How to Actually Get Better at Math — Transcript

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1. 0:00So, are you trying to study math, but it
2. 0:02feels hard to understand? That's because
3. 0:04you were taught to memorize formulas,
4. 0:06follow standardized procedures, and
5. 0:08focus on getting the right answer
6. 0:10without really understanding why math
7. 0:12works the way it does. And that's why no
8. 0:15matter how much effort you put in, math
9. 0:17still feels confusing. But here's the
10. 0:19truth. You don't need to be a genius to
11. 0:21do well in math. You just need to learn
12. 0:23it the right way. In this video, I'll
13. 0:25walk you through eight key steps that
14. 0:27will actually make you better at math.
15. 0:29Whether you're starting from scratch or
16. 0:31aiming to get high grades on your exams.
17. 0:33Step number one, really understand the
18. 0:35basics. If we had to make a tier list of
19. 0:38the most difficult subjects, math would
20. 0:40definitely rank near the top. But why is
21. 0:43math so difficult? Well, there are two
22. 0:45main reasons. The first is that math
23. 0:48requires a very precise way of thinking.
24. 0:51Unlike many other school subjects where
25. 0:53questions can leave room for
26. 0:54interpretation, in math you're expected
27. 0:57to find one exact solution. The second
28. 1:00reason is that math is cumulative. Every
29. 1:02new concept builds on what you've
30. 1:04already learned. In history, if you
31. 1:06forget a few facts about Abraham
32. 1:07Lincoln, you can still understand the
33. 1:09Civil War. But in math, if you haven't
34. 1:12fully mastered the fundamentals, you
35. 1:14might get stuck even years later. That's
36. 1:16why really understanding the basics is
37. 1:18crucial. If you don't understand a
38. 1:20topic, use multiple resources like
39. 1:22textbooks, YouTube videos, or free
40. 1:25courses on Con Academy. Different
41. 1:28explanations can help clarify concepts
42. 1:30that are hard to get the first time
43. 1:32around. Step number two, change the way
44. 1:34you approach math. There are basically
45. 1:36two ways to approach math. The first one
46. 1:38is what I call rule-based approach. It's
47. 1:41the classic school approach. Like you
48. 1:43see a right triangle, so you use the
49. 1:45Pythagorean theorem. This approach works
50. 1:48as long as the problems look exactly
51. 1:50like the ones you've already practiced.
52. 1:52But when you're faced with a more
53. 1:53abstract or unfamiliar problem, you
54. 1:55don't know where to start because it's
55. 1:57not enough to just remember a formula.
56. 1:59You have to actually understand what
57. 2:01you're doing. And this is where the
58. 2:02shift happens. You start to see math not
59. 2:05just as a set of rules to follow, but as
60. 2:07a coherent system of ideas that are all
61. 2:10connected. To use this approach, you
62. 2:12don't just have to memorize steps
63. 2:13mechanically. You have to understand the
64. 2:15why behind each rule. Ask yourself, why
65. 2:18is this the formula? How do you arrive
66. 2:20at this equation? Is there another way
67. 2:22to solve this problem? Step number
68. 2:24three, create a study schedule. Studying
69. 2:26math can feel overwhelming, but with a
70. 2:28little organization, it becomes much
71. 2:30more manageable. Start by looking at
72. 2:32your typical day and find those moments
73. 2:35where you can carve out a bit of time to
74. 2:37study. You don't need to spend hours.
75. 2:39Even one focused hour a day can lead to
76. 2:41great results. Science has shown that
77. 2:44intensive studying is an inefficient
78. 2:46study method because the brain can only
79. 2:48retain a limited amount of information
80. 2:50in a short time. When you try to learn
81. 2:52everything in one sitting, most of it
82. 2:54never makes it to your long-term memory.
83. 2:56What does work is spacing out your study
84. 2:58sessions over time. This is called
85. 3:01spaced repetition. For example, study
86. 3:04today, review tomorrow, then again in 3
87. 3:06days, and again in a week. Each time you
88. 3:09review, you strengthen the memory and
89. 3:11move it into long-term storage. The key
90. 3:13is to plan smart. Break your week into
91. 3:16topic blocks. One day, focus on
92. 3:18equations, another on geometry, and so
93. 3:21on. Each session should have a clear
94. 3:23goal. When you practice problems, aim
95. 3:25for a balanced mix. Solve five to 10
96. 3:28problems a day, combining easier ones
97. 3:30with a few more challenging ones. That
98. 3:32way, you build both confidence and
99. 3:34problem solving skills. Step number
100. 3:37four, keep your work tidy. A well
101. 3:39organized notebook isn't just about
102. 3:41aesthetics. It helps you review your
103. 3:42thought process, track your progress
104. 3:44over time, and spot recurring mistakes
105. 3:47that are holding you back.
