• Methods for Preparation

Maths happens to be the most dreaded word by students. From giving nightmares to spending sleepless nights before exams, Maths has always been a tough nut to crack for students. One of the top reasons is that maths requires extensive use of the brain and is a blend of understanding and memorizing.

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Arithmophobia - The Fear of Maths

Kick out the Fear of Maths

Students who are generally used to memorizing concepts and answers find it off-beat when suddenly introduced to solving answers which involve applying the brain. This particular phobia of numbers or maths is better known as arithmophobia. Hence, you need to primarily get away from the fear of maths and just set into its prolific world.

Contrary to being considered as a subject that includes only calculations, Maths is more of an Art. Have you ever tried creating a rangoli or played the game of Join the dots? Then you will be familiar with how one dot connected properly paves the way to other dots thereby making a complete picture. And mathematics is nothing different from this very art. Forget a step or write an incorrect step and the entire sum can go topsy-turvy.

Treat it as Art

  • Maths is an Art

So, primarily treat mathematics as art and just enjoy it. Getting frightened or building any kind of phobia in your mind will only mess things up further. It will create a block in your mind thereby leaving you more obscured in the bargain.

The top reasons for losing Marks or failing in Maths exam/ test or test includes:

Failing to do Homework

Don't Fail to do your Homework

This is an essential tool for sharpening your skills. Homework is not simply to fill papers but to polish your skills and understanding. Hence the first tip for enhancing your mathematics base is to complete your homework without fail.

Bad handwriting

  • Bad Handwriting equals Bad Marks

Misalignment of digits or bad handwriting often reasons for losing marks. For example, writing 7 in the shape of 1 or 2 as 5 or vice versa leads to confusion. Hence it is necessary to write in a manner that is understandable to you as well as your teacher. Be clear about what you are writing and number placement to spare no room for losing marks.

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Not reading the instructions well

  • Read Instructions Carefully

In the quest to finish the answer, students often tend to skip reading the instruction. Sometimes, they tend to read only once and straightaway head to answer it. Thus, ensure to read the entire question well. Read twice or thrice until you understand it well. Also, do not get confused between the terms 'sum' and 'product' where candidates tend to lose marks.

Basic errors

  • Avoid Fundamental Mistakes

Often when the problems are vast, students get confused with the basic calculations which include multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. For example - In case of a problem like

5+6X6-2 =?

Instead of solving it in the manner, it is given, you need to follow the BODMAS theory - which includes 6X6 = 36+5 = 41-2 = 39.

Students forget the BODMAS technique and end up getting the wrong answer. Being well abreast of the basic BODMAS method will get you the right answer.

Glueing this theory in your mind can help in upgrading your grades without failing or losing scores in the exam.

Apart from the above, here are a few basic tips and study hacks to crack your Maths test:

Get your basics strong

Get your grip on the basics and polish them further. This includes being proficient with the basic BODMAS theories, number theory and much more. You can leverage the medium of the internet by solving different sums and playing number games that will upscale and strengthen your basics.

Do your homework every day

Do not merely look at homework as an additional task to be completed after school every day, but as a medium wherein you can utilize the platform to get your queries cleared. Circle the problems which you are uncertain about and later get your queries cleared by the teacher the next day. This way you can remember what is taught in school in addition to performing well during Maths tests.

Do not exhaust your brain

As per studies, the human brain tends to soak in information only for 45 minutes. Later it throws away anything that is put into it. Hence taking occasional breaks will help in keeping your brain working in your favour. Refrain from working more than 60 minutes at stretch in solving maths. After 60 minutes your brain gets exhausted and will throw out everything which is put into it. And hence, take enough breaks in between and refrain from studying for long hours during the night, especially for solving mathematics.

Practice and Practice

Before the exam or Maths Test solve all the problems included in examples as well as practice sets thoroughly. Also, solve questions that you attempted for homework to strengthen your revision and get well abreast of the topic.

  • A day before the exam revise the vocabulary and formulae. This will save you time from breaking your head and remembering the formulae.
  • On the day of the exam, when you receive the question paper, do not start writing immediately. Foremost write down all the formulae and vocabulary as well as definitions on the side column so that you don't forget later in exam panic.
  • Read the questions TWICE!
  • Do not be in a hurry to solve the paper. Read the questions TWICE and understand the directions.

Maintain a stable handwriting

Draw neat diagrams. Again DO NOT BE in a hurry and place the numbers properly with correct place values.

  • After solving all the problems, recheck and reread the questions and answers checking for any miss-out or error in spelling.
  • If you are stuck on any question, then skip the problem and move to the next one. Do not waste your time pondering over it as it may end up wasting your time. Solve the questions which you are well abreast of and if there is any time left at the end of the exam, solve the questions which you had left out.

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More importantly, along with solving the practice problems, keep your mind calm and do not let any negative thoughts get in. Read the questions thoroughly, practice impeccably and crack the exam immaculately!

Target Publications presents a compact and well-researched study material for students through our books. Our Mathematics book from Std 5th to Std 12th is curated in a manner that insinuates in kids the curiosity to learn more. Each maths problem is comprehensively covered by skipping any step. Apart from covering the textbook questions, the books also include additional questions, MCQs and out-of-the-textbook questions that are core to the concerned topics.

Our catalogue products for the Maths in school section include

Our catalogue products for the Maths in college section include

If you are curious to gain further insight on topics related to exams and study tips run through our blogs and also YouTube videos for a detailed topic explanation by our subject experts.