Math Study Tips
What is the Best Way to Study Math?
Your success in a college Math class depends on how you study. If you follow these these Math study tips, your grades are likely to improve.
- Study outside of class regularly.
- Work on your Math homework or study your Math every day.
- Study your Math at least two hours for each hour in the classroom. For example, a four unit class will require at least 8 hours of study per week.
- Read your textbooks. See reading Math textbooks for details.
- Get good at taking notes class. See note-taking for more details.
- Make summary sheets.
- Make a list of important theorems.
- Make a list of important properties and formulas.
- Make a list of important vocabulary words.
- Make a list of the important course objectives for each unit in the course (usually a section or chapter of the textbook).
- Review these lists every day.
- Practice all problems until you have mastered the ability to solve and check them.
- Be aware of what topics you know well, which topics need more practice and which topics you don't know at all.
- Continually review: Review material from the beginning of the semester throughout the entire semester.
- Do your Math homework before homework in other subjects.
- You will be working when your mind is sharpest.
- If you get stuck on a problem, you can revisit it later.
- You have time to get help on problems that you have no idea about.
- Take study breaks.
- After a period of concentration, take a break for relaxation or to work on other subjects.
- Return to problems that you could not complete previously.
- Make use of campus resources.
- The Academic Support Center offers free Math tutoring (including online Math tutoring.)
- Get involved in STEM groups on campus. For example, MESA and, STEM Core, and the STEM Learning Center. If you have a learning or other type of disability, take advantage of the robust services offered by Mission.
- Use your instructor's office hours.
- Purchase Winning At Math by Paul Nolting in the Mission College Bookstore.
- Study in the right environment.
- Quiet. You need to be able to think deeply to learn Mathematics. A noisey environment creates obstacles to your concentration and create distractions to focusing on the problems at hand.
- Well-supplied. Have plenty of scratch paper, graph paper, pencils and erasers handy. Colored pencils are also useful. A scientific calculator is also useful.
- Well-lit. Make sure there is good lighting while reading and studying.
- Study groups. If you are the type of person who learns well in a social environment, try joining or forming a study group.