Study Tips From Successful MCTC Math Students Student 1 – Math 1125, 1180, 1190, 2210 1. Spend at least two hours per week for course credit hour studying outside of course attendance. 2. Read section prior to the day professor goes over it. 3. Write down everything pertinent the professor says and puts on whatever object serves as “the board” (this is key some professors don’t take time to write all the explanations they are going over). 4. Review daily notes within 2 hours of end of class for reinforcement. 5. Work all suggested exercises, or at least enough to know the solution mechanic for each type of problem. Check my answers using sources like www.slader.com, answer key in the library, google searches. 6. If I’m still struggling I will research a topic on YouTube. I don’t just watch the first video I try to sample at least 3 unless it there is a trusted, known source in play. 7. Re-work every problem from the notes at least twice. 8. Make my own practice tests and work them with no help. 9. For your classes, I pay close attention to how your frame each topic. Listening closely usually I have a good idea of what concepts will be tested and which ones won’t. (If this doesn’t work for someone, then you sadly have to study everything but I don’t think this is an effective use of time and energy.) 10. Try to link concepts I just learned to concepts I learned prior in the course by days or even weeks to keep an eye on the “big picture”. 11. If there is a type of problem that takes an hour to do, I don’t anticipate seeing it on an exam. 12. Office Hours! (get up early). 13. Making conscious choices about how you spend your free/study time. Minimizing distractions: social media, tv, video games, social invitations, interpersonal relationships. You need to be budgeting your time down to the half hour. 14. Realizing this isn't going to be fun, it's going to suck, but you are working towards a goal. 15. Coffee. 16. If you are a competitive person, make it into a friendly competition (I definitely do this and it motivates me to no end). That's why I love how you post grades! 17. Find a study buddy. 18. Do not get behind in a math class. 19. Do not wait to study for a test until the night before the test. Studying for Test 2 starts as soon as Test 1 ends, etc.

Student 2 – Math 1180, 1190 My first tip is to begin studying as soon as possible. I usually begin right after class while the material is still fresh in my mind. This might not be possible for everyone depending on their schedules, but studying as soon as possible after the class ends helps so that I am not starting from scratch when I first start studying. The second tip is to do all of the homework. This is especially true of the hard and difficult problems. A lot of problems start out simple and somewhat formulaic even if they take a long time to answer. The hard problems, on the other hand, are dynamic and test your understanding of the section as well as the math you've had up until that point. The third tip I have goes with the second tip and that is to use all the resources you have available. The book is good a resource, but might fall short. If I find myself stuck on a problem I will often google the problem and find other people who were stuck on the same problem with their step-by-step work towards the solution. Khan academy is another good resource you list on your site. One resource I found by googling is Paul's Online Math Notes which can be found at: http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/ I like this website because it goes from Algebra to Differential Equations and will often cover and provide context to some things the book may skip. It also gives you example problems and works through them in front of you.

Student 3 – Math 2210, 2220 Advice: Be honest with yourself with what you do know and what you do not know. Often times when struggling with a new section, the problem isn't the new concept just presented, rather it is the lack of understanding of previous material (e.g. calculus concepts aren't outrageous, but how is your algebra? do you understand how and when it's necessary to rationalize a denominator? are you proficient with all the log functions? i.e. (ln5-ln3)=ln(5/3), etc). If you're not an expert with factoring, completing the square, knowledge of basic functions and trigonometry (e.g. domain and range of square roots, absolute value, arctangent, ln(x), e^x, and how to manipulate them) then sooner or later it will appear on a problem and bite you in the ass. That being said, realize which of these areas you're struggling in, and strengthen your fundamentals, ASAP. Use a lower level math class textbook or online resources (www.khanacademy.org) and work through areas that are problematic; the earlier the better. General tips: Do a little bit of math every day. Even if it's just one problem, consistency is everything when you're working this part of the brain. Skim the section being covered in class, BEFORE class. If you're ambitious, take notes beforehand as well. It might take an hour, but it pays off in the amount of time you'll save doing problems. This way, you're able to follow along and watch the dots connect in front of your eyes, instead of scrambling either to take down notes, or make sense of ideas you're hearing for the first time. Show up for class every day. If your lecture is at 8AM, when the exam comes, the person whose brain is used to being active and engaged at this time period 4 days a week will generally be more successful than that of the student who only does so 2 days a week (basic psychology). Homework: The key to success. Always make time for homework, otherwise it builds. Missing a single day can set you behind. This happens, but set aside some extra time the next day. If you know you don't have enough time to get through all of your homework, perhaps solve only a

