How to Do Well in MyMathLab: Study Strategies That Work

MyMathLab, now officially called MyLab Math, is Pearson's online homework and testing platform for college math courses from developmental math and college algebra through calculus. If you want to know how to do well in MyMathLab, the answer isn't finding answers faster. It is using the platform the way it was designed: working problems by hand, using the built-in help to learn methods, practicing in the study plan and preparing for quizzes and tests, where most of that help disappears. This guide explains how the platform works, the habits that raise scores and where to get legitimate help when you're stuck.

How MyMathLab Works

It helps to know what is happening behind the screen. Exact settings vary because your instructor controls them, but most courses share these features:

• Algorithmic questions. Many problems generate different numbers for each student and each attempt, so the method matters more than any single answer.
• Multiple tries per question. On homework you usually get a set number of tries for each answer, often three. Before your last try, the Check Answer button changes to Final Check, and after a final incorrect try the correct answer is shown.
• Similar questions. In many courses you can work a similar question with new values, either for extra practice or after you run out of tries. Whether that new attempt counts toward your score depends on your instructor's settings.
• Learning aids on homework. Homework questions often include help buttons, but on quizzes and tests these aids are typically turned off.
• Instructor-controlled settings. Due dates, late penalties, attempt limits, time limits and which aids appear are all set by your instructor, so read the syllabus and each assignment's details.

Use the Built-In Help the Right Way

MyMathLab's learning aids are some of the most useful study tools you have, as long as you use them to learn the method rather than just to get past the question. The options you see depend on your course and the question, but these are the most common:

The order matters. Try the problem on paper first. If you're stuck at the start, use View an Example. If you're stuck partway, use Help Me Solve This; when you return to the question afterward, you'll usually get a similar problem with new values, so you still have to apply the method yourself. Then finish with a fresh version you solve without any help. That last step turns help into skill, and it's exactly what you'll need on a test.

Don't lean on the aids for every question. A University of Alabama in Huntsville study guide warns that students who rely on Help Me Solve This or look up answers can get problems right without understanding how to work them, which is how some students earn A's on homework and still fail tests. If you need help on more than a few questions in a section, go back to the lecture or textbook before you continue.

Make the Study Plan Work for You

The study plan is one of the most underused parts of MyMathLab. Based on your results, it recommends the sections or objectives you need to practice. In most courses it works like this:

1. Open the study plan and review its recommendations, or take the practice test or quiz your instructor provides to generate them.
2. Work the practice questions for a recommended objective. Practice doesn't affect your score, so use it to experiment and make mistakes.
3. Once you've answered the practice questions correctly, take a Quiz Me to prove mastery and earn a mastery point.
4. If you don't pass the Quiz Me, practice again and retake it.

Study plan results usually don't count toward your grade unless your instructor includes them, which makes the study plan a low-pressure place to rehearse before quizzes and tests. Some instructors do require it, so check your course settings and syllabus.

A Weekly Routine for MyMathLab Courses

1. Preview the material. Read the textbook section or watch the lecture before you open the homework.
2. Start early and work in short sessions. Spreading an assignment over two or three days gives you time to ask questions and keeps a slow connection or technical glitch from costing you points minutes before the deadline.
3. Work every problem on paper. Keep a notebook with each problem, your steps and the final answer. You'll need these skills on paper-based or proctored tests, and the notebook becomes your study guide.
4. Treat tries as checks, not guesses. Before you submit, check your answer by substituting it back, estimating or graphing. Guessing burns tries and teaches you nothing.
5. Keep an error log. For each missed question, note the type of mistake: an algebra slip, a sign error, a misread question, the wrong method or an input-format problem.
6. Redo what you missed. Use a similar question or the study plan until you get a fresh version right with no help.
7. Review before each quiz. Rework a few problems from each section without help, under a time limit if your quiz is timed.

If the platform itself is giving you trouble, our guide to common Pearson technical issues covers the usual fixes.

Avoid Answer-Entry Mistakes That Cost Points

Many students lose points on problems they actually solved correctly. Watch for these common input problems:

• Rounding. Follow the instructions exactly. If a question asks for the nearest hundredth, give two decimal places, and don't round until the final step.
• Exact versus decimal answers. When a question asks for an exact answer, enter a fraction, radical or expression with π rather than a decimal approximation.
• Simplified form. Reduce fractions and simplify radicals and expressions when the question asks for it.
• Answer palette templates. Use the palette buttons for fractions, exponents, roots and absolute value so you can see exactly how your answer will be read before you check it.
• Notation. Check whether the question wants inequality, interval or set notation, and use the correct brackets and parentheses.
• Multi-part questions. Read the whole question. Some have several answer boxes, and some ask you to choose between entering an answer and selecting an option such as "no solution."