106. 3:48Unfortunately, no one really teaches us
107. 3:50how to study math effectively. But just
108. 3:53like with a foreign language, there are
109. 3:54formatting tricks that can make a huge
110. 3:57difference. The first trick is to use a
111. 3:59navigation system. Start each page with
112. 4:01the date, the topic, and the exercise
113. 4:04number. That way, even months later, you
114. 4:06can easily find what you're looking for.
115. 4:08Strategic spacing. Leave ample space
116. 4:11between problems. That white space will
117. 4:13be valuable later on for adding
118. 4:15corrections, notes, or insights you have
119. 4:18after revisiting the problem. Create a
120. 4:20cheat sheet page. Dedicate one page to
121. 4:23collecting all the key formulas from a
122. 4:25topic so you'll always know where to
123. 4:27find them when you need a quick
124. 4:28reference. Selfcorrection system. Use
125. 4:31check marks for problems you got right
126. 4:33and crosses for the ones you got wrong.
127. 4:35This helps you quickly identify which
128. 4:37types of problems are giving you the
129. 4:39most trouble. Take notes. Every time you
130. 4:41get a problem wrong, write a short note
131. 4:43explaining why you made the mistake and
132. 4:45how to avoid it in the future. Step
133. 4:48number five, break down problems. As
134. 4:50George Pulia teaches in his book, most
135. 4:52problems can be solved by following
136. 4:54three simple steps. The first is to
137. 4:57understand the problem. At this stage,
138. 4:59you need to clearly identify what the
139. 5:01question is asking and what information
140. 5:03you're given. It can also help to draw a
141. 5:05diagram or sketch to make things more
142. 5:08visual. The second step is planning.
143. 5:10Here you try to connect what you're
144. 5:12looking at with concepts you already
145. 5:14know. Do you remember a useful theorem?
146. 5:16Have you solved something similar
147. 5:18before? If the problem feels too hard,
148. 5:20try breaking it down into smaller sub
149. 5:22problems and solve them one at a time.
150. 5:24Let's take this problem as an example.
151. 5:26You're asked to find the area of the
152. 5:28region of the plane bounded by these two
153. 5:30curves. So to make this problem more
154. 5:32manageable, you can break it down into
155. 5:34subpros. The first one could be finding
156. 5:37the points where the curves intersect to
157. 5:39determine the limits of the area. The
158. 5:41second is figuring out which curve is on
159. 5:43top and which is on the bottom. The
160. 5:45third is setting up and calculating the
161. 5:48definite integral that gives you the
162. 5:50area between the curves. The final step
163. 5:52is solving and validating. writing down
164. 5:55the calculations neatly and as you go
165. 5:57along, ask yourself these questions to
166. 5:59check if everything makes sense.
167. 6:01Finally, check your answer. Online, you
168. 6:03can find tools like Symbol Lab that can
169. 6:05help you verify your solution. You can
170. 6:07type in the problem or even upload a
171. 6:09photo and it'll walk you through the
172. 6:11steps. Keep in mind though that the goal
173. 6:14of these tools isn't to do the work for
174. 6:16you, but to support your learning. Step
175. 6:18number six, understand math symbols.
176. 6:20Mathematical symbols are universal
177. 6:22abbreviations that let us express
178. 6:25complex ideas in a precise and compact
179. 6:28way. Think about it. When you read 3 +
180. 6:315, it's instant. But if you saw this and
181. 6:34didn't know what the symbols meant, your
182. 6:36brain would just freeze.
183. 6:38The good news, learning this language is
184. 6:41way easier than it looks. But here's the
185. 6:43really important part. Math symbols
186. 6:45never work in isolation. They only make
187. 6:48sense when combined with other symbols,
188. 6:50numbers, or variables. It's just like
189. 6:52with spoken language. Knowing the
190. 6:54meaning of a single word isn't enough.
191. 6:56You also need to know how to use it in a
192. 6:59full sentence. Take the sigma symbol.
