The IB Maths programs are intensive. The point of these academic programs is to challenge students so they’re not easy to get through. But they’re not impossible either and students who can rise to the challenge and get good grades in these courses will undoubtedly have more opportunities in their futures. Across the IB mathematics program, you’ll find students with high aspirations of being doctors, engineers, and physicists. And you’ll find plenty of students with a competitive drive to get better grades. Here are a few tips to raise your grades this year.
1. Make More Time for Revision
2. Adopt a Positive Mindset
3. Get Organized with your cabinets
4. Use Aids to Improve Memory
5. Build Confidence with Extra Problems
6. Pay Attention to Your Weaknesses
7. Keep Your Work Neat
8. Work in Peer Groups
9. Embrace Self-Directed Learning
10. Learn the Technology
How Much Time do you Need for Revision?
One of the things that most students underestimate is how much time should be dedicated to revision in order to achieve better grades and test scores in IB maths. We’ll give you a hint, it’s a lot more than you might think. Top grade earners spend about two hours per day up to five days per week outside of class on mathematics revision. It’s something that should be continuous throughout the academic year and not limited to a few weeks before exams.
How Much Does Your Mindset Really Affect Performance?
Whether you’re a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty kind of person, there is a distinct correlation between what you believe you can do and what you can actually do. This is evident in mathematics, a subject that so many students struggle with simply because they believe that they are bad at math. But if you change your mindset, you’ll find that you are simply more open to learning and easier able to understand. For starters, try repeating a mantra to yourself like “I am great at mathematics and I’m going to ace this class.” Repeating these words will give you a little confidence to carry you through until you actually start doing better.
Why is it Important to be Organized and Neat?
There are so many doctors with sloppy handwriting that it has become a stereotype. But as a student, sloppiness almost always leads to careless mistakes. If you can’t read your work, you’re likely to misinterpret numbers that lead to incorrect answers. Being a good student is about more than mastering the content. It’s about being organized and diligent. It’s about developing a good work ethic. And it’s about knowing where you are and what you need to study.
Why is it Beneficial to Study in Peer Groups?
It’s likely that each student has different weaknesses and strengths. If a peer is struggling with something that you have mastered, you can explain it to them. The act of teaching the concept to them helps reinforce the learning in your mind while simultaneously helping a peer. And because you are on the same level, they are able to learn easily without the typical blocks that are present in student-teacher relationships due to perceived skill differences.
The Key Takeaway
Getting better grades and test scores in IB mathematics isn’t really about being better at mathematics at all. It’s about being dedicated enough to commit time to study with procrastination. It’s about finding and using the right tools to make your study effective and it’s not like we are talking about fixing a recliner or a rocket. And it’s about adopting the right mindset from the get-go. It’s time to change the way that you think of mathematics and Revision Village can help with high-quality resources to help you build confidence.
