O'Neill Center for Academic Development

Need to take Statistics, but not quite ready?
MATH 1010 is offered fall and spring terms, on-site and online. Successful completion of MATH 1010 ensures placement into Stats (MATH, PSYC, ECON or HLTH), CHEM 1010 and CHEM 1110/1120.

MATH 1010 is a 2-credit developmental math course designed for students who are under-prepared for college-level mathematics. The course utilizes a web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system, which identifies individual student’s deficiencies and permits each student to work on the mathematical skills and concepts that she needs to master. Each student works at her own pace in an instructor-supported, computer classroom. Class time and required lab component provide 3.5 hours per week of devoted practice time with professional assistance. Attendance and active engagement are considered essential elements of the curriculum.

Most exams in math and science involve problems where you must apply the concepts and techniques learned in the course to new situations.

Before the Exam

Set up a schedule so you make time to study every day. Cramming the night before will not lead to success.

Do all of the homework problems. For most students, the course grade or exam grade is directly proportional to the number of problems they do. Build confidence by mastering the easier ones before tackling the very difficult ones.

When you seek help from your instructor or the O’Neill Center, be prepared with a list of specific questions. Show the professor your attempts at the problem, and he or she will be able to offer more help.

Get plenty of rest the night before and eat something nutritious the day of the exam. (Fresh fruit is recommended to reduce stress.)

Arrive early for the test so you have time to relax and do not feel rushed.

During the Exam

First do the easy problems. Skip the questions that you cannot immediately answer; later the tougher questions might look more familiar or you may get clues from other questions on the exam. Read the problems carefully. Determine exactly what you are required to find. What does the answer look like? Is it a speed? A temperature? What are the units?

Estimate the answer before you begin to work the problem. It helps to have a rough idea of the size of the answer.

Include the units with all the answers and round them to the proper place (significant digits!) Remember that you do the rounding at the end of your calculation, not before.

Your professor will have worked problems in class and you have worked examples in your text. Try to see the exam problem as another example of a problem you have already solved or studied.

If you feel nervous, remember to take deep breaths to help you relax (nobody will notice). While you are taking deep breaths, replace any negative thoughts with positive thoughts. For example, repeat positive statements to yourself such as “I am relaxed,” “I will be OK; I can do this,” or “I am prepared.”

After the Exam

Go over every question of every test. Learn how to do the problems you have missed. The ideas in math and science courses build upon each other so that you really want to address any confusion that occurs along the way!