I understand the concept during class but forget how to solve problems in the exam. Why?

This is an encoding strength problem. You understood it in class — which means the concept was processed once. But one exposure, no matter how clear, doesn't build durable memory. You need active recall practice (closing your notes and attempting problems from memory) and spaced repetition (revisiting the topic on day 3, day 10, and before the exam). The 'I understood it in class' feeling is familiarity, not long-term memory.

Is it okay to use a calculator while studying Maths?

Depends on whether the exam permits one. If your exam doesn't allow calculators, avoid using one while practising — you need to build computational fluency that a calculator dependency erodes. If your exam allows a calculator, use it for arithmetic but still understand the method manually first.

How many problems should I solve per topic?

Enough to make the correct method automatic — you should be able to identify what type of problem this is and what approach to take within 10–15 seconds of reading it. For most students, this requires 15–25 problems of increasing difficulty per concept type, plus 10–15 mixed problems. Quality of error-review matters more than raw quantity.

How to Study Maths Effectively: Stop Memorising, Start Understanding

Why Students Struggle With Maths (It's Not What You Think)

The most common explanation for struggling with Maths is "I'm not a Maths person." The research strongly disagrees. Mathematical ability is almost entirely a function of practice quality and conceptual foundation — not innate talent. Studies of expert mathematical problem-solvers show they think differently about problems, not because of raw intelligence, but because they've built a richer network of concepts to draw from.

The real problem is usually one of three things: a gap in foundational concepts (that has compounded over years), a wrong study method (memorising procedures without understanding them), or math anxiety (which creates cognitive interference that prevents recall even of known material).

The Foundational Gap Problem

Maths is uniquely sequential. You cannot understand algebraic fractions without understanding fractions. You cannot understand calculus without understanding functions. A gap in Class 7 Algebra compounds into an impenetrable wall by Class 10.

Before doing anything else: honestly identify where your last point of full understanding was. If you don't actually understand how to add fractions with different denominators, that's where to start — regardless of what chapter you're supposed to be on. Proceeding without foundations is academic theatre.

The Right Way to Study Maths

1. Understand Before You Practise

Before attempting any set of problems, make sure you understand the concept behind the procedure. Don't just memorise "differentiate using the chain rule" — understand what a derivative measures (instantaneous rate of change) and why the chain rule is the logical consequence of differentiating a composite function.

Spend 20% of your study time on understanding. Spend 80% on practice. But don't start the 80% until the 20% is genuine.

2. Practice Problems in Order of Difficulty, Then Mixed

Start with the simplest problems in a category until the procedure is automatic. Then move to medium difficulty. Then hard. Then — critically — mix problem types so you practice identifying which method to apply, not just executing a method you've been told to use.

This last step (mixing types) is what most students skip and what exams always test.

3. Review Every Error Without Exception

Every wrong answer is a gift — it shows you exactly where your understanding breaks down. Don't mark it wrong and move on. Classify the error:

Conceptual error — You used the wrong method because you misunderstood what the problem was asking. This is serious. Go back to the concept.
Procedural error — You knew the right method but made an error in execution. Practice the procedure more, with deliberate attention to the error point.
Careless error — You knew what to do but made an arithmetic slip. Build a habit of checking: substitute your answer back into the original equation. Does it work?

4. Write Out Every Step

Students who skip steps in their working are consistently worse at catching their own errors and consistently weaker at harder problems that build on intermediate steps. Write every line. Not because your teacher wants to see working — because the process of writing forces your brain to execute each step consciously rather than on autopilot, where errors hide.

5. Teach the Concept Immediately After You Understand It

The fastest way to consolidate a Maths concept is to explain it to someone else — or to yourself out loud — immediately after you understand it. "Integration by parts is used when you have a product of two functions and neither can be integrated directly in that form. You choose one function to differentiate and the other to integrate based on which reduces the complexity..." Try this with the last concept you studied.

Maths Practice Scheduling

Daily practice beats weekly cramming for Maths. 30 minutes of daily problem-solving produces dramatically better results than a 3.5-hour weekend session. Maths is a skill, and skills decay rapidly without regular practice.

If you're struggling with a specific Maths topic, a good tutor can diagnose your exact sticking point in one session and save you weeks of unproductive practice. Find a Maths tutor on NexusEd — filter by subject (Algebra, Calculus, Statistics), teaching mode (online/home), and board (CBSE, ICSE, State Board, JEE).