few, and set up the rest (i.e. skip the algebra). This is not recommended in general, but it is likely better to have the basic idea of how to approach every type of problem in the section, rather than being an expert in one type and neglecting the rest. Also, don't let yourself get hung up on a problem for too long. I have spent over an hour on a single problem only to find there was an error in the answer key. Simply take note of these problems, and schedule an appointment with a tutor or your instructor to work them out (it will likely save you time and help you understand where you went wrong). Study habits: Don't listen to anybody, figure this out for yourself. Not everyone is able to focus at a library and hammer away at problems for 4 hours straight. Flash cards aren't for everyone. Quiet spaces aren't for everyone. Try different things, settings, times of day, and find out what works for you to get you in the zone. I accomplish most of my work in a loud coffee shop at 1AM. Again, this doesn't work for everyone. Student 4 – Math 1180, 1190, 2220 One of the main things I've found does not work for me is trying to learn too much in a day or two before a test (cramming). I try to do some math studying almost every day, seven days a week, anywhere from a half hour up to a maximum of three hours. I usually find diminishing returns after about three hours or so. No matter what, I always do all the odd problems listed in the homework. Once in a while, I'll selectively do another problem or two, depending on how solid I feel about a subject. If a problem is particularly hard, I do not give up on it until I understand it and can do it correctly — no matter how long it takes. If that's 1 1/2 hours on one problem, so be it. If I find that a problem is hard because I'm rusty on pre-calculus material, I set aside the calculus and do some work on that for a bit. Sometimes I'll return to a hard problem and do it again the next day. I find that the more difficulty I have muddling through a problem, the more I get out of it in the end. (For example, I felt I gained greater insight into some of the topics as a result of the many difficult hours I spend on the end-of-semester homework assignment in Calc 2.) This brings me to another aspect of how I study. Even when I work at something until I feel I get it, I find that I don't have such a solid grasp a few days later. So I return to the subject and redo a problem or two. I forget, then I remember. The key for me is spending time working on problems, but there are other supplementary things that help me a lot. I find that if I at least skim the chapter text related to the coming lecture, it helps me follow and focus on the lecture itself. I don't generally take notes during lecture, but I focus my attention on following and understanding everything that's explained. When I'm able to maintain attention and understand everything being discussed in lecture, it makes the homework much easier. (Maybe for others talking notes is a better way, I'm just explaining what I do.) In other words, while I need a lot of time to focus on problems, it also helps to spend some time learning in a more relaxed manner, just thinking and trying to wrap my mind around the topics. In addition to using the lectures for that, I sometimes watch videos on certain topics, like watching TV, or just skim a chapter in the book. Sometimes listening to a concept explained from a few different angles helps it "click" better. (A number of students use Khan Academy. I found some useful lectures on MIT's opencourseware.) Finally, I review the pre-problem text from each chapter a couple times. As I do, I write out, sometimes in my own words, the key concepts, formulas and proofs. I usually do that once before I start into the problems, because I have a very hard time just trying to remember how to do something without really understanding what I'm doing at each step.

