Here’s How You Should Study for High School Math Competitions if You Want to Win

1. Here’s How You Should Study for High School Math Competitions if You Want to Win High school mathematics competitions are about much, much more than solving for x or correctly placing coordinates on a plane. Rather, these competitions exist to help you learn how to apply mathematics concepts to real-word problems, which prepares you for a future in virtually any career field you can imagine. If you want to win your next competition, here’s how you should study for math competitions. Practice! It may sound cliche, but the best way to prepare yourself for any math competition is to practice every single day. Unlike history class where you can simply memorize names, dates, and events, mathematics competitions are different in that you will be faced with a number of unique problems that you will need to solve. When you practice, make sure that you not only hone your basic mathematical skills, but also your ability to put those skills to use. There are numerous ways to do this, so choose a few that work best for you and stick to them. Make Use of YouTube You probably already utilize YouTube to keep up with your favorite celebrities, watch funny videos, or even learn more about a variety of subjects in school. It’s an amazing social tool that provides access to a great deal of helpful information. Fortunately, you can also utilize YouTube as a study tool to help you excel in your next mathematics competition. Rather than simply watching videos about things like triangles and trigonometry, though, it’s important to involve yourself in the problems being presented to you. One of the best ways to use these YouTube videos to your advantage involves pausing the video as soon as the problem is introduced and attempting to solve it on your own. Spend about 10 minutes on this, and if you can’t find the answer, simply watch as the tutor shares the process behind finding the solution. Study with Team Members or Others If your high school mathematics competition is a group affair, then it’s especially important to get your entire team together to study regularly. Here’s an example of how your study session might look: 1.Present the Problem. Each member of the team should take turns presenting a problem to the rest of the team. It’s best to write the problem on a whiteboard or chalkboard so that it’s visible to the entire group. 2.Solve Independently. Next, each one of the members of your team should work to solve the problem independently. Limit this time to about 15 minutes, then have everyone put down their pencils. 3.Compare Solutions & Discuss. After everyone has had the opportunity to solve the problem on their own, each member of the team should compare their solutions. This gives you a chance to understand the others’ thought processes and how they came to the conclusions they did. 4.Watch as the Problem is Solved Correctly. The student who presented the problem should then share the solution. 5.Discuss the Solution as a Team. Finally, once the correct answer has been given, your team should discuss any incorrect solutions together. This allows you to help those who came to the wrong solution understand where

2. they went wrong, but it also builds a sense of camaraderie between teammates - which is important for the actual competition. When you study for high school math competitions, it’s important that you do so frequently - both independently and with a group. This way, you can better learn all the critical thinking and problem solving skills you will need to excel in your competitions and beyond.