#math student

2026.02.01

☆fornight of exams 1/14

~trying desperately to romanticise the most stressful time of the the season

~9 hours straight of a module i still don't quite understand

Today was somewhat uneventful, as I did little but study, help my family with some chores and buy new ballet clothes. I got a replacement bag for my pointe shoes that’s a little wider than my old one (as the old one ripped from me pulling the shoes in and out due to how narrow it is), and some really cute new warmups, including a new pair of leg warmers that are black and much longer than the ones I already own (I’m never buying leg warmers from Freeds again, they looked pale pink in the product photos and then showed up wayyy brighter in colour). My first mocks are tomorrow, and I’m honestly not that stressed. These have no impact on anything whatsoever, they’ve already sent off my predicted grades for university and the real exams are in May/June. I still think I did okay in terms of revision, but I did oversleep this morning so I didn’t get as much done as I would’ve liked.

Studied:

- updated some physics flashcards since they were incomplete

Revised:

- did some difficult further maths questions under timed conditions

- did some untimed difficult further maths questions

- did some physics practice questions

- did some normal maths practice questions

Read:

- continued reading I who have never known men by Jacqueline Harpman

Other/organisation:

- worked on my ballet (did my morning exercises and some pointe work)

- reorganised my desk/ tidied my room

- updated my study planner, weekly organiser and calendar

Forest: 5 hours 15 minutes

(Pictures are not mine)

Well, let me tell you, we all have this love-hate relationship with this subject, right? The worst part is that when you don't know what the heck is going on, so, as a girl who studied maths (2 Volumes/textbooks) on her own during the year she was homeschooled, here are some tips and tricks that I did to get an A+ in my math finals!

Get your syllabus together

In the beginning I had no damn idea what was going on and it was just confusing. I had to do the first thing I did was taken my index/table of contents and mark the chapters which i knew very well and the ones I had no clue about. And then i arranged them with the marking scheme, like which one carries the most marks etc etc and study accordingly.

Complete lessons/chapters that you already know

When you finish off the things you already know then that's gonna give you the confidence you need even if you know only 1-2 chapters, learn it throughout and make sure that you'll get the answer no matter how twisted the sum is. If you're doubtful about the whole textbook like any normal person.... Start with the easy ones. (I know there are literally really no "easy" chapters, spare me)

Harder chapters need hard work

Most chapters like Trigonometry proofs, Geometry proofs, Algebra, Graphs, Mensuration and Calculus etc need more than minimum effort but here's a trick, what is the common thing in this? Yes, they're all formulae and theorem based which goes to my next point. These chapters are completely based on how much you've understood your basics.

Formulae and theorem cheatsheets

Make a list of all formulae and the theorem used in the book, write them chapter wise and no printouts or digital notes. Take a paper and write it down, no excuses. It helps you while you're practicing, revising and in the last minute review, it helped me damn much. Remember, maths is a sport. The basic formulae must come to you like reflexes.

YouTube is your best friend.

For every single chapter, go and watch the basics and how a sum is done step by step. A recommendation for this is Organic Chemistry Tutor who literally is one of the reasons i passed. He has videos from basic geometry, trigonometry, statistics to calculus. Search for your own YouTubers and be clear with concepts.

Math is fully memorization

Memorize formulae and theorems with the back of your hand, you should be able to recall them within seconds. Be thorough.

Memorize basic math values (if calculator isn't allowed)

Do this if you have a majority of chapters like Statistics, Mensuration, Profit/loss calculation etc, where large numbers are concerned. Memorize the first 10 square, cube, decimal and multiplication values. It may be dry but there are literally songs available for these things, I'm serious, i learnt the first 10 cube roots by listening to Senorita xD Search for rhymes and they'll definitely be many!!

Work it out!!!!!!

Can't stress this enough, atleast 30-40 mins is the minimum for maths. I'm serious, work out each sum, don't ever think it's a waste, you'll see the results. Practice makes perfect. Work out every single sum, from examples to exercise ones cause let's be honest, our examiners love to take problems from every nook and cranny of the book.

Whiteboard method

So, I made this up and it actually works, if you have a whiteboard or anything else, once you completed a chapter, take a random page and whatever sums you have on those two pages, you need to complete within a given time limit. It helps you to identify your weak points and where the hell you're losing both time and effort and not to mention that it gives you confidence boost up.

A friend inquired me about this and I simply wanted a second opinion...

Regards,

-N.I.T

An excellent question, and a sensible one to ask.

While the two may appear similar at a glance, finding the nth term of a sequence is not the same as deriving the function from which it may originate. A derivative concerns itself with continuous change, whereas a sequence is concerned only with countable values.

When determining the nth term, our task is not to measure how the expression changes, but rather to describe its behaviour at each step with clarity and intent. Sometimes a sequence may be inspired by a function, but the distinction lies in what is being asked: one seeks progression, the other transformation.

Do reach out if you have any further questions, I'd be happy to help.