[WushuMonster]

Had the exam and I think it went ok. At least better than the midterms, lol. I never know until the scores are posted though. Seems like a lot of the time there's at something idiotic that I did.

Anyway, my strategy for studying was to not worry about memorizing a bunch of shit and rather go over the proofs and basics so I could just recreate some of these things on my own if I needed to rather than try to memorize things like everyone else. It takes a little extra time on the exam, but is faster for me right now than trying to dig things up. Hopefully some stuff will stick to memory over time. Also, did a lot of work on setting up word problems from old exams and review sheets so I could get used to the language they used, and to get better at quickly picking out the relevant information from sometimes poorly written paragraphs ( I suppose it also could be good practice for deciphering the boss's memos in the working world, lol). I also combined this with some meditation I learned before.

When something seemed too maddening to focus on, I'd just close my eyes and do some mediation for a minute or two. Did this in the middle of the exam which seemed to help some. Girl next to me was pretty distracting though. After about 15 minutes in she starts swearing quietly to herself... another 20 minutes and she's crying. Then switched back and forth between the swearing and crying for the rest of the exam :-P

[lordofduct]

What school do you go to?

Calc was hard, but meditation, crying, blargh?


Then again, I slept through all of Calc. Maybe I just missed my peers crying and meditating.

[WushuMonster]

SpeedisaVirus, on 17 March 2011 - 06:47 AM, said:

If you legitimately have ADHD go ahead. However, it is something that is EXCESSIVELY over diagnosed.

I've been looking into it lately, and this seems to be a myth created by some rather poor media reporting and public stigma regarding the condition. Adults and girls particularly tend to be under-diagnosed (possibly for an excessive focus on the hyperactivity component which is not necessarily a part of the condition, and some outdated criteria based primarily on diagnosing young boys).

lordofduct, on 17 March 2011 - 09:12 AM, said:

What school do you go to?

Calc was hard, but meditation, crying, blargh?


Then again, I slept through all of Calc. Maybe I just missed my peers crying and meditating.

What do you have against meditation? It works for focusing the mind, and helps me. Whatever helps me pass the class, lol. The crying caught me by surprise though. Hadn't seen that before.

This post has been edited by WushuMonster: 17 March 2011 - 08:27 AM

[NeoTifa]

What I did for the trig identities was cram hardcore right before the test, and right as he handed the test out, I'd scribble them down on the top of the paper while it was still fresh in my brain. Lol that, or put them in your calculator.

[lordofduct]

WushuMonster, on 17 March 2011 - 08:17 AM, said:

What do you have against meditation? It works for focusing the mind, and helps me. Whatever helps me pass the class, lol. The crying caught me by surprise though. Hadn't seen that before.

What do you have against crying? /rhetorical question


I didn't say I was against crying or meditation.

[macosxnerd101]

lordofduct, on 17 March 2011 - 11:12 AM, said:

Calc was hard, but meditation?

Not just meditation, but Battle Meditation.

[xCmac]

What exactly troubles you in Calculus ? I went through Calculus 1 this past spring semester and made a B (coulda made an A but no excuses) So maybe I could give you some tips that I figured out or that my teacher taught us?

I know related rates and word problems/ Optimization were the tricky ones for me but even those, you just gotta sit back and see what information is present

[jjames967]

You can always try what I do when it comes to tests. You glance at theorems an hour or two before the test. That way they at least stay in your head for a few hours afterwards.

For me, studying even 24 hours before a test doesn't do any good. I get a "blank" in mind when I run across a question that I KNOW that I know but just forget.

You might try it, I graduated on the Dean's List using this technique.

[NecroWinter]

I also have problems with math and timed exams.


but its called test anxiety not ADHD.

you just have to learn how to relax. When I got out of HS I didnt even know algebra, and I was terrified of doing math at all. I started in the intro to algebra and now im taking calculus based physics, and next semester ill be doing set theory & logic, then discreet math. I got a B in Calc 2 as well.

Learning how to relax is the most important thing. Just answer what you can to the best of your ability, if you fail, just take the class again, if you get kicked out of college (I dunno how your grades are overall) then go somewhere else, lots of people have done this.

Stress always makes you screw up more.

Aside from related rates and optimization I found Calc 1 to be one of the easiest math classes ive taken. I honestly felt like intermediate algebra was tougher, in terms of grinding new info into you. I feel by the time you have trig and algebra down, your mind is kind of ready to take on calculus imo

This post has been edited by NecroWinter: 01 June 2012 - 09:43 AM

[DarenR]

I think this point may be valid or not...

I'm not young and have to deal with math everyday and I can honestly say that I have NEVER been timed in doing my math outside of school. So what I am saying is that timing people to do math problems is ones way to say ha your not as good as me etc etc... I have never understood the concept of timing for tests... especially math ones

[xCmac]

DarenR, on 01 June 2012 - 10:51 AM, said:

I have never understood the concept of timing for tests... especially math ones

Most tests other than math, you either know it or you don't. Math is something that requires reasoning and thinking and problem solving... Once again you either know how to approach the problem or you don't if you dont you can do some reasoning and figure it out. But I believe timing is usually for those people that never really try hard or give a shit at all, its to keep them from taking infinitely long and failing anyway and wasting both the students and teachers time. I see it all the time in math classes, there are students that can finish really quick and make an A, and some that finish damn near last still make an A, and then those that just fiddle away their whole entire test taking time and still fail it! Usually if you dont finish in the allotted time you probably wont get anyway .

[cecib12]

my advice to you is just to practice, practice, practice. Im currenctly a third year math major and when i started off i was not one of the top students but i started doing a lot of practice problems on my own. Also keep in mind that teacher know that students only have 48 min to do a test so technically they wont put impossible to solve problems on the test.

[peace_fixation]

There's no substitute for practise. I have my vector calc / linear algebra exam this week and I am stressed out! I did pretty well on the assignments, but it's a lot different when you can't consult the textbook, tutor, google, etc you just gotta drill that shit into your head, over and over again.