Student 5 – Math 1190 - Re-read the chapters after lecture. It is like getting a second lecture and had some pretty good step by step instructions for the problem. I thought this helped because it allowed me to fill the gaps in anything I did not get right away. I found this helpful before starting the problems. - Get to the hard problems. Spending too much time on the earlier easy problems in the sections can burn you out and make it harder to do the tougher problems at the end of the chapter. If you get something move on to the next part. - Study with others. Everyone has their gaps, and you can feed off each other to get help. Everyone sees things differently and sometimes a differing perspective will help you learn.

Student 6 – Math 1180, 1190, 2220 For when I have a limited amount of time to do homework I will do the homework starting at the beginning until I think that I am starting to grasp the concept. Then I will look at the next problem and see if in my head I am able to picture all the steps needed to figure out the answer. If I know the steps then I move on to the next problem. If I come across a problem that looks like it has anything tricky or I stop to think about a step for a second, then I do that problem. I find that i spend more of my time doing harder problems this way. Then the easy problems seem even easier. I do look at the answer key in the back of the book when I am stuck. But when I finally figure the problem out I look back over it to make sure I learned how to do the problem. For chapters that have a lot of formulas to memorize I try to keep a cheat sheet to study off of and to reference quick when I am doing homework. Saves time. I do search problems on the internet and have found it helpful from time to time as few people are very good at answering problems step by step to help you learn. This is usually my last resort but it is another resource especially if you want to remember something like the rules for logs or certain trig identities. Finally, I think my favorite thing to do is redo problems from class and homework when I am studying for a quiz or test. If you have time when you are reviewing, pick out problems as you come across them that you remember being difficult. Write the problem down on a separate piece of paper and try it again. If you get stuck you have the problem in your notes to reference.

Student 7 – Math 2210 What I found to be a successful study habit was just making it a habit – coming up with a regular time each day when I would sit down and work on problems and try not to do more than an hour at a time. For me that seemed to be best each morning before I left for class so things were fresh in my head. If there was still more to do, I would sit down for another 30-60 min in the evening if need be. But the idea of developing a habit so it wasn't an internal struggle to plow through work – it was just part of my routine. Also, I know you don't allow notes on tests, but I would regularly write a note card before a test on two sides of 8.5x11 paper. Then I would filter down information to only be on one side. Then transfer only what I felt was important to an index card. Then I'd rip it up and come take your tests. That seemed to be the most helpful way to prepare for a test, by going through the motions of writing a note card. If I felt I was struggling on certain types of problems, google was super helpful. I remember you had links to Khan Academy videos, but the fact that someone can hear multiple explanations of a topic like Null Spaces was great if I struggled with it during lecture. Student 8 – Math 1125, 1180 Here are a few things I have found to be helpful in succeeding in your class... 1. Do all assigned homework problems, and if there are any even problems that seem to be relevant, do those also! 2. If you would like to check answers to even problems in the homework, or just need help with how to work out the problems, utilize websites such as Chegg.com (you have to pay for a subscription), or Slader.com (free) that offer these solutions. When I would get stuck on a problem and needed guidance, I found these solutions very helpful. 3. When studying for exams, try and do all the examples from the class notes as well as quiz questions on your own, without looking at the solutions. Rework these as many times as you need to in order to feel confident doing them on your own. 4. Also, take a look at the chapter review and try and do some questions that look familiar to other homework problems or seem relevant. 5. It was really helpful for me to form a study group with people from class. Often, explaining things to other people in my own words helped me with my own understanding of the concepts better. 6. If you are struggling to understand a concept, utilize the Khan Academy videos on Ed's website! Student 9 – Math 2220 Reading the text before jumping into any exercises is important. Especially for Multivariable Calculus in which setting up a problem is the hardest part. There’s not a whole lot of “plug and chug.” Graphing software/apps are useful. And finally, working through the suggested exercises at least two times over is key. I guess that seems standard pretty standard but I’d say the same for any math class. If my grade were low, that would indicate that I need to plow through more problems!

