Math Success Tips

Success in mathematics is about more than simply understanding the material. It also involves knowing how to practice effectively, how to ask for help, how to respond when you make mistakes, and how to keep going when the work becomes frustrating.

These are some of the strategies I have found most helpful for students who are building—or rebuilding—their confidence in mathematics.

You do not need to master all of them at once. Pick one or two that seem useful, try them consistently, and adjust as you learn what works best for you.

The goal is progress, not perfection.

Math Success Tips

Like I tell my classes when I share some version of my own story, there is no magic pixie dust I can sprinkle over your head that will suddenly make math easy.

There is no shortcut. There is no six-step plan that guarantees overnight success.

But if you have struggled with math in the past, there are things you can do to begin changing that experience. It takes time, practice, patience, and a willingness to keep working when things feel uncomfortable.

These are the steps I would use to get started.

1. Change the negative story you tell yourself about math

I used to ask students, during the first few minutes of class, to write down what they honestly thought and felt about mathematics.

I encouraged them not to write what they thought I wanted to hear. I wanted the real answers.

After we talked about those feelings, I would ask them to destroy the paper.

The point was simple: that part of your story does not have to determine what happens next.

Maybe math has been a stumbling block for you in the past. Maybe you failed a class, had a bad experience, or spent years believing that you simply could not do it.

That was then.

Now you are taking steps toward something different. Try to begin seeing yourself as someone who is learning mathematics rather than someone who is destined to fail at it.

2. Change the way you talk and think about what you can do

There is a quote often attributed to Henry Ford:

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.”

I think that idea applies strongly to mathematics.

Saying “I’m just not good at math” over and over again reinforces the belief that failure is inevitable.

Instead, change the language.

Try:

“Math has been difficult for me, but I can improve.”

or

“I don’t understand this yet.”

Positive thinking by itself will not replace practice or hard work. But believing that improvement is possible makes it much easier to keep doing the work required to improve.

Put in the work.

Believe that you can get better.

Those two things belong together.

3. Start from your current skill level and build upward

Do not skip the foundation.

If you are struggling with basic mathematics, jumping directly into College Algebra is probably not going to make the situation easier.

Start where you are.

I have seen students repeatedly take a higher-level course because they believed taking a developmental or lower-level course meant they were somehow moving backward—even after struggling in the higher-level course multiple times.

There is nothing wrong with strengthening the foundation.

In fact, sometimes taking the time to rebuild those skills is the fastest way forward.

4. Take the time to practice

There is no shortcut around practice.

If you do not work the problems, it is difficult to do well on the quizzes.

If you do not practice or prepare for the quizzes, it becomes much harder to do well on the tests.

Mathematics is something you learn largely by doing mathematics.

Practice helps you recognize patterns, remember procedures, notice mistakes, and become more comfortable with the material.

And when you get stuck, do not hesitate to ask for help. Use office hours. Visit tutoring. Work with classmates. Ask questions.

Getting help is part of learning—not evidence that you have failed.

5. Learn the vocabulary

It is difficult to understand mathematics if you do not understand the words being used.

Mathematics has its own vocabulary, and sometimes the terminology makes a concept seem much more complicated than it really is.

When you encounter a word you do not understand, stop and translate it into language that makes sense to you.

Write definitions in your own words.

Ask someone to explain the term differently.

Connect new vocabulary to examples you already understand.

Sometimes understanding the language of the problem is the first major step toward understanding how to solve it.