The Top Ten Tips of Improvement:

1. Where to Improve?

    This tip is the base of getting better at anything. Before doing anything,  you should know two things about you:

·         Your Strengths (places you are already good at)

·         Your Goals (where you want to improve)

Now pick up a goal and write it on a piece of paper. For example, if you want to improve at algebra, you may write “I will improve in Algebra this month” and tape it on your desk. It will keep reminding you of your goal and you may improve your skills faster!

2. Becoming organized      

Cut the clutter. We often ignore that a mismanaged study place can leave a negative impact on us. For me, I just get too irritated if I have an unorganized table, I simply can’t do anything! 

This is why; I suggest keeping your study desk organized and tidy. Pencils in the pen stand, papers in a drawer and so on. This will help you save your time from searching stuff, every time you go to your desk. Most probably, you might feel better in a clean study environment.  

3.       No Disturbance Please! 

Choose a time when you can do Maths (I fixed my time for 12 to 1 in noon). Stick to that schedule every day. This will help you get proper time for polishing your skills in maths. Make sure you inform your family members that about your study schedule; so that they do not interrupt at that time. Keep your electronics away when it’s your study time.

4.       A Prize for a Sum! 

Do you love playing video games? Or watching TV? Pick your favourite reward and note it on a sheet, for example: “I will play GTA for 20 mins after doing my homework” And when you’ve reached your goal for the day, rejoice!

This method of ‘doing and rewarding’ will give you a reason to do your work faster and you’ll see that you are not getting frustrated while solving your questions.

5.       It Needs Time.

Learning maths is not always quick. It may take a few day, or even weeks. Don’t expect to understand all concepts the first day itself, or you may feel bad for yourself. It may take time to learn new topics, but hey, it’s possible! 

You have to make yourself up that you can improve at maths, no matter if it takes some time.

6.       Tests Approaching? 

Have a calendar where you note down the math test dates and important events like exhibition, maths fair etc. This will be great help because you will come to know if you’ve got plenty of time for maths. It would allow you to track your progress, and you may score higher.

For me, I've always kept a personal calendar where I note down my homeworks, tests, exams and rest days (days I can skip studying a subject). My calendar always stays on my table and I am able to manage my time even while simply staring it!

7.       Work at your own speed. 

You might have seen some frantic classmates who finish the tests faster than anyone else. They might show off their speed, but just don’t bother for them, it’s not the speed that matters. If you can do most sums correctly, rather in a slow speed, it is a lot better than to rush while writing and getting zero correct. Take your time, it’s fine!

8.       Play math games. 

How to play: For this game, you may need one or more partner(s). Start with 1, then your partner may say 2 and go on. The twist here is, no one should speak the multiples of 5, instead say Bingo! Let me clear this again: Suppose you start with 1, then your partner says 2 and so on, and when it’s the time for 5, or its multiples like 10, 15 or 20 say Bingo! 

(Wanna make this harder? Try saying Bingo for multiples of 5 as well as 6!)

9.        Squiggles won’t help. 

If you want to improve your accuracy (i.e., the no. of answers you do correctly) you should solve math problems neatly, with enough spaces between numbers while doing any operation. It not only reduces the chances of errors, but also allows you and your teachers to see what you’ve written. Maybe your teacher gives a ‘star’?!

10.    Time for fun! 

Start your study session with reading a few math jokes, trust me; they would lift up your mood. This might relax you and even help you solve your math problems without problems!