Study Plan Advice

[clancydan]

I need some advice on the study plan. Due to my work schedule, I have 1 hour a day weekdays, and 3 hours per day weekends to study, I'm finding I can not get through all the homework in 1 hour. I don't need to take the test until July/Aug timeframe, so I'm looking for some advice on a slower study plan. Should I switch over to the online classes? I'm thinking of turning the 9 week guide to 18, spending 2 weeks for each week on the guide. Problem with this approach is I will miss out on the full benefits of the live class, but since I'm falling behind, the class is not as helpful as it could be.. any advice?

[StaceyKoprince]

Just to clarify: the online classes are also live and they also meet once a week. There are, however, tapes of the classes available - I think that's what you mean, right? And then you can watch the tapes whenever you want.

As you noted, not being able to ask questions is a big drawback. What you might want to do is postpone the class - drop out of this one and start again in a month or two. In the meantime, still stick to your study schedule, focusing on these things:

(1) red strategy guides (general chapters first)
(2) in-action problems (at the ends of chapters in the strategy guides)
(3) if needed, Foundations of Math

Don't worry about the labs, the OG problems, or the practice tests - just focus on getting the content and techniques discussed in the strategy guides.

Then, when you start the course again, you can just review the material that you already studied and spend the bulk of your time on the OG problems, labs, and other more advanced practice materials.

[clancydan]

I meant the recordings of classes. I'm using the study guides now, when you say general chapters, do you mean the material in the front of the books and not the advanced sections? For example in Number Properties Guide, study and answer questions on p. 11-20, and skip the advanced questions on p. 115-131?
I'm having some difficulty with the advanced questions word translation type issues. Thanks for the feedback.

[StaceyKoprince]

Yes, the general chapters are they ones that are NOT labeled "advanced." :)

As a general rule, you first master the material in general chapters before you move on to the more advanced material of that same type. You don't need to master ALL general material in all 5 books before doing any advanced material, but don't go doing the advanced divisibility and primes material until you feel very comfortable with the general divisibility and primes material.