Study tips for maths exams

Study tips for maths exams

In maths exams, many students only do the calculations and needlessly miss out on easy marks. Read the following tips for approaching maths exams.

Prior to the exam

? Make sure you bring the right equipment to the exam (black pen, pencil, approved calculator, bound reference and ruler etc.).

? If your exam is open book and you can bring in a bound reference, make sure that you are familiar with the bound reference and can quickly refer to concepts. Order your bound reference in topics or chapters that you have studied.

? If you are provided with a formula sheet or data booklet, prior to the examination, make sure that you are familiar with all the formula and understand the use and application of the formula. Familiarise yourself with the reference sheet/formulae and data booklet provided and use it carefully.

? Check the mode of your calculator. It should be in degree mode for basic numerical trigonometry questions such as bearings, elevation and depression, and equations with the domain given in degrees. However, for any calculus or graphing questions, you would normally expect to use radian mode.

During the exam ? reading time

Reading time is the most important part of an exam as it allows you to strategise and plan your order of attempting questions. This will help you pace yourself during the exam. You don't have to answer the questions in a sequential order.

? If your exam is both multiple choice and short answer type questions, you may prefer to answer the written responses first and then complete the multiple choice questions last as you can always guess a few answers if you are running short of time.

? Focus on the questions that you can easily answer first, and attempt the harder questions last. Try solving some easier questions in your head, so when it is writing time, you can easily and quickly answer some questions.

? Refer to your formula sheet, data booklet or bound reference (if you are allowed) during reading time. This will prompt you for which formula you may need to provide and use.

Study tips for maths exams 1

Understanding instructions

It is easy to misinterpret a question when you are under pressure. The type of response expected by a student is determined by the key words used in a particular question:

? Explain ? a response which provides a reason why a particular fact or given circumstance

is true.

? Identify ? to recognise/determine the key characteristics or features. ? Justify ? a response which explains why a particular choice is made. This normally includes

its benefits and losses.

? Analyse ? break into parts and examine. ? Describe ? a response which gives an account of what occurs in a particular situation when

a certain term is used. Usually questions that require a description test key knowledge in a generic sense.

? Discuss ? a response which provides both sides of an argument or the advantages or

disadvantages of a particular solution.

? Evaluate ? appraise carefully strengths and weaknesses of an argument as well as provide

your opinion. In maths, to ascertain the numerical value of something.

? List ? a very brief answer stating an appropriate term or name relevant item of key

knowledge.

? Outline ? provide a brief description of the term or topic. ? State ? a very brief answer in response to a given situation. ? Provide one example ? a brief description/statement to illustrate a situation. ? Compare ? explain points of likeness. It is not just to list differences; you need to explain

how they are different.

Answering and solving exam questions during writing time

? Carefully read the instructions, make sure you are answering the question that is being asked. Often students know how to solve a problem, but they misread or misinterpret the question itself. Sometimes using a highlighter or underlining key words in the question can help you to make sure you are headed down the right track.

? Your ability to communicate and reason mathematically is assessed in the examination, so you should make sure you include mathematical reasoning and/or calculations in your answers. You can miss out on part marks because little or no working is shown. If you do most of a question right, but show nothing but the final answer and it is not quite right, you will receive no marks for a question. Students have been awarded almost full (and sometimes full) marks on a question when they have showed all of their working along the way. Make sure you do this ? communicating your mathematical knowledge is a vital thing.

? Set out your work in a logical manner. Clearly write each step of the solution. Don't just write the formula. Show manipulation of the formula by using substitution of values.

Study tips for maths exams 2

Answering and solving exam questions during writing time

? Always write what is displayed on your calculator in your response before rounding your answer ? markers can see that you have rounded correctly, even if the answer is not correct ? but remember, don't round off your answer until the last step of working.

? Make sure you justify your answer with words and/or calculations if asked to do so. Write the correct units with your numerical answer.

? Checking for decimal places, significant figures, units, etc. An additional look through can help to see if you have rounded off to the correct number of decimal places or significant figures.

? Take note of diagrams where `NOT TO SCALE' is indicated ? don't waste time measuring lines or angles.

? If you make a mistake, put a line through the work. Make it clear what you want the marker to mark. Don't waste time erasing your work. Even if you know the final answer is wrong, don't erase your entire work because you may get partial credit for using the correct procedure.

? Draw large, clear, well-labelled diagrams and include given information, as well as information calculated while responding to the question.

? Don't waste time proving or deriving a result when the question states `Do NOT prove this'. If the question asks you to prove or show something, i.e. the answer is given, you need to show every step of working. If you are unable to "show" a question, you can always assume the answer and use it in the next part of the question. Don't give up on a question because you can't do the first part. Remember in a question with a number of parts, the early parts are there to help you with the parts that follow ? so use the information you have already found.

? Check your working and consider the reasonableness of your answers within the context of the question.

? If you get stuck on a problem, move on and come back to it later.

? When you are finished, recheck all your work. Double check your calculator work.

? Check over your test after you are done with it. If you have time, redo the problems on a separate piece of paper and see if you come up with the same answers the second time around. Look for careless mistakes such as making sure the decimal is in the right place, that you read the directions correctly, that you copied the numbers correctly, that you put a negative sign if it is needed, that your arithmetic is correct and so on.

For further tips, visit the Maths Mentors.

Study tips for maths exams 3

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download