Do not let the fear of maths hinder your preparation
STRATEGY With exam season around the corner, maths emerges as a sore point for students despite its highscoring nature but since low marks in one subject can bring down overall grades, it is important to not give into fear
Maths and its relevance in scientific and technological development is irrefutable. It helps us learn and think creatively and critically, and empowers us with one of the most important skills – problem solving. For many students, however, maths evokes strong emotions ranging from anxiety and aversion to complete distress.
While maths has gained a reputation for being the biggest stumbling block for many students, particularly when final exams are closer, the fact that it remains a high scoring subject makes it difficult to ignore. Therefore, any sensible strategy to get good marks cannot exclude planning ahead for maths.
Rather than giving in to their fear, students should have a plan for overcoming their anxiety. Here are some tips that students could consider:
1. Identify chapters/topics which carry more marks and practice those regularly in the days leading up to the exam.
2. Solve at least one sample paper every day leading up to the exam day for both practice and time management. This will boost your confidence, help you plan answering time proficiently and give you a clear idea of your strengths and weaknesses.
3. Since maths involves more practice and less theory, it can be helpful to form a group of equally ‘phobic’ (or non-phobic) friends to practice in the days leading up to the exam. Anxiety levels are bound to come down when you are among friends and you may even be able to solve questions that you weren’t able to before.
4. Prepare a single sheet of mathematical formulas and revise them every day so that you do not forget important formulae during exams.
5. Last minute cramming does not help. So, rather than revising topics you are not very confident about, concentrate on those topics and chapters with which you are already comfortable with.
6. For better absorption and retention in the last few days, opt for revising through online video tutorials. The whole visual element can bring down your anxiety level considerably.
While everybody has their own approach to attempting an exam, there are a few standard things all students should follow to boost their confidence.
For the first 10 minutes, just read the entire paper in a relaxed state of mind. Feeling intimidated means you can’t relax and apply what you have learned to even the simplest of problems.
Start with a section you feel you have best prepared, say Algebra, as it will boost your confidence while you go about attempting rest of the questions.
There are three difficulty levels in a question paper — simple, average and difficult. First, try to finish the simple questions and then move on to average and finally, to the difficult bits. This way, not only would you be in a more positive frame of mind, but it would leave you time to tackle on the most difficult questions which require greater focus and application.
Solve problems in a step-wise method. You do get points for attempting them and for every correct step.
As for all other subjects, do see that you attempt questions as per the marking scheme.
Teachers and parents can also play a critical role in supporting children who have maths-phobia. Silent support, words of encouragement, acceptance and understanding can go a long way in comforting the child before their maths exam. Positive reinforcement can help student’s overcome their fear of maths and perform better.
Even though maths has a big role in empowering students with the right skills and scores, it’s nothing to lose sleep over. One needs to remember that the ultimate objective is learning, and not just the marks.
ANY SMART STRATEGY TO GET GOOD MARKS CANNOT EXCLUDE STRATEGISING FOR THE MATHS PAPER