How to Prepare for MyMathLab Quizzes and Tests

Tests are where homework habits pay off or fall apart. Learning aids are usually unavailable, you may get only one try per question and many tests are timed. Some instructors also require Show Work, where you explain or upload the steps behind your answers. To prepare:

• Use the study plan and any practice tests your instructor provides.
• Rework homework problems without aids until you can solve them in one try.
• Time yourself on a mixed set of problems from several sections, since a test won't tell you which method to use.
• Write a one-page summary of formulas and procedures, even if you can't bring it in, because writing it is good review.
• Check your error log and practice the mistake types you make most often.

Our guide on how to prepare for a math test has more strategies for exam week.

Why Answer Shortcuts Backfire

Searches for MyMathLab answer keys and "hacks" are common, but shortcuts tend to fail for practical reasons as well as ethical ones:

• Algorithmic variations mean another student's numbers, or an answer posted online, often won't match your version of the question.
• Pearson gives instructors tools such as LockDown Browser, proctoring, restricted IP ranges, timed assignments, question pools and Show Work, and instructors can review gradebook and performance data, including how long students spend on work.
• Homework is often worth much less than quizzes and exams, so copied homework scores rarely survive the test average.
• Submitting work that isn't yours, using unauthorized help on a test or sharing your Pearson login can violate your school's academic integrity policy and Pearson's terms of use, with consequences that range from a zero to course failure or suspension.

The same time spent in the study plan or with a tutor almost always does more for your grade.

Where to Get Legitimate MyMathLab Help

• Your instructor. Use Ask My Instructor or office hours. Instructors can see the exact question you're on, and they often explain common mistakes to the whole class.
• Your campus math lab or tutoring center. Most colleges offer free tutoring for courses from algebra through calculus.
• Study groups. Explaining a method to a classmate is one of the best ways to learn it; just follow your syllabus rules on collaboration for graded work.
• Pearson support. For access codes, browser errors or missing work, contact Pearson's support team rather than guessing at fixes.
• A tutor. Ace My Homework offers step-by-step MyMathLab help from math tutors and general math homework help. Post the topic or practice problems you're struggling with, compare tutor bids and profiles, and get worked explanations you can study. Never share your Pearson login, and follow your school's rules on outside help for graded work. Get help understanding a MyMathLab topic.

For more on Pearson's platforms in general, see how to get help with Pearson MyLab homework.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is MyMathLab the Same as MyLab Math?

Yes. MyMathLab is the older name for Pearson's MyLab Math platform, and many students and instructors still use both names. It provides online homework, quizzes, tests, an eText and learning aids for math courses. Statistics courses often use the related MyLab Statistics, formerly called MyStatLab, which works in a similar way.

How Many Tries Do You Get on MyMathLab Questions?

Your instructor sets the number, but homework questions commonly allow three tries per answer. Before your last try, the Check Answer button changes to Final Check, and after a final incorrect attempt you'll see the correct answer. Many courses then let you work a similar question for more practice. Quizzes and tests often allow only one try per question.

Does the MyMathLab Study Plan Count Toward My Grade?

Usually not. Practice in the study plan doesn't affect your score, and Quiz Me results normally earn mastery points only, unless your instructor includes study plan work in the course grade. Check your syllabus or gradebook to be sure. Even when it isn't graded, the study plan is one of the best ways to prepare for quizzes and tests.

Can MyMathLab Detect Cheating?

MyMathLab records your submissions and activity, and instructors can review gradebook and performance data such as scores and time spent. Pearson also gives instructors tools including algorithmic question variations, question pools, time limits, restricted IP ranges, LockDown Browser and proctoring. What gets flagged depends on your instructor's settings and your school's policies, so the safest and most useful approach is to do your own work.

How Do I Get Better Scores on MyMathLab Tests?

Practice the way you'll be tested. Since learning aids are usually unavailable on tests, rework homework problems without help, use the study plan and any practice tests, and time yourself on mixed problem sets. Keep an error log of the mistakes you make most often, and double-check the rounding and answer format before you submit each question.

Why Does MyMathLab Mark My Answer Wrong When It Looks Right?

The most common causes are rounding to the wrong place, entering a decimal when an exact answer was required, not simplifying, using the wrong notation for intervals or sets, and typing errors in fractions or exponents. Use the answer palette templates, reread the instructions about format and rounding, and use Ask My Instructor if you still think your answer is correct.

Is It Okay to Get a Tutor for MyMathLab?

Yes. Getting a tutor to explain concepts, walk through practice problems or review your mistakes is a legitimate way to learn, much like visiting a campus tutoring center. What isn't allowed is having someone complete graded work or tests for you or log in to your account. Check your syllabus for collaboration rules, and use explanations to build your own skills.