I am currently taking precalculus in my freshmen year. I started of the year with an A+ but after a couple of tests, my grade is a C-. I study hard, but I don’t really get what I do wrong on the tests. Today we had a unit test for unit 1 and I had been revising like crazy for the last 2 weeks. After I checked my score on canvas, I got a 10/15. I don’t really understand how I get a better grade on my assignments. I feel like my time was wasted. I really need suggestions on how to study more efficiently and cover everything in a lesson.
(Also this is my first time on this website so sorry if I am breaking any rules)
It is critical to understand the basic concepts taught in this class. My first step would be to meet with the teacher. Go over questions you missed, discuss study strategies, etc. You may also want to look for a tutor (either hire one or see if the school’s honor society has students who tutor).
I have consistently heard that calculus is very difficult for anyone who is shaky on any of the prerequisites. If you want to do well in calculus, then you need to have a very solid understanding of high school algebra, trigonometry, and precalculus. If you are weak at all in any of these prerequisites, then calculus is going to be tough. It is not enough to remember the formulae and be able to use them. You need to understand the concepts very solidly.
There is an even bigger problem here. The only students who should be this far ahead of the normal math progression are students who are very, very good in mathematics. However, these are exactly the same students who are very likely to use math quite a bit in the future. Calculus is a major key foundation for a LOT of classes that you are going to take in the future. This is not limited to math courses. For example you might note that calculus was originally invented to help with physics, and is still used a lot in physics.
It is only November. I think that you need to talk to your math teacher and your guidance counselor as soon as is possible. I think that you should consider dropping back to a less difficult math class.
If you do stick with precalculus, then you need to get a tutor, and you need to put a lot of effort into this class.
By the way, I did not take calculus until my freshman year of university. This did not stop me from getting a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from MIT.
I have in fact asked the teacher with help with classwork. I have searched online about precalculus basic concepts a lot. Everything I search online for some reason doesn’t correspond to what I need. (Also, the weight of assignments is 15% and the weight of quizzes and tests are 65%. Not sure if this helps.)
I took a service that gave transcripts. I passed Math 1 and 2 with a perfect score of 100%. I learned Math 3 from RSM. I gave both transcripts to the school. Also, one of my other friends is also a freshman in high school and is taking pre calculus but is passing(He told me he was and I am assuming his grade is higher than 80%). I have a solid understanding in algebra, geometry, trignometry, and pre calculus, as I am taking them in RSM, and passing the classes.
It looks like the RSM content that you appear to know well is not the same as the content of the courses in school, since you are not doing as well in school.
Did you take PSAT? How did you do in the math portion?if you didn’t take it this year, try a practice SAT math without prep. If you score over 700, I think it’s a good sign you’re ready for precal. If you score less, I think there are weak points worth revisit.
It is common for advanced courses to weigh summative grades heavier than formative ones.
SAT ended 6 weeks ago, and I didn’t get a chance to do PSAT. Also, my teacher had given us a diagnostic the first day in high school, and I did pretty well on it. Something else to also mention is more than half of the class is failing. It isn’t only going on in my class but almost every AP class in my school, and a huge fight between the parents and teacher union is going on. (My parents aren’t in it)
I don’t know enough about RSM but kids struggle coming into our school when they are not used to deep/complex problem solving and/or showing all their work.
To me it sounds like you might want to get a tutor. In getting a tutor, it is important that the tutor helps you think about the problems the right way. I do not know how to predict which tutor will work out other than to try a tutor, and see if it works. I have seen cases where an older student worked out, or a teacher, or a retired teacher in the area, or someone else.
You might want to show your tutor some past test results. They can help you to work through the problems and understand the right way to approach these in the future.
Ask your teacher for some extra problems. Ask your teacher if you can do the problems in front of them. “live”. They should be able to spot quickly what you are not understandings and doing incorrectly. The other programs you did well on evidently aren’t advanced enough. Can’t worry about the other half of the class. We have all taken classes like this. Worry about yourself understanding. Many have found pre Calc actually harder then Calc 1. But let your math teacher be your guide. Teachers like to help and teach students. Also if there are other peer students maybe a junior or senior that is a recommended math student can sit with you and help.