1. How to Study Math
If possible, get a head start: read from the textbook the next topic to be covered in class to get
familiar with the subject.
Attend all classes! If you must miss a class, be sure to get the notes and homework from one of
your classmates.
Take careful notes. Try to copy down everything the instructor writes on the board. Listen to
what he or she is emphasizing verbally and take notes of that as well.
Budget time soon after class (definitely before going to bed that day) to recopy your notes neatly
into another notebook. While doing this, look for and correct any errors. Fill in any information
you didn't have time to write down in class. If you do this promptly, you will still remember the
comments made by the teacher during class, which will help you immensely to understand what you
wrote down in class. The recopied notes will be your study notes.
When ready to study, re-read the section covered in the textbook. Make sure you understand
every point the author is making before moving on to the next point.
Review the textbook examples; then cover up the solutions and try to rework them. Doing this will
give you all the tools necessary to do the homework.
When doing homework problems, try to tackle them without looking at your notes or textbook.
Refer back to these only if you get stuck. This will test you to see if you really understand the
material. Remember, you won't have these during exams!
Be neat. Make sure that both you and the instructor will be able to follow clearly the flow of your
solutions.
Show all your work! Do not just give the answer. This will help you to avoid making simple
mistakes, and will also enable the instructor to give you partial credit if you do make a mistake. If
you just give the answer and it is wrong, you will not get any credit.
Don't rush -- math is not a race! Remember that you get more points by taking your time and
getting the answer right than by hurrying and getting it wrong.
After solving a problem, go back to review how you solved it and to check for simple
arithmetic/sign errors. Ask yourself, is this answer reasonable? Does it make sense? If the problem
was very complicated, you may want to try solving it again from scratch. Going through it a second
time will clarify the solution in your mind.
When studying for an exam, go through your notes and the textbook and make sure you know how
to solve all the example problems. The problems on the exam will most likely be variations of
these problems. If not sure about a problem, cover up the solution and try solving it again.
Make a concise list of important concepts and formulas. Put them on flashcards and quiz yourself
periodically on them.
The night before the exam, don't wear out your brain with late-night cramming. Make sure to get a
good night's sleep! You will need all your mental sharpness and alertness during the test.
After receiving back an exam, look at any errors you made and be sure you understand how to
solve the problems correctly. Keep all the exams in order to review them before the final.
Compiled by Kathryn Lum