Master each topic one at a time
If you don’t understand a topic, focus on it. You must fully understand a unit before you can start the next one.
This tip seems obvious, but it is very important. Don’t move on to negative numbers before you’ve dealt with regular addition and subtraction. Don’t get into differential equations before you have solved enough equations with one variable.
Let’s say you have a quadratic equation. That means you need to start by working out addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with positive and negative numbers. If you give a beginner a quadratic equation right away, they certainly won’t know what to do with it.
Some students often move on to the next topic without understanding the previous one, thinking it is too complicated and they will never understand it. But the next topic builds on the previous one, which confuses the student even more.
Train your memory with mental arithmetic
Every time you learn a new formula, theorem or, for example, try to remember how to calculate area or volume, don’t forget to write down the theory separately in your notebook.
This way you can go back to the steps you have already passed in case you forget something.
Try to figure out on your own how to get the answer to a problem.
Ask your friends to join you in your studies: let them ask you mental arithmetic questions out of the blue so that you can practice and learn how to operate the formulas quickly and naturally.
Every time you do such an exercise, you activate your memory and thus train it. Then it will be easier to remember this or that formula! Don’t forget that you can always consult a tutor to help you understand difficult topics and concepts.
Write down everything you don’t understand
When you come across some math problem, you should not immediately try to solve it in your mind.
If you try to solve a complex example in your mind right away, you run the risk of getting confused: losing part of your train of thought, forgetting an intermediate result, or simply mixing up numbers.
Take your time: write down your calculations step by step. This way you visualize the thinking process, and it becomes easier to solve the problem. If you are not sure that the chosen formula will give the right result, you can simply check it on a separate sheet of paper.
To succeed in math, you need to write things down all the time – this will help structure your thought process.
You can try rephrasing the problem if the original question is not clear to you. Then start solving the exercise step by step, step by step, instead of trying to cover a lot of ground at once and making mistakes.