Succeeding in Math… When You’re Bad at Math

universtudy:

Disclaimer: This post is targeted towards people who are working towards earning math credits to graduate and will never again have to use math after they finish that one, last class. 

  • Figure out what math courses you need to graduate and be accepted to post-secondary. This ties into what I said in my disclaimer! I’m guaranteeing that there are some math courses you need to take to graduate, so get them out of the way first. Also, research the program you want to do in university and college and make sure there isn’t any required math courses that you have to do! You don’t want to lose out on your top choice of program because you didn’t get the prereqs. 
  • Try and get really good at simple questions. I personally find that the easiest way to get marks on tests is to ace the easy, one or two step problems at the beginning of the test. Being good at these simpler questions will make up for the marks you might lose on word problems or more intense questions. 
  • Don’t skip anything on a test. Most teachers will give part marks for trying, especially if you show that you at least vaguely know how to do the question. Even if you know you can’t get the right answer, just right something! 
  • Figure out the steps for longer problems. This technique was literally my saviour last year when I was bombing math. I couldn’t figure out how to do word problems easily, so as soon as I figured one out, I would write down the steps I used. Memorizing that made it so much easier for me to solve a problem without having to really spend a ton of time thinking about it first. There is an example of this here: (x).
  • Remember definitions and formulas. For those of us who are more language based, memorizing definitions can be a great way to earn easy marks on tests. Also, depending on the level you are at, just stating the formula can sometimes be worth a mark. If you can get 5 marks from definitions and formulas, you’ve basically just earned marks without doing any math at all… and that is fantastic. Also, memorizing formulas is pretty much mandatory anyways, so it will help on more than one level. 
  • Do all of your homework. The more practise you have, the easier it is! I know homework for math can be really tedious, but it helps so much. It will help you get really good at the simpler problems and also help you show your teacher that you actually care about the class. 
  • Prove to your teacher that you’re trying. This is so crucial for those of us who are not going to succeed in math no matter how hard we try. Ask your teacher questions from the homework, and they’ll see that you are doing the homework. Ask questions in class to show that you’re paying attention and want to understand. This is how I scraped a 70 in math last year even though I probably deserved a 60… My teacher knew I was trying and helped me out. 
  • Come in for extra help. This connects to my last point, because it shows that teacher that you care. Its also a lot easier to understand the material when you can have one on one time and go a lot slower than in class. Also, you can ask specific questions from the homework that you might not have had time to ask for help with in class. 
  • Get a tutor, if needed. Last year, I refused to get a tutor because I thought it meant I was stupid and couldn’t do it on my own… which is a huge regret!! Getting a tutor doesn’t mean you’re stupid and will help you so much. 
  • Consider switching classes if you can. This is another regret of mine. Last year, I didn’t need to be in the highest level of math because I intend to study arts, but I stayed in the class anyways (again, because of my weird sense of pride). Switching down to a lower level or switching to a different teacher is a great option for success if the course isn’t mandatory. 
Posted 5 years ago with 1,625 notes
Via: stdyblring, Source: universtudy
Tagged: #s #math #tips
  1. anothermissfangirl reblogged this from studyblrmasterposts
  2. futureceo reblogged this from frenchacademia
  3. vaey reblogged this from frenchacademia
  4. frenchacademia reblogged this from mirai227
  5. asterinunfathomed reblogged this from mirai227
  6. mirai227 reblogged this from universtudy
  7. studyingfluff reblogged this from educatier
  8. studysona reblogged this from universtudy
  9. mariannesinta reblogged this from studyblrmasterposts
  10. thestarsofaphrodite reblogged this from universtudy
  11. sorcierstudies reblogged this from studyblrmasterposts
  12. collegeorganized reblogged this from castillos-co
  13. studieblah reblogged this from castillos-co
  14. universtudy posted this