How to Get Better at Maths: Practical Tips for High School Students

Getting better at maths doesn’t require genius. It requires a plan, consistent practice, and knowing how to effectively use the resources already around you.

That’s good news, because high school maths can move fast. Mathematics curriculums build skills layer by layer. If one layer feels shaky, the next topic can feel impossible. The fix is not “study more”. The fix is to study smarter, a little at a time.

A simple weekly plan makes independent study much easier to stick to.

Build a study schedule you can actually keep

A good maths schedule doesn’t need to be extreme. In fact, the best one is usually boring and repeatable.

Try this:

• 3 to 5 short sessions per week Aim for 25 to 45 minutes each.

  
  

• One topic per session Don’t mix algebra, trigonometry, probability, and calculus in one sitting unless you’re doing a timed review.

  
  

• One clear goal “Complete 12 quadratic equations and check mistakes” works better than “revise maths”.

  
  

• One weekly review Spend 20 minutes looking back at errors from the week.

  
  

The research on learning maths strongly supports spaced practice, which means spreading study out over time. Cramming can help you survive a quiz, but it doesn’t build long-term confidence or knowledge.

A simple weekly plan could look like this:

Day	Focus	Task
Monday	Current school topic	Watch one explanation video, then complete 10 questions
Wednesday	Weak area	Redo mistakes from class or homework
Friday	Exam practice	Try past paper questions under timed conditions
Sunday	Review	Make a short “mistake list” and fix two errors

The trick is to make the schedule visible. Stick it on a wall, keep it in a planner, or set phone reminders. If you miss a day, don’t quit the plan. Just return to it the next day.

Use online resources instead of waiting to feel stuck

There are loads of good maths resources online. These are the ones I suggest to my students:

• Khan Academy Great for building foundations and practising step by step.

  
  

• Corbettmaths Very useful for GCSE-style worksheets, videos, and practice questions.

  
  

• Maths Genie Strong for GCSE revision, topic lists, and exam-style questions.

  
  

• DrFrostMaths Helpful for practice, especially if your school uses it.

  
  

• Save My Exams Good for revision notes and topic-based questions.

  
  

• Revision Village Popular with IB DP Maths students, especially for exam-style practice.

  
  

• GeoGebra Excellent for graphs, geometry, transformations, and visual learning.

  
  

• Desmos Brilliant for graphing functions and checking what equations really look like.

  
  

• Seneca Learning Useful for quick GCSE revision and low-pressure practice.

  
  

• YouTube channels Search by exact topic, qualification, and level. For example, `GCSE completing the square`, `IB MYP linear functions`, or `IB DP AA differentiation`.

  
  

For apps, Photomath and Wolfram Alpha can help check working, but use them carefully. Don’t just copy the answer. Ask, “Which step did I miss?” If the app becomes a shortcut, it won’t help much. If it becomes a teacher, it can be useful.

For IB MYP, focus on understanding concepts, investigations, and explaining reasoning. For IB DP, practise exam-style questions early, especially if you’re in Analysis and Approaches or Applications and Interpretation. For GCSE, make sure you know your exam board, such as AQA, Edexcel, OCR, or Cambridge, because question style matters.

Practise with past papers and problem sets

Maths improves when you do maths. Watching videos helps, but only if you then pick up a pen.

Past papers are one of the best tools because they show how topics appear in real exams. They also train timing, layout, and wording. Many exam boards publish past papers, mark schemes, and examiner reports online. Teachers often have extra sets too.

A strong practice routine looks like this:

1. Try the question without help.

2. Mark it honestly.

3. Find the first line where your working went wrong.

4. Rewrite the correct solution.

5. Do a similar question later in the week.

   
   

That last step matters. If you fix a mistake once and never return to it, the mistake often comes back.

Use worksheets for repetition. Use past papers for exam readiness. Use YouTube when you need someone to explain the method. Mix all three and you’ll improve maths much faster than by relying on one resource alone.

Correcting mistakes is where a lot of real progress happens.

Keep a mistake list

This is one of the easiest ways to get better at maths, but many students skip it.

A mistake list is just a page where you collect errors. Not every wrong answer, just the useful ones.

Write down:

• the topic

• the type of mistake

• the correct method

• one example question

  
  

For example:

Topic	Mistake	Fix
Fractions	Added denominators	Find a common denominator first
Algebra	Forgot to change signs	Use brackets when subtracting expressions
Trigonometry	Used wrong ratio	Label opposite, adjacent, and hypotenuse before choosing SOH, CAH, TOA

This also helps parents and tutors see exactly where the maths struggle is happening.

Ask for help before the panic stage

Independent study doesn’t mean doing everything alone. It means taking responsibility for your progress. Asking good questions is part of that.

Ask a teacher when:

• you’ve tried the homework but keep getting stuck at the same step

• a topic from last year is blocking your current work

• you don’t understand what the mark scheme wants

• you’re working hard but your test results aren’t changing

  
  

Try asking specific questions. “I don’t get maths” is hard to answer. “Why do we divide by 2a in the quadratic formula?” is much easier.

A maths tutor can also help when gaps have built up or exam pressure is growing. Good tutoring should not replace effort. It should make effort more focused. If you need targeted help with maths, you can get in touch here and ask about support.

Make maths part of normal life at home

Parents don’t need to teach calculus at dinner. The biggest help is creating a home where maths feels useful, not scary.

Talk positively about maths, even if it wasn’t your favourite subject. Avoid lines like “I was never a maths person either.” That can make struggling with maths feel like a bad thing instead of a very normal thing. Try, “This is hard, but hard things can be learned.”

Bring maths into real life:

• On road trips, estimate arrival time or average speed.

• While baking, double a recipe or convert quantities.

• At the supermarket, compare unit prices.

• At home, work out budgets, savings goals, discounts, or phone plan costs.

• Play games that involve strategy, probability, or mental arithmetic.

  
  

One great road trip question is, “If we drive 120 km at 80 km/h, how long will it take?” That’s speed, distance, and time without opening a textbook.

These small moments build number sense. They also show that maths isn’t just a school subject. It’s a tool for everyday decisions.

The real secret is using more than one tool

No single app, teacher, worksheet, or video will fix everything. The strongest students build a toolkit.

Use class notes for what your teacher expects. Use videos when you need another explanation. Use worksheets for fluency. Use past papers for exam skills. Use teachers and tutors when you’re stuck. Use home life to keep maths feeling practical.

If you struggle with maths right now, that doesn’t mean you always will. Start with one short study session this week. Pick one weak topic. Do a few questions. Fix the mistakes. Then come back and do it again.

Goodluck!

Ashleigh, at Miss IB Maths