Everyone can do math!

You may notice that it is easier to keep yourself organized at the beginning of the school year. There is less material to sort and the beginning of the year is filled with good intentions. The important thing is to keep your good intentions throughout the year. Don’t get bogged down as the year goes on. Keep your math notes, homework, tests, and quizzes separate from all of your other subjects in a folder or binder. Separate these items by chapter or topic and keep them in chronological order.

As much as we don’t think of math as a “reading” subject, it helps to read your textbook before you get to class. Often, your teacher will cover a topic each day. If you read about that topic the night before the class, it will give you an enormous head start in understanding the material. Give yourself the opportunity to get the material on your own first, and then listen to your teacher in class the next day. Even if it doesn’t make complete sense as you read it, you will at least be familiar with the ideas when your teacher starts to talk about them.

When taking notes in class, be sure to write down all the steps. Even though some of the steps may seem obvious, it's good practice to write them all down. This way, when you are doing the problems by yourself, you have practice problems with explanations to help you if you get stuck.

If you don’t understand something in class, raise your hand and ask a question. It may be a great question that leads to an informative discussion. Or it may be something simple that is holding you up from seeing and understanding the bigger picture. In any case, that is why you are in school — to learn things you don’t already know. Don’t be afraid to ask! Chances are someone else in the class has the same question and will benefit from your initiative.

The material you learn in math class very often builds on itself. If you miss class, make an appointment to meet with your teacher to learn the new topics that were introduced and to find out the assignment you missed. It is also helpful to find a classmate and take a look at her notes.

You probably have homework assignments due every day. Again, it is important that you stay on schedule and complete them on time.

	Start your homework as soon as possible after math class. This way the material your teacher talked about in class is still fresh in your mind.

	Homework assignments should be done with as few distractions as possible — not during the latest episode of your favorite TV show.

	Although getting the correct answer is certainly the goal, don’t get too caught up with getting the answer in the back of the book. If you peek at the answer you may be missing out on the process of solving the problem. It is essential you understand the process of finding the right answer, not just the answer itself.

	Find a study buddy. Ideally, this is someone who understands the material and someone you enjoy working with, but not someone you’d rather talk about anything but math with — at least until after your math homework is done!

Math lends itself to “active” studying as opposed to passive studying. Don’t just review the material, DO the material.

Go over all of your homework assignments and any quizzes you had on the topics to be covered on the test. Redo the problems you already did right, and try the problems you got wrong the first time. Then find new problems to solve. If your teacher originally assigned the odd numbered problems, then try the evens. There are often chapter review sections at the end of each chapter in your textbook that contain useful overview problems.

Take a practice test. These can usually be found at the end of each chapter or in the back of your textbook. Try to simulate a testing atmosphere by turning off the TV, radio, MP3 or CD player, cell phone, or any other distractions. Close your notes and your textbook and only use the materials you will be allowed to use during the actual test. Check your answers when you have completed the entire test and redo the problems you got wrong.

	Do not cram for tests. It is a much better idea to get a good night’s sleep than stay up all night trying to learn everything all at once.

Here are some tips for test day:

	Get a good night’s sleep

	Eat a good breakfast before you go to school. You should be doing this everyday, but it is especially important the day you are taking a test.

	During the test, skip the questions you don’t immediately understand and come back to them later. Be sure to answer all of the questions you know how to do, instead of spending your time on one really difficult problem.

After the test:

	When you get your tests and quizzes back from your teacher, look at the questions you got wrong and try on your own to figure out what you did incorrectly. Take the test home and redo the problems correctly. The next day, if you still don’t see the error, talk to your teacher. Remember, the material you learn next just might build on these problems.

	Never throw away your tests — ever. Just like using your quizzes to study for tests, you’ll need your tests to study for midterms and finals.

	Ask Dr. Math® (The Math Forum) http://mathforum.org/dr.math/ Here you can ask questions about your own math difficulties and find an archive of past answers to common problems.

	Math.com — World of Online Math (Math.com) http://www.math.com This site provides many useful tools to help you sharpen your math skills. Homework help, sample tests, and review topics are included.