Login

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

March 29, 2024, 02:10:25 am

Author Topic: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2  (Read 12971 times)  Share 

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Edward Elric

  • Victorian
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 282
  • Respect: +13
Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« on: January 11, 2014, 10:35:16 pm »
0
If it is do you recommend dropping further for it? I'm also doing this year 6 subjects, is that also recommended? Any advice regarding those Questions will be much appreciated. I regret not picking up specialist in yr 11 because only now do I realize that it is a prerequisite for some engineering courses, and I'm also looking for a challenge, something which further does not provide. Is it too much work without doing a 1/2, IMO  having knowledge from methods 1/2 will suffice to help me understand some concepts from units 3/4. What do you guys think?

psyxwar

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1354
  • Respect: +81
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2014, 10:36:28 pm »
0
It's technically possible, but it depends on whether or not your school will let you do it.
VCE 2013-2014
MD/BMedSci 2015-2020

grannysmith

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1303
  • Crisp and juicy.
  • Respect: +66
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2014, 10:39:44 pm »
0
It's definitely possible; my school doesn't even offer GMA and last year's Specialist class did respectably well.
Did you do any 3/4s in year 11?
IMHO, if you know you're a strong math student, and especially if you're interested in engineering, I'd highly recommend Specialist over Further.
Just my couple of cents :)

Edward Elric

  • Victorian
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 282
  • Respect: +13
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2014, 11:24:17 pm »
0
It's definitely possible; my school doesn't even offer GMA and last year's Specialist class did respectably well.
Did you do any 3/4s in year 11?
IMHO, if you know you're a strong math student, and especially if you're interested in engineering, I'd highly recommend Specialist over Further.
Just my couple of cents :)


No unfortunately I did not, as my school would not allow me to. So  I have to cram 6 subjects into a year Lol. I dont know if adding spesh to my already heavy workload is a good idea, chem+phy+meth+eng+Jap . So atm im weighing up whether i should do spesh (as it can help my meth and phy) or to just stick with further.

Orb

  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1649
  • Respect: +426
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2014, 11:25:13 pm »
0
If it is do you recommend dropping further for it? I'm also doing this year 6 subjects, is that also recommended? Any advice regarding those Questions will be much appreciated. I regret not picking up specialist in yr 11 because only now do I realize that it is a prerequisite for some engineering courses, and I'm also looking for a challenge, something which further does not provide. Is it too much work without doing a 1/2, IMO  having knowledge from methods 1/2 will suffice to help me understand some concepts from units 3/4. What do you guys think?

It is certainly possible, but there is always the possibility of you being significantly disadvantaged due to it.
Specialist is certainly a big step up from methods and further. I do know one guy in my year level who's doing specialist in year 12 without gma this year and he is bound to get a 45+, 50 even but he is of extraordinary maths talent.

A good idea since  it's the summer holidays is just to read over the gma course. Can you understand it? If so, completing the work would help you in 3/4 significantly
45+ raw score guaranteed (or 100% refund) for 2022 Methods & Specialist (other subjects also available - classes for all) register now!

Also hiring excellent Methods, Chemistry, Physics, Biology + Specialist tutors with a passion for excellence - PM me!

We also now support Chemistry, Physics and Biology!

alchemy

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1222
  • Respect: +25
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2014, 11:38:06 pm »
0

No unfortunately I did not, as my school would not allow me to. So  I have to cram 6 subjects into a year Lol. I dont know if adding spesh to my already heavy workload is a good idea, chem+phy+meth+eng+Jap . So atm im weighing up whether i should do spesh (as it can help my meth and phy) or to just stick with further.

I wouldn't say it's a good idea given your situation. Remember, at the end of the day it's marks and prerequisites that count. You want to get the most marks out of your ability and be able to meet the prerequisites for your course. It will most likely be especially difficult for you considering you're not doing GMA and having a tough workload.
And just in case it hasn't been pointed out: do not think that you can jump into spesh without GMA. Even if it means you study it by yourself in summer holidays or whatever, DO NOT miss out on GMA. I'm telling you because I wanted to be a smart-arse, tried jumping straight into spesh and failed :S

Edward Elric

  • Victorian
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 282
  • Respect: +13
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2014, 12:00:39 am »
0
I wouldn't say it's a good idea given your situation. Remember, at the end of the day it's marks and prerequisites that count. You want to get the most marks out of your ability and be able to meet the prerequisites for your course. It will most likely be especially difficult for you considering you're not doing GMA and having a tough workload.
And just in case it hasn't been pointed out: do not think that you can jump into spesh without GMA. Even if it means you study it by yourself in summer holidays or whatever, DO NOT miss out on GMA. I'm telling you because I wanted to be a smart-arse, tried jumping straight into spesh and failed :S

