How do you get a+ in maths methods if you are getting c’s

[Delis101]

Any help or advice is appreciated. Thanks

[caffinatedloz]

I guess one of the big things that you will need to do first is to identify why you are getting c's. Is it because you don't know enough of the content? Is it because you haven't revised and practised enough? Is it because you make silly mistakes in sacs? Is it because you get stressed due to the pressure?

Once you know what it is, you can begin working on that thing to try and improve your marks! If it's because you don't know the content or haven't revised enough, that can be fixed by dedicating more time to the subject. Ask questions to your teacher. Ask questions in the forums. Study with friends. Study independently. For maths, do HEAPS of revision questions (rather than making tons of notes)!

If you make silly mistakes, ensuring that you have time at the end of a test to check over your work thoroughly, sometimes even redoing the question to make sure you get the same answer, will help you to avoid this. If your mistakes are to do with how you read the question, slow down! Use a highlighter to make sure that you understand what worded questions are actually asking you.

If you get stressed by the pressure of sacs, there are lots of different relaxation techniques you can try to focus on calming your mind and body so that you can do your best.



Also, making a book where you redo all of the questions that you have gotten wrong and can read over those mistakes can be a really big help!! I set mine out chapter by chapter. I rule a line down the middle, the mistake on one side, correct solution on the other.


I hope that this has been helpful and all made sense! Feel free to ask me any follow-up questions!

[ArtyDreams]

Hi!

Thought I'll just pop in and give some tips that helped me. Laura's given some great advice, that I dont really know how to top ha ha.

Its important that when you do maths, you realise whether you understand why you are doing what your doing. I've come across people who do maths just by purely learning off formulas, but you need to always understand the why. (content based.) Methods is a subject that requires you to think outside the box, rather than answering direct maths questions. Sometimes being able to relate the maths into real world scenarios might help.

For instance, when getting a question about the derivative, make sure you know what facts you are gaining out of the question, rather than the final answer. What does it mean if it is a negative gradient in the context of the problem?

To improve in Methods in general (not really sure how different it is to VCE though) make sure you are doing a lot of practise. Its important that you do textbook questions to consolidate knowledge, but then as soon as you understand the topic, start doing application style questions, as it will help you immensley, come exams.
 
Just one tip if you are making silly errors in Methods, it might be easier to check as you go. Most of the time, people find that checking their work after they finish the entire exam is a good idea, but sometimes not the best in terms of time management. If you do the question and check it straightaway, theres less chance of you making a silly mistake.

I hope this helped! let me know if you have any other questions