How to Study Math Effectively

Numbers, patterns and equations - it is what encompass Math. As students make the transition from secondary level to JC level, math become more complex and complicated. There is a jump in the amount of content, formulae and concepts required in the A Levels examinations. With the rigor and pace of the JC Math syllabus, students struggle to cope with Math and fail to gain an understanding of the various mathematical concepts. Well, do not fret. There are unique skills that students require in order to study math properly. Read on here to find out what you need to excel at math.

1) Have a positive mindset

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there”. This quote aptly summarise how students should approach math. Nowadays, most JC students tackle math with a fear of failure. They see math as a string of complicated numbers that make no sense. Well , math can only be fully understand if students embrace and love it. They should tackle any math problems with confidence and an optimistic attitude. Be persistent and never give up! Once students can achieve that, half the battle has already been won. In short, be positive in math.

2) Focus on understanding the concepts

Math is filled with numbers, formulae and equations. However, you cannot study math by memorising them. Content mastery is key to effectively study math in JC. Students need to masterfully apply the mathematical formulae in their solution and this can only be done through a solid understanding of the various mathematical concepts. Sometime, by working out the proof of the formula, you can also gain a better understanding of how the formula work and retain it more efficiently. For example, by knowing how the various trigonometry formula are related like sin2 x + cos2 x = 1 and sec2 x - tan2 x = 1, a better appreciation of how math work is attained. So, prioritize on understanding instead of memorisation if students want to excel in math.

3) Active Learning

Math is a very unique subject. It is very different from other subjects like History. One cannot gain competency in math just by reading and listening. It requires constant work and effort from the students. In order to excel in math, students must keep on practicing different types of math questions every day. Practice, practice, practice! Through consistent practice, students will begin to comprehend the varying types of questions and avoid tricky pitfalls that are common. Try out past year examination questions from other JCs to further improve your mathematical capability. After trying out so many practice questions, number of careless mistakes will surely drop and students will get better at solving mathematical word problems.

Conclusion

Doing well at math certainly requires a lot of effort and time. It may be challenging but by following the above math tips, one can surely conquer the beast called math. Feel free to share with us your ways of studying math efficiently and productively.