[chipsy]

It totally is about the mindset. And it's a combination of being properly motivated(intrinsic interest), and also seeing different ways in which to navigate the subject, and also knowing which ones are suited to your abilities at that moment.

With all of those traits, it's easy. If you miss one, you might be able to slog through. And if you miss two, it will be extremely difficult.

And our educational systems really don't encourage anything but memorization, despite ample PR otherwise, so there's a selection bias by the time you hit college level courses.