go over any notes before your next class to verify it made sense and that you can do it on your own.  If you are stuck, reach out to someone to help clarify.
  1. Ask questions
  1. If you don’t understand something, ask!  Math builds very quickly so if you don’t understand step 1, by the time you get to step 4 you might be really lost and discouraged.  If you don’t feel comfortable asking in class, ask a friend outside of class, a tutor, go to office hours, watch videos online, etc.
  1. Ask yourself why (to understand, not to memorize)
  1. Of course there is some memorization involved in math (formulas, etc) but when doing a problem you should know why you are doing each step.  “Add 4 to both sides”  Why?  What is the reason?  “What would I do if it was a -4 instead of a +4?”  If it logically makes sense to you, you won’t have to rely on memorization as much.
  1. Learn your times tables
  1. This will help speed up the process of completing problems in the future.  Yes, you will probably always have a calculator handy but certain problems like factoring or simplifying radicals goes much quicker when you know your basic multiplication facts.
  1. Start from the beginning (learn or relearn old topics you don’t know)
  1. Don’t skip over a subject thinking you will learn it later or that it’s not important.  Yes, it might take some time but the better you understand the earlier topics, the easier it will be for you to learn new things.
  1. Don’t rely on a calculator
  1. Human error is quite common when using a calculator.  You should always have an idea of what an answer will be before you type it in.  For example, if I am doing a problem and I have to determine (-18)^2 there are a few things I know even before I type it in.  The answer will be positive and the answer will be greater than 100.  So if I get -324 on the calculator, I should realize something is off.  Or if I get 3.24 I should stop and double check what I entered.  Blindly relying on a calculator and writing down whatever it says can cause problems
  1. Check your work at every step
  1. I like to read problems to myself anytime I complete a line to catch any mistakes I might have made.  What do I mean by that?  If I am working on a problem and the first line is -8*5+3x-6x=32 and I write -40+3x=32 for the second line, I read over it quickly before I continue.  In my head I say “Negative 8 times positive 5 is negative 40” and I check that’s what I wrote in line 2.  Then I say “Positive 3x minus 6x is negative 3x” and I look to see if that’s what I wrote in line 2, which I didn’t (I put a + instead of a -).  So I can correct my error before I go too far.  There’s nothing worse than getting to the end of a long problem and realizing you made a simple mistake in the second step.  The more you check your work, the faster you will get at it, saving you time in the long run.

  1. Manage your expectations and believe in yourself
  1. Some topics are easier to understand than others.  If you are learning a tricky topic for the first time that has a lot of steps, don’t expect to get every problem right on the first (or second) try.  Realize that mistakes are common and you will need practice to feel confident.  If you are making mistakes take note of where you are messing up each time so you can correct the underlying issue. Don’t get discouraged! Stop saying “I’ll never get this” or “I’m never going to pass.”  Instead say “This is harder than I thought, I might need some extra help” or “This might take me longer to understand so I will have to put in some more work”

  1. Utilize study groups
  1. One way to really see if you understand a topic is to explain it to someone else.  They might have questions you don’t have and helping them understand something will strengthen your knowledge as well.  At the same time, you can have an idea that you think is correct but while working with a group you might realize your logic is wrong and you have been doing the problems the wrong way.  Don’t just study alone!
  1. Review topics often
  1. If you learned a topic in January and never looked at it again, more than likely you will need more practice before your final in June.  Don’t just learn something to take a test and toss it to the side.  Make flashcards, extra problems, etc and take a quick look over them throughout your semester so when the final comes you don’t feel like you have to relearn everything.

11) Do the easy problems first

  1. Doing a problem correctly always boosts a student’s confidence.  If you start with a hard problem that you can’t complete or don’t understand, it takes a toll on you and you start to feel defeated.  So what should you do instead?  Start with the easy ones!  Especially on a test.  Do the ones you know.  The ones that you know you will get points for.  Once you do that you will feel more sure of yourself.  Then you can look at the more complicated ones and tackle them one by one.

12)  Don’t take shortcuts

  1. Take the time to write problems out, label things and do each problem step by step.  When you are first learning something it is easy to do steps in your head or skip things that you think you are doing correctly, only to end up with the wrong answer and you don’t know why.  Take your time. Someone else should be able to look at your work and follow your thought process through the problem