25 tips · 2-minute reads
Study Tips
Learn smarter, not just longer. Simple habits that help you understand maths, remember it, and do your best in BECE and WASSCE.
Preparing for BECE or WASSCE? Read our in-depth exam guides: study plans, how the exam is marked and exam-room strategy.
Learn it properly
Understand maths, don't just copy it
- Read maths with a pencil in your handMaths is not read like a story. Work through every line yourself as you read it.
- Understand a formula before you memorise itWhen you know why a formula works, you can rebuild it even when your memory fails.
- Learn from worked examples, then cover them upStudy a solved example, then try the same question without looking.
- Explain it out loudIf you can explain a step to a friend (or to yourself), you really understand it.
- Draw a pictureA quick sketch turns a confusing word problem into something you can see.
- Learn the language of mathsMany 'hard' questions are only hard because of one unfamiliar word.
Practise smarter
Get more out of every minute
- A little every day beats a lot once a weekTwenty minutes a day builds stronger memory than three hours on Sunday.
- Test yourself instead of re-readingPulling an answer out of your memory makes it stick far better than reading notes again.
- Mix your topicsMixed practice teaches you to recognise which method a question needs, just like the exam.
- Keep a mistakes notebookYour own mistakes are the best revision notes you will ever have.
- Always check your answerEstimate first, substitute back, and ask: does this answer make sense?
- Four steps for any word problemUnderstand, plan, solve, check: a simple routine that works for every topic.
Avoid common mistakes
The traps that cost the most marks
- Watch your minus signsSign errors are the most common way good students lose easy marks.
- Fraction traps to avoidNever add the tops and the bottoms. Here's what to do instead.
- Order of operations (BODMAS)Brackets, Of, Division and Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction, in that order.
- Units, rounding and reading the questionRight working, wrong answer? It is often the units or rounding too early.
Revise for BECE & WASSCE
Plan your revision and use past questions
- Make a revision timetablePlan backwards from your exam date so every topic gets its turn.
- Use past questions the right wayPast questions show you the exam's style. Do them timed, then study every mistake.
- Tactics for objective (multiple-choice) questionsEliminate wrong options, estimate, and never leave a question blank unless the rules say wrong answers lose marks.
- Show your working in theory questionsExaminers give marks for method, so a wrong final answer can still score.
Exam day
Be ready and use every minute well
Mind and body
Stay calm, rested and confident