Why doing more practice questions isn't improving your child's maths marks

Q: Is more practice ever the answer?

Yes, once the method is correct. Practice then builds speed and confidence. Before that, practice on a flawed method can make the wrong habit faster and harder to undo.

Q: How do I know if my child is copying a method or understanding it?

A student who copies can solve a question that looks like the textbook example but guesses when the wording changes. A student who understands can explain why each step works and adapt to an unfamiliar question.

Q: What does MathPert do differently?

We diagnose the hidden weak step first, rebuild the method so the student understands why each step works, then drill for marks. Classes are small and interactive so confusion is caught in the room.

If your child studies hard and does plenty of questions but the marks stay flat, the issue is rarely effort. It is usually the method underneath. Here is what is happening, and how to fix the cause.

Updated May 2026 · MathPert — online IGCSE Maths & Additional Maths tuition, Malaysia

Short answer

More practice only raises marks if the method being practised is correct.

When a student repeats questions using a method they do not fully understand, practice rehearses the wrong method, so the mark stays flat no matter how many papers they do. The fix is to find the specific earlier step that never settled, rebuild it so the student understands why it works, and only then drill for speed. For the closely related pattern of understanding the lesson but freezing in the exam, see understanding class does not always mean exam independence.

Why volume alone stalls

Copying a method is not the same as understanding it

There is a real difference between three things, and the exam is where the difference shows up.

Memorising. Knows the formula and copies the example, then freezes when the question is phrased differently.
Mimicking. Can repeat the steps for familiar questions, then loses marks the moment a step is missing or reordered.
Understanding. Knows why each step works and when to use it, so can adapt to new, exam-style questions independently.

A student who can solve x² × x³ when it looks like the textbook example may still guess x⁶ instead of x⁵ when the wording changes. They were not lazy. They learned to mimic the steps, not understand why powers add when you multiply. More repetition of that habit just makes it faster.

Signs parents may notice

What it can look like at home

Long study sessions and many completed questions, but the test mark barely moves.
The same kind of mistake keeps coming back, often called careless.
Confidence on questions that look familiar, guessing the moment the wording changes.

What MathPert would check

The first check is diagnostic, not more drilling

Whether the student can explain why a step works, or is only repeating it.
Which earlier step, often in signs, fractions, or algebra, never fully settled.
Whether the working is clear enough to protect method marks under exam pressure.

How we fix the cause

Find the gap, rebuild the method, then drill

Diagnose the hidden weak step before drilling, so we fix the cause and not the symptom.
Rebuild the method so the student understands why each step works, with clean working that earns method marks.
Active checking in small classes (max 8, online) so confusion is caught in the room, not in the next exam.
Then drill for marks once the method is solid, which is when practice finally moves the score.

Understand first. Score next. Marks are the result; understanding is the work.

Questions parents ask

Frequently asked questions

My child does so many questions but the marks don't move. Why?

If the method underneath is wrong, extra practice just rehearses the wrong method, so the mark stays flat. The fix is to find the specific step that never settled and rebuild it, then practise.

Is more practice ever the answer?

How do I know if my child is copying a method or understanding it?

What does MathPert do differently?

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