Student 10 – Math 1125, 1180 I have found the following strategies to be helpful in math classes. I try to read the material to be discussed before class. I also try the in text example problems without looking at the worked out solutions. I write questions that I have in my notes for the next class session. If I can see the material before it is covered in class the material will not be totally new for me and then I can ask questions. I copy down the notes in class. This helps to keep me engaged during class. I review the notes after class and summarize them in the margins explaining steps. Sometimes I recopy the notes. I make note cards of example problems covered in class to study for the tests. I think that knowing what is in the notes is very helpful for tests. I review any questions that I had, and then when I feel confident I do the homework. I also make note cards of the problems I find challenging using a student solution manual or the teacher working out difficult problems from the homework. So I make a lot of note cards, so that I can quiz myself for tests. I also go to the teacher's office hours, the math center, and the learning center on occasion when I have questions. I spend as much time as I can and still be reasonably productive. I try to drink less coffee and more green tea because I don't tend to crash with green tea. I also try to get exercise and enough sleep. I hope that some of this is helpful. I also try to watch khan academy videos and MIT opencourseware when I have time. I do all of this time permitting. I think that the most important thing to succeed in a math class is to do all the homework. Doing all the homework is the groundwork for understanding the material. Student 11 – Math 1120 I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner on this, I actually had to think about this because all I could think of was what I assume would be standard advice: study every day, do the homework, take the practice tests. However, there were a few things that I did myself that I thought might be helpful to other students. I bought a blackboard (though I suppose a piece of poster paper would work just as well) and placed it in the middle of my apartment, where I would see it every day. The first thing I put on the board (which is still up on the board) was a diagram of the unit circle with all the angles you had asked us to remember embedded in the circle along with the triangles that we used to calculate their sine and cosine values; 30-60-90 for pi/6, 45-45-90 for pi/4, etc. Every week or so I'd add the information I was having difficulty remembering to the board. Many of the formulas and identities have an interesting aesthetic (especially, in my opinion, De Moivre's formula for complex roots) which can be very eye catching. I remember staring at them during meals and mourning coffee. I felt like this exposure helped me remember the equations better, and beyond this, got me thinking more about how and why they worked, where they would sit in a hierarchy; how they connected to other concepts. Secondly, if I ran into something I didn't understand immediately, I'd play around with it until I did. I'd try to derive the formulas and identities myself, looking to the book and class notes until I felt I could do this on my own, unaided. I figured that if my memory should fail me, it would be best for me to be able to derive the formulas or identities I needed from what I remembered about how they worked and were they came from.

Lastly, we only had so much time together in class during the week, and I found it hard at times to ask the right questions in class when things move so quickly. I made a habit of trying out some of the next weeks work before we got to it in class so I'd know a bit of what to expect, and I felt that this helped keep my mind on track during class. I really think the best advice I could give is to participate in class. Demonstrating that I knew the material, and could keep up with the class, helped me feel as though I was on the right track even if I was wrong on occasion. For me this meant I had to study hard in between classes, go beyond the homework, look up information online (Khan Academy has been a great resource), and work with the material until I understood it to the best of my ability given the time constraint. Student 12 – Math 1190 In addition to following the ideal way (doing as many problems as needed, doing the homework on time, being organized etc.), below are a few things that I personally do that may or may not work for some other students. 1. I don’t take notes while in class for the following reasons: A) Whether I take notes or not, the professor will post a well-organized and much better notes than I would have taken. So why waste time and energy on looking back and forth between my notebook and the board when I can focus all my attention on the lecture. B) If I do take notes while in class, then I won’t understand the lecture as I would otherwise, because I am thinking of taking good notes that I can understand when I get home. This is sort of like doing two jobs at the same time for me. While the professor is explaining and doing problems, I would rather take the time to deeply think about why x, y and z are the way they are instead of taking notes of it and not completely understanding. C) Earlier when I used to take notes, one thing I noticed was that I would take good notes but then not review them thoroughly when I get home. I’ve seen other students who told me the same thing. With that being said, if you understand better when you take notes. Then go for it. 2. The first thing I usually do when I go to my study area is study the professor’s notes. I open and slowly study the notes from the class. Some people might find even better to print them out. If there is anything that I am stuck on, I go to the professor’s office and ask for their help. 3. If there is a concept that I am still struggling with, I study it from the text. The text helps a lot. They especially show some of the concepts in geometrical interpretation which I think is helpful for visualizing the concept. That’s why I sometimes start my studying with the text book instead of the notes. 4. Now that I am feeling a little bit confident, I start the exercises. This is when I start taking notes. I would advise that you do all the assigned problems and clearly write them in a notebook. Don’t get rid of the notebooks that you use for the exercises once they are full. Put it in a safe place so that you can refer back to them as needed when studying for quizzes or tests. You will be surprised how helpful this is when it is time for the final exam.

