Solve Math Problems with the RQWQCQ Strategy
There are a number of students who don’t find solving math problems easy, but there is a simple strategy that might make things clearer and so give you a little more confidence when next tackling something in your math class.
The RQWQCQ strategy is not only easy to remember, but also easy to apply.
Try it and see if it works for you.
Read the Problem The first thing to do is read the problem question through so that you understand what it is that’s required.
Failure to do this puts you at a disadvantage because the chances are that you’ll have either the wrong answer or the right answer in the wrong format. Read the problem carefully and you’ll at least have the right format.
Q is for Question
Identify what the question is in the problem. Sometimes this could be clearly given, but occasionally you’ll need to find it within the words outlining the problem.
W is for Write
Make a note of the facts required. A useful tip here is to put a line through any irrelevant facts within the problem so that you can see what’s left that’s important. Remember however that sometimes you’ll only be given relevant facts so this is where reading comes important so you can distinguish what’s essential to the solution of the problem and what’s not.
Q is for Question
This time the question is to identify what calculations or computations do I need to do in order to answer the question correctly
C is for Compute
Write up the problem and make the computations. Check your calculations for errors and make any corrections that are needed. Once you’ve done this, identify your final answer by circling or underlining it.
Q is for Question
The final question is to ask if the answer seems a feasible solution to the problem. If you find that it’s not because it doesn’t seem to relate to the facts given in the problem, then you need to go back to step 1 of the RQWQCQ to see if you get a different answer. Should you find that because of your answer to the final question you have to return to step 1, completely start again using none of the computations that you used to arrive at the first answer. Do this until you are either convinced that however odd it seems it is right, or you arrive at an answer that is more in line with the problem given.
By using this RQWQCQ strategy, together with the formulas you have been taught, you’ll find that you can logically solve any problem given to you in your math class.
