A subject that is made up of problems is not meant to be easy. People who do well in it are those who know how to solve problems. Yes, I am talking about mathematics, the bane of every student’s life. A subject there is no escape from, at least till school is over, if not well into university, so passing it with decent grades is important and unavoidable.

Most university courses require some level of mathematics and in almost every profession and everyday life, there is the application of maths on a daily basis. So when something is unavoidable, it is better to face it head on and give it your best shot. While everyone’s best shot is different, you can still pack enough punch into yours to outdo your previous score.

It is commonly believed that some people are ‘maths people’ while others are not. Even among the maths people, some may be good at arithmetic but not algebra, or excel in geometry but do poorly in abstract mathematics. The problem lies not in maths, but in the fact that many of us don’t know how to study maths to score well in it. The fact is everyone can be good at mathematics provided they are ready to practice, be persistent, willing to make mistakes and learn from them.

score well in it. Everyone can be good at mathematics provided they are ready to practice, be persistent, willing to make mistakes and learn from them.

Forming and following the right strategy will make you do better at maths and even maths haters will start to enjoy their sums. So read on and discover how to improve your maths skill.

Believe that you can

There is no better way to start with these tips than to quote a wise person who once said, “Believe that you can and you are halfway there.”

So believing that you can master mathematics is your first step. Take this step with confidence and the mathematical world is yours.

Don’t miss a class

If you miss a maths class, you are in trouble. Maths lessons generally move fast as almost every day a new concept is taught in the class and it isn’t taught through a lecture but by solving examples and explaining the steps. So even if you do copy the sums that were done in the class when you were absent, chances are that when trying to go through them, you will be confused about the steps taken and how the answer was arrived at.

To learn what you have missed, ask a classmate who is good at the subject to explain it to you, but the best way is to request your teacher to take out time and explain it to you.

Practice and more practice

Studying maths does not mean reading it. It means practicing it by solving problems, lots of problems, and with practice you are going to get as perfect as one can get in mathematics.

Do all the problems in your book, starting with the examples, then the easy ones and slowly move on to the harder sums. Don’t rush if you have solved a series of problems in a row and skip the rest to move on to the next section in the chapter. Stay on and work all the problems, check the answers and if an answer is not correct, do it all over again until you get it right.

You can take a break and come back to it but don’t attempt only a few questions from an exercise/section and leave the rest, thinking that they are all similar because that is where the trick lies. The problems do look similar sometimes but they are different because they are different questions and what you are skipping might just be the one that your teacher may select to test you during a class test or exam.

Do your homework diligently

Teachers give homework to make students practice what has been taught in the class. So do your homework regularly to refresh the concepts taught and make yourself ready to move on to the next topic.

Learn the topics in sequence

The topics in mathematics are taught in a specific sequence to build a certain concept that is needed to understand those that will be taught later on. So learn a topic well before moving on to the next, otherwise you are likely to get stuck later on when the concepts get more complex.

If you don’t understand something, stay on it, ask your teacher and learn it before moving on. It is easy and common for us to give up when we don’t understand something and move on to the next, but what has been left unlearned will come back to haunt you!

Be on good terms with the teacher

Pay attention in the class and come to it prepared, with your homework complete and the last lesson revised. Try and answer the questions the teacher asks and participate in class discussions. If you don’t understand something, don’t hesitate to ask.

All these things indicate to the teacher that you are willing to learn and paying attention, which every teacher likes. Teachers, who are usually pressed for time, don’t mind helping out such a student because they know the student is making an effort to learn.

Have a study partner/group

Often when we are trying to learn on our own, we don’t make much progress, but when we sit down to study with someone, working out the problems together can become easier than doing it alone. Same can be the case with mathematics.

Have a study buddy who is good at studies and dedicated, discuss your difficulties, solve the problems together and test each other. What you couldn’t do alone can be easily done with the help of a friend.

You will also be teaching the other person something that he doesn’t understand and this is a good way to reinforce your own learning. Don’t think of it as wastage of time because you are also increasing your own understanding in the process.

Review your mistakes

Getting maths problems wrong in the class work or homework is common, and not redoing those problems, despite a note from the teacher to do the corrections, is more common.

You must review your mistakes to see where you went wrong, this will make you remember it and not repeat it. If you don’t redo the sums you got wrong, chances are that you will make the same mistakes again.

So don’t move on without fixing the mistake.

Don’t hesitate to get help

If you are not able to understand something and it is troubling you, don’t keep quiet about it. Ask for help.

Tell your parents, they may explain it to you or get someone to do it who is good at maths. Tell your teacher — most importantly — about the problem you are having as they can best clear your confusion.

If you don’t address the problems that you are having, it will not go away. It will only become more complicated as the concepts become more advance and they required you to have understood what has been taught earlier.

Asking a question, if you have one, is the best way to learn. Don’t think about what others might say in the class or that the teacher will scold you. Asking a question is not dumb but keeping quiet even when you have a problem is being dumb.

You also have the option to go to the teacher after the class when there are not many people around.

Get to know the calculator

In higher classes, it is allowed to use a calculator in some instances, so learn the different features of the calculator and use it for the things you are allowed to use it for.

But when using it, you must know what the calculator has done so that if you are not using it, you must be able to do it manually on your own.

The tips here are applicable for other subjects too as they are basically study tips that every student must follow to get good grades in any subject. However, there are many other ways in which you can learn maths and other subjects, but the most important thing is your dedication to studies. You may want to do so much besides studies right now, but remember, you can do all those things later on but if you get poor grades, you can’t undo that.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 22nd, 2016