5. When I can’t do all the assigned problems… When this happens I skim the problems and do the ones that look interesting. That way you have a better chance of knowing the easy ones than if you went the other way around. 6. When I don’t understand the lecture…. It happens a few days that I will just get completely off track. In that instance, I go to a silent study area, forget about whatever is said in the lecture, and start studying that section from the text and then see the notes afterwards. Should I not understand something, I go to the professor’s office for help. And then of course do the exercises. 7. Always ask questions in class when you don’t get something. Very important. 8. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get the grades you wanted on a test. 9. Avoid any distractions, especially social media while doing math. Something I struggle with. 10. Try to always come on time for the class. If you get a few minutes late, that might cause you to not understand the entire lecture for the day. Good luck! Student 13 – Math 1190 The general philosophy and approach I would recommend is similar to how you treat your final review as a "check" system. Along the way students should have ways that "check" their level of understanding of the material. The first one I believe is when it comes to starting a new chapter that students should strive to read ahead. Generally, the sections build off themselves and follow a fairly linear line of progression. Not only can you read ahead students also can look up video material as well. Khan Academy is a great source as is a YouTube channel I found called PatrickJMT. I can link it below. Afterwards, attempt some of the practice problems to gauge your level of understanding. This is your first "check" to see if you are understanding the material. Also, you should never refer to a solution manual during these practice problems. The next step is that when students come to class they should try and engage you with your questions. I understand if students don't enjoy speaking up in class to try and answer the questions you pose, but I think it's a good way of trying to understand the material. Nonetheless, the take away is students should be able to answer or understand a large portion of the material you are introducing as they have already covered it. The 2nd "check" I would say then is if you have reviewed the material and can't seem to understand or answer it after your class then you know you need to study more. Once you have re-reviewed the material students should again attempt all the problems given to them. Now at this step I know we might differ a little in our thoughts on the process. At the beginning of the semester we talked about the use of solution problem guides or manuals. I want to clarify from my perspective how they can be useful. If a student still after the first 2 "checks" still finds themselves struggling with the material I have found that referring to solution guides can be very helpful. Just like reading ahead, Khan Academy, PatrickJMT, or your classes these solutions give students another way of understanding the problem. I know Stewart has a solution manual and there is one available in the library, but I would recommend something else instead. I'm not sure if you have ever had students tell you about Slader or not. Slader is a free to use website and app that has user submitted answers to nearly 95% of all problems even or odd in the book. Each answer generally has a well worked out way of solution

