Math is one of the toughest subjects, and insufficient study won’t let you pass the exam or decrease your grade. But what if you can pass even with the lowest study? One way you can pass is by searching the topics most likely to be in the test and noting down the formulas. Use them in your short tests to get them to stick in your mind.
If your test is online, you can use various websites to get help solving the questions. Use a modern scientific calculator and learn various tricks that can help you answer the questions. Some people can cram formulas, and while this can work, it is risky, especially for people with memory loss.
The article provides a guide on how to pass the math exam when you haven’t studied enough. Therefore, read on.
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How to Pass a Math Test Without Studying?
Math test aims at evaluating a student’s progress and helps them realize sections they’re weak at. So they can study them more. However, most times, the students find themselves with only a few hours to the test, but they’re yet to study.
Not studying usually means failing and probably getting to repeat a section or getting a poor grade. However, there is a way you can pass and save yourself the embarrassment and trouble.
So, how can you do that? Follow this simple guide for detailed information.
1. Get a Hint of the Questions in the Test
Getting a hint doesn’t mean getting inside information about the actual questions in the test. This is cheating, which is not what the article aims at helping you do.
Getting a hint means inquiring about the question that can be in the test. You can get this information from senior scholars who once took the test you’re about to do. You can also search through the internet or your institution’s library or website.
The hint is necessary because you cannot cover the whole book with a short time on your hands. Also, with the idea of the likely questions, you can concentrate on what is more likely to be in the test, bettering your chances of success.
2. Memorize Formulas
Now with the idea of the sections you need to cover, you can begin preparing for them. With time not on your side, you can only memorize the formulas and try to use them in several questions. You can also watch some tutorial videos on YouTube that are related to the math test you’re about to take.
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Some institutions allow students to use written-down formulas, and if this is possible in your institution, you’re in luck. All you have to do now is to practice using the formula by solving some homemade tests.
However, if you don’t have these privileges, your only option is to memorize the formulas. Write them down in a book and solve some questions using them. Write down these formulas again and test yourself more to strengthen your memory. Repeat as much as possible.
A research by a team of neuroscientists found out that the number of times something is repeated determines how best it is remembered.
3. Be relaxed and Bring All the Necessary Tools
Now with the preparation phase over, when the exam time comes, avoid stress and panic. Too much tension may affect concentration and make you forget crucial information you memorized earlier.
Bring all the tools you’ll need for the math test, including a calculator. The calculator should be modern, as most scientific ones have advanced capabilities.
Some have crucial information on their backside, like scientific constants and unit conversions, which might help. Learn calculator tricks that can help you solve an equation faster, like shift-solve, which solves large equations.
4. List Down Everything You Can Remember
Once you get the question paper and the working space, write down everything you can remember, including the formulas. Listing them down is necessary because you can forget the memorized information after reading the question paper.
5. Go Through the Paper Quickly
Read through all the questions in a test paper swiftly, without answering them. However, you can list the necessary information and formulas associated with a question.
Reading through the questions helps you determine which questions you understand better. You can also plan the questions that are preferable to start with.
6. Begin by Answering the Easier Questions First
Start answering the questions, beginning with the easier ones or those you understand better. Utilize the formulas you learned earlier, and if you have a chance to use them repeatedly during practice, you’ll have an easier time.
If you begin with the difficult questions, you risk forgetting some of the memorized information. Don’t overthink a question for long but instead move to the next question that you understand better. Sometimes, a question may be wrong, so it’s necessary to ask your teacher for clarification.
If your test is online, visit some websites or use various applications, like Mathway, Quick Math, Microsoft Math Solver, and Photomath.
7. Take the Test
After answering the simpler questions, continue to tackle the rest. Answer as many questions as possible, as long as you understand them.
If the test includes multiple choices, you can use these choices to find the correct one. For instance, in a question where you need to find a value of something, fit each option until you get the right choice.
If you don’t know how to write down the process of solving a question but know the formula, write it down. The idea is to try and score as many points as possible, and your teacher may award you for correctly placing a formula.
In most cases, you must get more than 50% to pass the test, and showing effort in the difficult questions might help you achieve that.
8. Review Your Work
After finishing the test, if you still have a few more minutes, go through the questions and confirm the answers. By reviewing them, you can spot an error or get a better idea of solving the problem, which guarantees you more points.
It also boosts your confidence, unlike when you finish and submit your work hurriedly.
Conclusion
Whether you’re in high school or college, there will likely be a time when you’ll be unready for your math test. However, worry not because by following the guide in the article, you have a better chance of passing it.
Utilize all the tools at your disposal, including the calculator and the formula card, and if your test is online, visit some math-solving websites. Hopefully, you’ll get enough points to pass the test but study in advance to do better in the future.