193. 7:01No, not this one. We're talking about
194. 7:03the math sigma, which represents the sum
195. 7:05of a sequence of numbers. On its own, it
196. 7:08doesn't tell you much, but when you
197. 7:09combine it with other elements, it all
198. 7:11starts to make sense. Each part around
199. 7:14the sigma has a specific meaning and
200. 7:16together they're telling you to add up
201. 7:18the numbers from 1 to n. Step number
202. 7:21seven, become a master of arithmetic and
203. 7:23algebra. It might sound strange, but all
204. 7:26advanced math really rests on these two
205. 7:28fundamental skills. Think about solving
206. 7:31a differential equation. In the end, it
207. 7:33all comes down to being able to
208. 7:35manipulate numbers without making
209. 7:37mistakes. And trust me, even a small
210. 7:39algebraic slip up can ruin an entire
211. 7:42problem, even if you perfectly
212. 7:43understand the underlying concept.
213. 7:45Arithmetic is your ability to do quick
214. 7:48and accurate calculations. If you have
215. 7:50to spend 10 seconds figuring out what 7
216. 7:52* 8 is, you'll waste a lot of time
217. 7:55during exams. So you need a solid grasp
218. 7:57of basic operations, fractions,
219. 8:00decimals, percentages, powers, roots,
220. 8:03and order of operations because this
221. 8:05helps you avoid silly mistakes like
222. 8:07confusing the base of a power and helps
223. 8:10you feel comfortable with numbers.
224. 8:11Algebra is where math starts to get
225. 8:13abstract and that's where many people
226. 8:15get stuck. But if you learn it well,
227. 8:18everything else becomes easier. With
228. 8:20algebra, you learn to solve equations,
229. 8:22inequalities, algebraic expressions,
230. 8:24tackle real world problems by
231. 8:26translating them into mathematical
232. 8:28models. And that's exactly what makes
233. 8:30algebra so powerful. It gives you tools
234. 8:33to think logically and strategically,
235. 8:35not just to calculate. Step number
236. 8:37eight, build chunks of information.
237. 8:40Imagine learning to drive. At first, you
238. 8:42have to focus on every little move,
239. 8:44clutch, shift, accelerator, mirrors. But
240. 8:47after a few months of practice, you
241. 8:49drive almost on autopilot. That's what a
242. 8:51chunk is. A group of related pieces of
243. 8:54information that your brain stores and
244. 8:56recalls as a single unit rather than as
245. 8:59separate elements. In math, chunks can
246. 9:01be a formula you've internalized, a
247. 9:03step-by-step method, or even an abstract
248. 9:06concept. Chunks are incredibly useful
249. 9:08because many math problems follow
250. 9:10similar structures. Once you've built a
251. 9:12chunk, you'll start recognizing problem
252. 9:14types instantly and know what strategy
253. 9:16to apply. You'll also be able to focus
254. 9:19on more complex reasoning without
255. 9:21getting tripped up by basic algebra
256. 9:22steps because those will happen almost
257. 9:25automatically. The first time you see
258. 9:27this formula, you might hesitate. But
259. 9:29after turning it into a chunk, your
260. 9:31brain instantly knows that it's a right
261. 9:33triangle. A and B are the cathex and C
262. 9:36is the hypotenuse. You can find one side
263. 9:39if you know the other two and you'll
264. 9:41need to take the square root to isolate
265. 9:43C. This kind of thinking will help you a
266. 9:45lot. So how do you create a chunk? Well,
267. 9:48the first step is to deeply understand
268. 9:50the concept. Whatever the idea is, you
269. 9:53need to truly understand it before it
270. 9:55becomes a chunk. Deep understanding acts
271. 9:57like mental superglue. It holds the
272. 9:59pieces together and makes them easier to
273. 10:02remember and apply. After you master a
274. 10:04concept, you have to give context to the
275. 10:06chunk. It's not enough to know how to
276. 10:08solve a certain type of problem. You
277. 10:10also need to understand when that method
278. 10:12works and when it doesn't. This is where
279. 10:15varied practice comes in. Instead of
280. 10:17doing 10 identical exercises, you
281. 10:19practice with problems that look
282. 10:21different on the surface, but rely on
283. 10:23the same underlying concept. Math can
284. 10:26seem like a maze. It's easy to feel lost
285. 10:28or think you're just not a math person.
286. 10:31But with the right approach, consistent
287. 10:33practice, and a bit of patience, you can
288. 10:35make sense of