and explanation and has a rating system that allows users to rate someone's submitted answers. In my time using the app I think I've only come across an actually wrong answer 2-3 times. Sometimes, an answer is given correctly but the explanation is poor. Otherwise, this app is actually incredibly accurate and well moderated for accuracy by its community of users. Now as a math teacher I can understand why this type of approach would make you apprehensive, but allow me to explain what I think the benefits are. If a student were to find themselves struggling still, Slader will give them a final "check" to try and determine if they can understand the material. Perhaps their errors are something simple they are forgetting to do in problems that they catch onto with a worked out problem. Maybe they see a different way of approaching the answer. Regardless, Slader is somewhat of a last resort in a student’s arsenal of understanding math concepts. I also think it is the ultimate test for students to realize that they may not understand the material. If you are literally given the solutions in front of you and still can't understand the concept after going through such a process then it tells you that you need to reevaluate the section. If I would ever reach this point I generally came to you for questions. Now there is one caveat to the use of Slader in this situation which I think you are aware of. Students can certainly misuse it and rely too heavily on the app itself. I feel like I was able to find a good middle ground and found it to be extremely useful. But, every student is different. Regardless of the use of Slader or not I highly encourage the concept of trying to "check" your understanding through a chapter or section. The last thing I want to mention is students need to understand that time needs to be allotted especially for this class. I don't want to list off excuses for some bad performances on some of your tests, but I find it pretty striking as to perhaps why I did so badly. In calculus 1 along with taking 3 other classes I was spending time outside of class studying to become a certified pharmacy technician and take a state test. It took away from the class and my grade reflected that. In calculus 2 I was off to a good start but during test 2 and 3 I moved apartments and that affected me during that expanse of time and I got my worst test scores. Students should not be surprised to have a poor grade if they don't devote the time. I think it would be selfish of me or another student to express frustration of a test when the one to blame is myself for not allocating the time. I believe it's important that students realize this. I hope that this email was helpful in giving you some ideas. https://m.youtube.com/user/patrickJMT (this is his YouTube channel) http://patrickjmt.com/ (this is his website) Student 14 – Math 1125 Accelerated Pre-Calc is a demanding class. I probably wouldn’t have taken it if I hadn’t already done Trig before – I think most of us had. I spent probably 7 hours per week on h/w, then about 20 hours leading up to the final – in the test I wished it had been more. I spent a lot of time figuring out how each chapter connected with the previous and next chapters, as this helped in figuring out which formulas and diagrams/processes you were being asked to use in each question. I made sure to be in class for at least the beginning of each chapter as that really makes a difference to fitting all the information together in your brain and understanding how all the questions fit together. It helped me to segment the different chapters and produce one page of notes for each section while I was going through, then at the end make one page for

each chapter consolidating, and finally a one-page of everything that was still eluding me to sight memorise the mornings before finals. Because the course is two whole classes in one, each hour class really does cover a lot. I am a visual learner so it helped me to be in the lessons watching the notes being made and reworking my own slightly differently – this way I was using a combination of senses and when it came to trying the problems for myself I was able to think back to the steps we had gone through. It really helps if you can be there in person for most/all classes and get good marks all the way through, because this means you also understood the chapters at the time so the final is just about reviewing. Don’t leave yourself too much to do in the final weeks because it just won’t be possible, especially with other classes going on. Besides that…be sure to ask questions! Sometimes I would ask really little things so that I could understand why you had to do it that way and then I would remember to do that step again in the finals. Get to know your classmates as they can be a great support and happy pre-calcing! Student 15 – Math 1180, 1190 There are few things I personally want to share with you.  Listen – Listening is important. If you do not pay attention well in class from either teachers or friends, you could misunderstand about how a problem works. Even when you know how the problem works, you could ignore some important conditions which were given by the teacher in class. For example, formula A is valid when x>0, but sometimes x is real number and you didn’t listen carefully and then applying formula A => dead wrong.  Patience – If you cannot solve a problem, be patient. Don’t ask right away. Solve it stepby-step. If you fail after giving it a try, give it another try   When doing exercises in book, the problem belongs where it is supposed to belong. When you reach to an exercise, you know what sections it belongs to. You know formulas, strategies from the section. Your work now is applying them to the problem. Therefore, the things which need to be learned are the ways of how to apply the formulas.  Work smarter, not harder – Don’t do all problems in the book, you won’t have enough time. Many problems are similar, so I usually do a few and learn the pattern. That is kind of discouraging, but I have an experience that most Math teachers test what we learn, not how we have done our exercises.  Remember and forget – We cannot remember all math formulas, so forget it. I usually forget formulas right after the exam. However, I remember where they are located. Whenever I need it, I just need to review the book to find which section it belongs to.  Taking notes or not? – Some people like to take notes in class. That could helpful when you review before the test. Personally, taking notes distracted me from the lecture. Humans are not good at multitasking. Writing notes, listening from teacher, watching what teacher is doing, understanding lesson, all those can be overwhelming myself. I like to spend 5 seconds to take a picture from the board rather than spend 5 minutes to write down too many things. I hope the ideas what I've just shared would be helpful and give you some hints for your future success.

