Tips To Do Well For Maths (I)

Maths is ALWAYS dreaded by many students, as there seems to be endless formulae to memorise and even more work to do. Many find that despite the efforts put in, it seems impossible to improve the grades.

Some would say that in order to do well for Maths, there are just 2 rules: Follow The Formulae and Practise. This is true to a certain extent as you do need to follow the formulae when attempting Maths problems and you need to practise enough so that you can be proficient. However, we will focus on how to practise in an efficient way. Remember, the key to do well is EFFICIENT HARD WORK.

#1 – Read The Questions Carefully

This may seem easy but it is actually easier said than done. Many students would dive in straight into the question without considering the information given. This is more so if there is a diagram provided. Some will just assume that all the necessary information is given in the diagram while it is often not so. Some of the more important data or information is actually written in words in the question and students often missed out on this, resulting in the inability to solve the question, building up doubts and stress, especially during exams. So when attempting a question, read the question carefully and gather all the information by highlighting keywords (not the numbers).

#2 – Focus on the Method, not the Answer

Many students think that the answers are the goal to achieve high scores. This is actually not the case. The method is far more important. Knowing how to solve according to the types of questions is the key. If you have used the correct method and you have done the calculations/workings carefully, the correct answer is there for you. So while practising, focus on getting the methods correct, rather than just the answers correct.

#3 – Practise with a Purpose

When practising for Maths, focus on each topic one at a time. Focus on a group of questions with similar phrasing to ensure that you have mastered a certain type of question first. Then proceed to the next group and so on. In this way, you can get the Maths training done in a more efficient way.

So, with these tips in mind, you can practise your Maths more efficiently. For the next part, we will discuss how to work on problem sums.

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