<p>Hi guys!=)</p>
<p>So I have always been pretty good at Math and liked it. HOWEVER, this year(Alg 2 H), I don't have such a great teacher and I have a B. =/ I really want to get into a top college and I'm really nervous if I end up with a B this semester, it will ruin my chances by a bit. I have 3 more weeks and a final to improve my grade and I REALLYYY need some study tips!! How do you guys study for Math and prevent from making silly mistakes?? I can use ANYYYY tips! =)</p>
<p>THANKS SOOO MUUCHHH!!!!</p>
<p>ANY tips are appreciated!! :D</p>
<p>I’m not sure if this is an obvious answer or not but it really helps me if I write out my common/silly mistakes on a sheet of paper or index card and study it. When I see a problem on a test that I might make one of those mistakes on, I’m usually able to catch it before I make it.</p>
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<p>Try to get rid of this illusion, because you’ll just stress yourself out by thinking about it. A single B won’t kill your chances of anything.</p>
<p>In any case: I like to do problems without a calculator (or as much without a calculator as possible) first, and then go back and check my answer by using a calculator or using a different method. Often there’s many ways to do a problem, and by doing a certain problem more than one way you will not only improve your accuracy but also develop your intuition for math.</p>
<p>General test tip… Slow down and make sure each step makes sense. If you have time… Work backwards to check your answer.</p>
<p>Studying:
- If you have any formulas… Derive them. An understanding how things come about will help you understand when to use them, why you use them, will practically make it burned into your memory as understanding, and even sometimes give you insights on possible short-cuts etc.</p>
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<li><p>That being said–try solving the problems in multiple ways and figuring out which way is easiest. (For Algebra 2 the example would be quadratic formula or factoring when solving an equation, but higher math/science it gets a lot more fun).</p></li>
<li><p>Practice tests / Problems. Yes, good problem solving skills is always nice and will get you through tests… But being fresh on the problems will cause you to take less time on the problems, and speed is often key. Hit every problem you’ve never seen before / are not confident that you can do. Practice different solutions again for each as you’ll also better your different techniques and find the most optimal ways for each situation.</p></li>
<li><p>If you really want to go in cold… AKA no practice/study, that’s up to you and your grade, but in my opinion, it’s a lot more fun, even though you miss a couple because you haven’t had practice. It’s all a part of testing your problem solving on the spot and can be beneficial for later! (Or you can test yourself, I don’t know if that’ll be fun, but then you can go over your mistakes on the really tough problems, and that is really beneficial and fun to do as well to be able to figure out what you did wrong yourself)</p></li>
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<p>Thanks SOOOOO much guys!!! I will definitely try to use all of your tips!!! They all seem really great! 
Thanks again!!</p>
<p>If you don’t mind, I would like to add my advice for studying for math.</p>
<p>I love math, but I always had a hard time with algebra due to my lack of commitment and a mediocre teacher. </p>
<p>Anyway, last year, as well as this year in geometry, I studied the formulas, postulates, etc. I also did extra work in the book that was not assigned to exercise the information.</p>
<p>I think this overall helped immensely not with just the tests, but with remembering the fundamentals of geometry or algebra.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>It’s one thing to understand math concepts, and an entirely different thing to apply it effectively. Try to work out problems, once you understand how to solve them. I usually go through all the odd problems (since the answers are in the back of the book), and solve one by one until I can pinpoint errors. By the end of the section, I can usually get all of the problems right. </p>
<p>If I still can’t get them right, I just Post-It those problems and ask my math teacher before school. Be a selfish learner: there is nothing wrong with asking for help. </p>
<p>Anyways, good luck! :)</p>
<p>Follow the tips above and let me tell you, it is very possible to get that B up to at least an A-. (Happened to me this year lol)</p>
<p>Just make sure to ace all of the tests in these three upcoming weeks, especially the final exam.</p>
<p>You guys are just so sweet! 
Thank you so much I will use all those tips!!! They are so good! </p>
<p>And thanks for the encouragement also!! I really hope I can get that B changed. :P</p>