Sorry there seems to be a lot of conflicting opinions on this thread, so your saying it pretty much is overkill  to do spesh 3/4 with general advanced? I need some sort of final verdict, so i can make my decision soon, as there isn't much time before school starts. As for further, I think it is the same amount of workload as for spesh, as you have to hone your skills to the point where you ace each and every practice exam whereas spesh, you can get away with losing a few marks and get the same ss. ImO

MagicGecko

  • Victorian
  • Forum Leader
  • ****
  • Posts: 506
  • W3$T $IDe I$ B3$T $!D3
  • Respect: +43
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #7 on: January 12, 2014, 01:01:12 am »
+1
Sorry there seems to be a lot of conflicting opinions on this thread, so your saying it pretty much is overkill  to do spesh 3/4 with general advanced? I need some sort of final verdict, so i can make my decision soon, as there isn't much time before school starts. As for further, I think it is the same amount of workload as for spesh, as you have to hone your skills to the point where you ace each and every practice exam whereas spesh, you can get away with losing a few marks and get the same ss. ImO
you just compared further....with spesh...well there is that saying 'a D in spesh is a B in methods and an A in further. Anyway, don't know why I said that but my advice is....well first of all In your case the workload for spesh will be nothing like the workload for further!, I say this because in further you have topics such as 'the core' which is all about box plots, stem plots, regression lines, residuals etc and 3 different modules with are not as nearly as complicated as the math in Spesh. You could essentially finish the Core and 1 module over the summer and then over the next couple of months finish the remaining modules and that would leave you with about half a year to do practice exams, however............there is no way you can do that with Spesh! Especially if you have not previously done GMA. In terms of workload I don't think the two can be compared but comparing the study score scaling is entirely different. It is so easy to lose marks in further and hence get a lower than expected study score (mainly because the examiners are jerks and try to trick you) but this doesn't happen in Spesh, its a lot easier to do better in spesh than further (due to scaling) though. arrg!
Anyway personally I don't think doing spesh without GMA is a good idea. But entirely it depends on what you plan on doing post year 12. If you plan on going into medicine, health sciences, science in general in I don't recommend choosing spesh mainly because you would hardly use it in these disciplines however if you choose to go into engineering or the like then definitely choose spesh over further math as you will learn math related subjects that are on specialist math level if not greater in Uni.
 
2013-2016:
Bachelor of Engineering (Biomedical)(Honours) @ RMIT


~Full-Time Biomedical Engineer~

"im not crying there’s just overpriced college education in my eye" ~ abigalmills-tumblr

Edward Elric

  • Victorian
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 282
  • Respect: +13
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2014, 01:11:32 am »
0
you just compared further....with spesh...well there is that saying 'a D in spesh is a B in methods and an A in further. Anyway, don't know why I said that but my advice is....well first of all In your case the workload for spesh will be nothing like the workload for further!, I say this because in further you have topics such as 'the core' which is all about box plots, stem plots, regression lines, residuals etc and 3 different modules with are not as nearly as complicated as the math in Spesh. You could essentially finish the Core and 1 module over the summer and then over the next couple of months finish the remaining modules and that would leave you with about half a year to do practice exams, however............there is no way you can do that with Spesh! Especially if you have not previously done GMA. In terms of workload I don't think the two can be compared but comparing the study score scaling is entirely different. It is so easy to lose marks in further and hence get a lower than expected study score (mainly because the examiners are jerks and try to trick you) but this doesn't happen in Spesh, its a lot easier to do better in spesh than further (due to scaling) though. arrg!
Anyway personally I don't think doing spesh without GMA is a good idea. But entirely it depends on what you plan on doing post year 12. If you plan on going into medicine, health sciences, science in general in I don't recommend choosing spesh mainly because you would hardly use it in these disciplines however if you choose to go into engineering or the like then definitely choose spesh over further math as you will learn math related subjects that are on specialist math level if not greater in Uni.


Wow, thats the response i needed to read. I am interested in both engineering and the medical field, but I'm leaning more so into becoming a
dr than an engineer. And I also like how you mentioned that if i did choose to pursue an engineering degree they will teach the same level of maths at Uni. Thank you so much, now I am starting to think that I'm stupid for asking this Q, given that i completely skipped spesh 1/2. You are a life saver, thank you so much!!! :)

Lasercookie

  • Honorary Moderator
  • ATAR Notes Legend
  • *******
  • Posts: 3168
  • Respect: +326
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #9 on: January 12, 2014, 01:49:37 am »
0
If your school doesn't offer GMA, you'll find that Spesh will be fine - the course and textbook itself can be taken as a standalone course which explains all the knowledge you need really. If your school does offer GMA, then you may find, depending on your teacher, that a faster pace will be taken with assumed knowledge for GMA. You might want to talk to your teacher and maybe catch up with a few GMA things in that case, but it's not a huge hurdle to overcome.

