How to Study Math
Actually, “study” might be the wrong verb; what you really need to know how to do is how to “practice” math. Not only do you need to know the material, but you must also know how to do something with that material.
We know that everyone studies differently and there is no one right way to study for a math class. Here you will find a lot of different tips. You will find that some of the suggestions are helpful, and some of them would never work for you. We all study differently and the trick is identifying what works for you!
We’ve tried to break the hints and advice into specific areas like doing homework, studying for tests, etc. However, there are three general ideas that you should keep in mind when you are looking through those tips:
Math is NOT a Spectator Sport
You can’t learn math by just watching the teacher lecture and work problems out on the board. You need to attend class, pay attention while in class, take a good set of notes, work out homework problems (even if your teacher doesn’t assign any), and study on a regular basis (not just the night before tests). In other words, you need to be actively involved in the learning process.
Work to Understand
In order to pass a math class you will need to do more than just memorize a set of formulas. And while there is a fair amount of memorization of formulas in a math class, you need to understand how to use the formulas. Some formulas have restrictions on them that you need to know in order to correctly use them. Take the quadratic formula, for example. In order to use the quadratic formula you need to have the quadratic equation in standard form first. If you don’t remember this, simply knowing the formula won’t help you get the right answer!
Math is Cumulative
Subjects like history are like jigsaw puzzles; you can start almost anywhere, and as you learn, you'll eventually piece together individual pieces of information and stories into one big, cohesive whole. By that analogy, though, subjects like math are like a HOUSE. There's a definite place you should start, and each new concept you learn builds upon the last. This means that you need a solid understanding of each concept before you move onto the next.
Almost everything you do in a math class will depend on topics that you’ve previously learned. This goes beyond just knowing the previous sections in your current math class to needing to remember material from previous math classes. You will find a Algebra 2 class to be very difficult without the knowledge that you learned in your Algebra 1 and Geometry classes.