Subjects that involves number does not please a lot of people. Although some people are just so in love with numbers and formulas that questions that involves mathematics for them is like asking what they had for breakfast. Sadly, we’re not like that and I’m one of the many people who cries while studying math.
Are we bad at math? No, of course not. Maybe we just have this phenomenon called Math Anxiety and we just have to find a way to overcome math anxiety. But for the time being, let me tell you some of the tips I used to survive college algebra and trigonometry.
Tips in surviving from Math
- Condition your mind – This is a mind over matter kind of thing. You have to put in mind that math is a skill and that you possess the ability to master that skill. Make yourself believe that math is an easy task.
- Organize your notes – To avoid confusion and mix up when it comes to lessons and formulas, I say that it’s wise to keep your notes organized and color- coded so when you review it during exams, you will not overlook some lessons.
- Practice answering questions – You can either do the questions on your books or use an old exam paper and answer them once again. This can help you refresh the method in which you used or you failed to use in answering your previous math exam.
- Keep a cheat sheet – We all know math is about memorizing stuffs like formulas and principles as well as rules. So I highly suggest that you keep a cheat sheet either written in a long paper or do a flash card type.
- Never overlook the principles – In math, the principles of each topic is important as much as the formulas. Many students make mistakes in exams because they tend to overlook the rules and principles that comes with the equation.
- Mark each chapter – If you take down notes, I suggest you mark each chapter using different colored post it. So when you need to review a specific chapter, you won’t get confused.
- Ask the teacher – And last but definitely never the least, ask your instructor about equations that confused you and ask them how it is down step by step. It is also helpful to write down their explanations for future reference.