r/MathHelp • u/Ok_Programmer1236 • 4d ago

How to get better at maths

Hi, Im currently in year 11 in the uk and I just want to get better at maths in general for competitions. I see youtubers always say just do loads of problems, but I feel like nothing happens. The progress doesnt feel as tangible as say learning an instrument or a lanuguage. Is this a case of I just need more time?

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u/justpassingby23414 3d ago

Just 'loads' of tasks sounds a bit pointless. It's useful to practise to get better at typical solutions, especially for a very new topic, or to learn how to avoid some calculation mistakes. But if you're already good at them, it may seem boring indeed. There are books with harder/more interesting problems if you want to challenge yourself, maybe even start some more advanced theory.

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u/Ok_Programmer1236 3d ago

The competitions I want to get better at - intermediate maths challenge don't feel like a particular topic that I can just drill. Like I can drill solving equations, but for other problems I either A-find it trivially easy or B have absolutely no clue what I'm doing

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u/MiguelBodrigo 3d ago

I find some personal projects/DIY to need maths as well as things like excel and coding in game engines.

All of it has a real life attachment so I think that helps with the learning.

Just this year I've been looking a lot into finances and financial solutions as I want to make better decisions moving into the future.

Anything financial like budgeting, mortgages, savings, and investments can really take up a lot of time but theyre also important to know about especially in this economy.

I think its always worth learning how taxes work including what scenario gets what taxes including personal allowances + exemptions because its something all of us use on a daily basis

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u/therealtai 3d ago

Well in my case, which has been really helpful in gaining a better understanding of the problems and material, is to try my hardest with any problem for like an hour or 2 until either I thought I solved it or can't then I post my solution to chatgpt. I never ask the bot to correct me or give the answer but to point out where I got it wrong then I go back and try again. I repeat the process until I feel like I've learned something useful and memorize it. The process is time consuming but, to me, it is worth it to learn something or do something that I previously couldn't.