Read the structure before the details
Look at objectives, section headings, worked examples and end-of-chapter problems. Write down the central question each section answers. Note prerequisites that appear in the examples. If the chapter introduces several unrelated skills, plan separate sessions rather than treating its page boundary as one task.
Reconstruct one explanation
Read a small section and close the book. Explain the claim or rebuild a worked example from a blank page, including why each step is allowed. Reopen only the part that blocks you. This reveals whether the difficulty is unfamiliar notation, a missing concept or a genuine application gap.
Transfer to a different problem
Attempt a relevant exercise that changes the context, numbers or required conclusion. Check with a trustworthy solution or rubric. Record the first wrong decision, not just the final answer, and schedule a later attempt so a same-session correction is not mistaken for lasting recall.
Worked example
For a chapter on conditional probability, the outcome is selecting and applying the correct relationship. The student previews headings, reconstructs one example and explains the meaning of the condition. A new problem reverses which quantity is supplied. If they substitute into the wrong expression, the next task is interpreting the condition, not copying more of the chapter.
Before you finish
- You can name the chapter's main skill.
- At least one worked example has been reconstructed without looking.
- A different problem checks whether the skill transfers.