How important is practice in doing well in Math?

Math teachers often tell their students that the more they practice, the better they can perform. Nothing could be more true than that statement. But to practice, you should first know how to tackle math problems. So, let’s start at the very beginning.

Clarity – Students should attempt to bring in clarity into their math work to obtain top grades. When their teachers solve or explain math problems in class, they should copy it down legibly and properly. One should try not to use abbreviations that could be confusing later. The use of highlighters and colored pencils (to highlight the important portions) can be very effective. A good formof practice is to try the same problems back home and verify the method used as well as the answers.

Questions – Don’t take questions back home. Discuss these with the teacher or with other students who have clearly understood the concept and get the questions answered comprehensively. Then, attempt some similar questions yourself and get the concept crystal clear. This too, is a form of practice.

Model tests – Take model tests. These are available online or in other books. It is a good idea to buy books by other authors dealing with the same topics and solve the problems. This will widen the understanding of the concept and give greater confidence to the students. This form of practice can do wonders to the students’ score.

Math is a subject where students can, with practice, get a very high grade and thus improve their overall grade point average. Therefore, it is important for students to do well in math. However, as with athletes who get rusty when they do not practice for a period of time, students lose their touch if they do not practice math problems. And such practice should always be done on a piece of paper, not just by glancing at problems in a book or an answer sheet.

Math is all about practice.