Q&A for How to Study for a Math Exam

Request to sit in the front row, and make sure to put your cell phone away during class. If someone's distracting you, advocate for yourself and let your teacher know.

Study at a table; if you were to study on a bed, you may feel more tired and want to fall asleep.

You are probably getting stressed and scared when the teacher hands out the test. There are many things you can do. First of all, don't cram all the material into your head a few days before the test. Try to study a bit each night for a few weeks before the test. Then, when the test comes, calm yourself down. Take a few deep breaths and imagine something that will make you happy, but don't get overly distracted. Just imagine that you are doing your homework, and not taking an exam. If you imagine hard enough, the stress will go away and you will remember everything you had studied.

Take a break. Get a drink of water and a small snack. Busy yourself with another activity for a while and then go back to studying.

Repeat, repeat, repeat at different intervals. First learn it so that you can say them back after looking at a flash card. Then see if you can remember after 5 minutes, then after 15, 1 hour, 2 hours, 1 day, 1 week, etc. Memory works through repeated remembering, if you do this you will remember and it will seem easy.

When studying, practice the types of questions that confuse you the most. During the exam, read each question carefully to avoid becoming confused.

I recommend reading through the question a couple of times. Try to visualize what the question is about, as truly connecting with this will help to trigger which maths topics are needed. Then go through and underline key numbers and their units and decide which are needed for which calculations. Bear in mind that there could be some unnecessary information given. You may need to do a series of calculations and the order may be important. The visualization should help you to understand the order needed. Once you have completed the calculations check that your answer makes sense and is realistic.

Practice often. It may be too close to the time now, but learning over a long period of time helps to get things to stay in your mind. The only way to learn maths is through doing it, so that's what you must do. If your exam is soon, try and get plenty of rest and don't worry about it

If you are nervous before an exam, you should take deep breaths, and keep in mind no matter what happens, you did your best!

Instead of focusing on the grade, focus on comprehension. The reason you are not getting answers right is due to the fact that you don't understand the problems. Focus on learning key concepts of problem solving before the test, as well as reviewing homework assignments, and asking your teacher questions. If you focus more on comprehending problem solving, you will receive better grades.

Avoid all distractions, turn off all devices and don't let yourself procrastinate. Study in an empty, quiet environment. In class, ignore your peers, and if the people surrounding you talk too much, ask your teacher to move your seat.

Keep reading it a lot until you completely understand and you get it. If that doesn't work, try asking your parents/guardians for help.

It may be you think you enjoy math, but you don't. Just study and practice, then reward yourself.

This really depends on you. Everyone moves at different speeds. 1-2 hours daily is a good general place to start -- but you should spend however long it takes until you fully understand the material. Also, you have to take into account other daily activities (such as a job) that you will need to work around in order to study. Making a study timetable (and setting alarms with it) is a great idea as you can plan out how long you will study for and also how short your breaks will be.

No, if you already know how to do a particular type of problem, move on to the next topic, but if you're finding it difficult, doing the same type of problem repeatedly is good practice and make solving them come more naturally in the future.

Use a timer, and allow yourself a set amount of time per math problem. When the timer goes off, move onto the next one. Once you're able to beat the clock on each one, set it for a shorter time for the next set of problems.

You should not eat sweets, junk food, pop (sodas), and other unhealthy and fatty foods.

Take a deep breath and clear your mind. Then, look around the room and see if something triggers a memory that has to do with the question.

Eat fruit beforehand -- the natural sugars might help keep your mind fresh and alive. Small amounts of chocolate will also help (dark chocolate is the best).

Try listening to classical or instrumental music with no words. This can help to keep you calm. Some people are also reassured by soothing scents or by adjusting the room temperature.

There are ways to make math easier. Do math problems as a game (find apps, math puzzles, math games). Ask someone of your age to study with you and share information, to help each other. Another way is to make some codes or flash cards to remember formulas and equations. Read about famous mathematicians to be inspired. Use math books with imagery as well as numbers. Join a math club.

Try to prioritize your schedule, and remember that your studies should be at the top of the list. Definitely stick with the lunch time clubs, and try to make room in the evenings or at night for extra study time. Is it possible to get up a little earlier for 15 to 20 minutes of studying in the mornings?

It depends on what you're studying, whether you have a test coming up, and what your homework load was like that particular day. Two to three hours is a good estimate.

Go over it over and over in your head after you have studied. Continue to study the same thing many times before moving on to the next thing in math. Study your material thoroughly and give yourself plenty of time to go over it repeatedly.

Before submitting your assignment, read, revise, re-calculate and analyze what you have done. This is an easier way to find out your problems.

Focus on only one or two concepts and do practice problems throughout the day until you have mastered the ideas.

It is better if you do not cram with such a short study time, but if you must, study in batches. Study solid and focused for 15 minutes, then take 5-10 minutes to rest. Use flashcards and write facts and problems out. All those practices can help cement facts into your memory.

Review what you have learned and go over any notes. You can ask your teacher after school.

You can reduce stress by doing things to distract yourself such as trying to squeeze ice or chewing on a piece of gum.

You should stay home and recover. Your teacher will be able to arrange a make-up exam with you when you return to class.