Math Success 101: Examine the Exams

Let's examine your exam-taking skills and to take a look at exam anxiety and how to overcome it. Applying a few basic concepts to exam taking can lead to significantly improved scores and reduced symptoms of “examitis”. In this article, we will look at things that can be done before, during, and after the exam and provide some suggestions to set yourself on the path to success and achievement. So without further adieu, let get to work.

GOAL SETTING:

The first question that you need to ask yourself is what goal you’re setting. Do you just want to pass, do average, or do you want to get an A. This is very important, since the things that need to be done in each case are totally different. The suggestions in this article apply to those who want to get a high grade and ace math. So, once you know what your goal is, read on.

AFTER EACH EXAM:

Paradoxically, most of the learning from the exam comes after the exam. The graded exam that you get back from the teacher is worth its weight in gold and definitely does not belong in the trash can even if the score is embarrassingly low. Concentrate not on what went wrong but how it went wrong. Make a table with 3 columns and have a row for each of the exam problems. On top of the 3 columns write “carelessness”, “didn’t get it”, and “anxiety”. For each problem write down how many points were lost for each of the three reasons. After this exercise it should become clear where the challenges lay and what to concentrate on when studying for the next exam. This approach is similar to what happened when my daughter learned how to ride a bike. The first thing she did was learning how to fall. Once she learned how to fall, she felt confident riding the bike because she knew exactly what happens when she falls. Likewise, when taking exams, learn how you “fail” so that you can succeed.

DURING THE EXAM:

BEFORE EXAM:

Finally, the stage in the exam taking process that most time is devoted to is preparing for the exam. The time spent preparing can either be devoted to memorizing how to solve problems or learning the fundamental concepts and definitions. The following analogy demonstrates the difference between the two approaches. Think of math as a tree with a thick trunk and many smaller branches and leaves. The tree trunk is analogous to basic definitions and the smaller branches can be compared to more specific definitions for each particular “branch” of mathematics. The leaves on the ends of the smallest branches are math problems. Solving problems in math is like climbing up a tree. If you want to get to a particular leaf you can either memorize the path through all the branches, or you can figure out as you go along which way to go by knowing the definitions. As you go through school this math tree gets bigger with more leaves, so after a while, memorization becomes a futile exercise. It is definitely better to learn the concepts and definitions when preparing for the exam, rather then memorizing.

In conclusion, preparation for the next exam starts with your previous exams. Have the exams become your friends and learn what you did wrong and how it can be corrected. During the exam, don’t panic if you can come across a problem that you don’t know how to solve because it probably can be manipulated into something you can solve for. Before the exam, concentrate on learning the definition and the concepts rather then memorizing how to solve specific problems. As a final thought, think of a bad math teacher that you’ve had before that you have been blaming. After the memories come back to you, try forgiving this teacher, because only then can you forgive yourself and become friends with math.

Happy Zen Math!!

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