Math is hard. If you tell anyone you have a math exam, chances are they’ll look at you like you’re on your death bed. It seems to be a universal thought that preparing for a math exam is a death sentence.
But it doesn’t have to be.
Am I biased since I’m preparing for three math exams and I really don’t want to believe that math is hard? Absolutely. But I’m hoping that by pretending math is easy it’ll be less scary.
So, how do you prepare for a math exam?
Spend a day making a schedule
Chances are you have a lot of material you need to cover. Making a schedule will help keep everything in line. Figure out what you need to know in general, and then give yourself dates to know the topics by. Decide how much practice you need and divvy up homework problems over a period of time. Setting specific goals for studying will help make everything seem less daunting.
Don’t over plan
Be reasonable with yourself. If you have a week to prepare for the exam, trying to do every possible practice problem is not going to be effective, especially if you only get through the practice problems for the first chapter. Instead, focus on understanding the concepts that make up the unit. When you’re low on time, it’s better to fully understand the math you need to do than to get a lot of practice for one specific area. It’s easier to figure out how to solve something based on theorems and past knowledge than it is to do a problem on antiderivatives when you’ve only worked on limit laws.
Make sure you understand concepts
Like I said before, repeated practice isn’t always the way to go. Yes, if you have time, you should practice as much as you can; you’ll be able to complete problems much faster that way. But if you have to choose between practicing a portion of the material and learning the logic behind problem solving for that section, always choose to learn the logic. That way, if a question you’re unfamiliar with pops up on the exam, you have the tools you need to complete it.
Give yourself breaks
When it comes to math, it’s easy to get lost in the rhythm. Make sure you give yourself time to be doing things that aren’t math-related. It’ll help you stay sane, especially when you’re studying for multiple math courses.
Treat your math exam like you would any other
Sometimes we hear the word math and we just freak out. We get so flustered because we’re taught that math is hard and that you have to be naturally smart to do well in math, and that’s a lie! Math is just like any discipline. It requires hard work and patience if you want to be good at it. Overhyping it as this horrible, difficult thing only reinforces the idea that you can’t learn it. Let yourself be bad at math and let yourself learn.
Hopefully all of this helps you get a handle on studying for your next math exam. Good luck, Golden Hawks!