Survival Guide: Math

Math can be an overwhelming subject to study for, which is why it’s important to start early. Don’t procrastinate with your review packet because getting it done as fast as you can will give you more time to identify the areas you’re struggling in. If you’re struggling with a particular unit, your math textbook is a great place to get practice problems, but math can be difficult to teach yourself. For that reason, seeking help from your teachers, tutors and fellow students can be particularly helpful.

• First step: organize and sort all of your units, and then label them with sticky notes.
• Get a blank piece of paper, write out all of the units, and label each of them using 3 symbols showing your confidence with each. Ex. Use a “?” for material you don’t know, a check mark for what you fully understand, and a “~” for material you know a little, but need to review.
• Study unit by unit.
• Review old notes.
• Re-teach yourself vocabulary terms and math rules until you understand them. Don’t memorize them because you will make mistakes if you don’t understand the idea.
• Look over old homework and worksheets, and re-do all types of problems (easy, medium, and the most difficult ones).
• Review old quizzes and re-do the problems you got incorrect.  
• Ask your teacher and classmates for help explaining the units and problems that are most difficult for you.
• But, while studying, save some time to work through the problems on your own to ensure you understand everything.