Student 16 – Math 1180 I think first doing the homework is important and basic. It not only can give you more practice to know how to use those skills but it also gives you the sense of familiarity with formulas and numbers when you take a test. Besides this, another really important tip is deriving the formula by ourselves, not just knowing how to use them. My brother once told me that the person who is good at math is always bad at memorizing. Because they are bad at memorizing the formulas, they have to derive the formulas by themselves every time and I think that is true. I often induce the derivative of trigonometry or other function when I take a test because I don’t remember them though it takes some time but I just want to emphasize the importance of it. When we know where the theorems and formulas are coming from, those skills will become our tools for real. Student 17 – Math 1125, 1180 Personally, the most important thing is to do the homework. It can help me to have a better understanding about the new materials, and students should manage their time properly and have time to do the homework. Then, students should decide the way to get new materials. Some people prefer to be focused in the class all the time, so they don't take notes because professor scans the notes and put them in the Google Drive. However, I like to take notes because when I write down something, I understand it better. Also, I can write down more notes about the way that professor solves example problems step by step. For reviewing, I tend to make a review sheet and write down everything that I think is important. Also, I use the free resource in the internet, like Slader. That way, I know how to solve problems that are similar. In order to be successful in the class, the only thing is to do the homework correctly. Student 18 – Math 80 It usually takes a few weeks of getting a feel for how a class is run to figure out how to best study for that class. No matter what, it's always helpful to be as familiar as possible with the information being covered in lecture. Since I did not have time to work through all the homework questions before they were covered in class, I would look over the example questions, then work through the checkpoints of the units being covered the following day in class. Then I would work through the assigned homework on the weekends when I had more time. The tutors at learning center were also a helpful resource for me. Math can get frustrating quickly if you get stuck on a question or a concept, and it can be extremely helpful to have someone help explain it to you. Other than that it's just putting in the time. If you can get to a point where you understand the material reasonably well, then it doesn't feel like such a chore to study, and it can even be satisfying. Student 19 – Math 1120 The biggest key to my success in your Precalc 2 was completing all of the homework. The important thing about doing homework though is how you do it. I think that making it as easy as possible to complete is what will lead to success; because the main things I'm trying to avoid when I study is spending unproductive time doing homework or trying to grasp a concept without much time available to do it.

These are my tips to more efficiently completing the homework quickly and with a strong understanding.  Attempt to do the homework ahead of the assigned due date so you will have a better idea in class on what to focus on and ask questions about and also so you can better gauge how much time the homework is going to take you to complete.  Another benefit of attempting the homework ahead of time is it allows you some time to think about a challenging concept without a time deadline.  Read the text.  Watch popular Youtube videos on the subject about any of the concepts that you didn't feel comfortable with in the text.  Another thing I'm a fan of that might not work for everyone is attempting to do at least 30 minutes of the homework every day, this keeps the ideas fresh in your head and can prevent burnout. Also the first chunk of time you spend in a day studying is when your brain is the most efficient at learning and tackling challenging ideas.  Avoid putting yourself in a situation where you have to do a lot of homework in one day there is diminished returns with doing too much studying in one day. Finally when you're getting ready for a test and have completed all of the homework make sure do the practice problems for the chapter. These problems can help identify areas you’re struggling with so you can easily focus your efforts on those areas.