Study Strategies to Prepare for Your Math Exam

Study every day

Math is something that you can constantly work on.  Take a little time every night to review concepts and formulas that you have learned and complete a practice question.  This will help you keep the information and processes fresh in your mind so that when it comes time to study for a math test you have already built a strong foundation.

Make a page of formulas to study

Writing the formulas down will help you to remember them.  When you study math formulas for a test it is important to know the formula and also how and when to use it.  With each formula on your study sheet, do an example question for reference.  This will help you properly prepare for a test.

Practice, practice, practice

The best way to get good at solving math problems is to do lots of practice with the formulas that you are learning.  Your textbook may have practice questions or a review test that you can take to see what you know and what you need to work on.  If you do not have questions available, ask your teacher for a practice test with an answer key so that you can take the test and check your answers.  If you do this several days before the upcoming test, you will be able to ask your teacher questions about anything you may have experienced trouble with.

Mix up your questions

When you are practicing for an exam, mix up your questions so that you do not know which section or chapter the questions are from.  Doing this will ensure that you are able to identify the type of question and know which formula to use.  Do not put all of your questions in the order that they appear in the book.  This will not be challenging your knowledge of how to identify solving methods.  If it is a comprehensive exam of all units studied, prepare practice questions in random order.  It will also help to make your practice test early. This will ensure that you do not just do the questions from memory.  Instead, you will actually have to know the material.

Join a study group

Working with others on the same problems can be useful as each person in the group has his or her own strengths. Often, someone in the group can help others with a concept.  If you need material for your study group, go back through the chapter, and do some of the questions that were not assigned as classwork. Studying for the test with a group of peers can really help with test preparation. For example, if you all get the same answer to a problem it will increase your confidence.  If you do not get the same answers, then you are there to help one another to determine where the error may be.

Get a tutor

Tutors on Call has specialized in experienced and professional tutors who can help you study for your math test.  They will help you review the material, target areas to improve, review practice questions, and even teach you test-taking strategies. Often having a tutor will relieve the pressure and anxiety of preparing for a test.  Contact Tutors on Call today to schedule a test preparation tutor.

Get a good night’s sleep

In order to write any exam, you need to be well-rested.  If you study for a math exam a little bit every night you will not have to cram the night before.  Good sleep will help to keep your mind fresh!

Review immediately prior to the exam

Take a few minutes just before the exam to review your study notes and formulas.  Do this on your own and do not talk to others who may be nervous about the test.  You have prepared for this math exam and only need to worry about yourself.  Someone else may say something that will confuse you or make you second guess what you know.  Make sure you are prepared with all of your material, take a few deep breaths, and…….begin!