Generally I'd recommend doing spesh if you enjoy maths and want to do the subject. Also agreed with Sheo, if you intend on doing more mathematics at uni, then taking spesh is a smart idea. The content of VCE maths doesn't really scratch beyond the surface of what you'll learn at uni. You can get away with taking some kind of first year class which will usually be a specialist equivalent aimed at people with a methods background. My view would be why spend a semester on that when you could be moving onto slightly more interesting maths straight away in uni.

krisskross

  • Victorian
  • Adventurer
  • *
  • Posts: 19
  • Respect: 0
  • School Grad Year: 2013
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #10 on: January 12, 2014, 07:03:14 am »
0
True story:
I knew a guy who didn't do GMA in year 11 & he got a raw 49 in spesh.

Of course, that comes with hard work, but it's not iMPOSSIBLE.

I would recommend just jumping into the spesh 3&4 textbook because it has everything you need to know, whereas for the GMA textbook, there are actually things you learn which are not assessed in the 3&4 course.

But definitely, you can work through that over the holidays/ get a tutor & yes, worked solutions would be helpful.

In my opinion, I would choose spesh>further anytime.
Why?
It's easier to get a scaled 40/50 in spesh than in further.
In further, you get scrutinised and traps are set everywhere & it's so easy to screw up in the exam if you're not careful.

For spesh however, I felt like 70%++ of it were (basic) textbook questions....
& they don't really trick you in spesh because they acknowledge that it's already hard to grasp the concepts..

Idk think about this.
If you are a very very very careful person, then okay, you can go for further.
If you enjoy maths/are considering engineering, then you should go for spesh.

But ultimately, doing spesh alongside with methods will definitely benefit methods.
Whilst you might be churning papers after papers for spesh & doing close to none for methods, you can still perform well in methods.
Because besides probability, spesh does overlap with methods...

Good luck!
Even though it's gonna be a tough year for you but prioritise well & have good time management :)!

hobbitle

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1235
  • Respect: +110
Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #11 on: January 12, 2014, 07:24:06 am »
0
I really would like to emphasise that taking the spesh equivalent of Uni Maths is ONE little subject. It's seriously no big deal. I'm sure it's possible for you to do Spesh if you work super hard, but you are taking six 3/4s this year. You already have Methods and heaps of other science so not taking Spesh is not going to impact you if you pursue science/engineering pretty much AT ALL and could save you a lot of stress. The first maths subject you take at Uni will be the Spesh equivalent and then it's done.
If you had already done a 3/4 in Year 11 then id say go for it but to me it looks like you could be increasing your stress levels and workload immensely with not that much gain.
2008 - 2010 | Bachelor of Production @ Victorian College of the Arts
2013 - 2015 | Bachelor of Science @ UoM (Bioengineering Systems)
2016 - 2017 | Master of Engineering (Biomedical) @ UoM

Edward Elric

  • Victorian
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 282
  • Respect: +13
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #12 on: January 12, 2014, 06:53:15 pm »
0
I really would like to emphasise that taking the spesh equivalent of Uni Maths is ONE little subject. It's seriously no big deal. I'm sure it's possible for you to do Spesh if you work super hard, but you are taking six 3/4s this year. You already have Methods and heaps of other science so not taking Spesh is not going to impact you if you pursue science/engineering pretty much AT ALL and could save you a lot of stress. The first maths subject you take at Uni will be the Spesh equivalent and then it's done.
If you had already done a 3/4 in Year 11 then id say go for it but to me it looks like you could be increasing your stress levels and workload immensely with not that much gain.

I completely agree, i would be heavily disadvantaged of i decided to pick up spesh now, as my peers have all done general maths B and i already have some troublesome subjects on top of which i have to study the UMAT. Spesh will only add to my mounting stress, so thanks for your advice and to everyone else who commented.

zhujunyan

  • Victorian
  • Adventurer
  • *
  • Posts: 11
  • Respect: +2
  • School: Brentwood Secondary College
  • School Grad Year: 2013
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #13 on: January 12, 2014, 09:35:05 pm »
0
why not? I got 47 without knowing there is unit1&2.

Why not u?
Available for Tutoring
http://www.sparkeducation.com.au
2012:Further Mathematics [50]  | Mathematical Methods (CAS) [44]  | Chinese FL [37]
2013: EAL [43]  | Chemistry [43] | Specialist Maths [47]  | Physics [38]
ATAR: 99.65
2014: Actuarial Studies in University of Melbourne

PM me or visit our website!!!

Edward Elric

  • Victorian
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 282
  • Respect: +13
Re: Is it possible to do specialist maths without units 1/2
« Reply #14 on: January 12, 2014, 11:07:19 pm »
0
why not? I got 47 without knowing there is unit1&2.

Why not u?

actually for a few reasons: such as I've already got a heavy workload(6 subjects), my cohort already have an advantage in the subject(having already done 1/2 gen), My school may not allow me etc... The list goes on... But thats amazing you got 47 without doing 1/2, an inspiration to many students who are in a similar position as myself.