How I Got a 50 Raw Study Score in Further Maths

Susanne Kitching graduated with a perfect 50 study score in Further and a 99.00 ATAR. She now studies Medicine at Monash University.
Brand new: Further Maths Topic Tests.

This is the sixth in a series of articles looking at how to score a raw 50. It’s quite a feat, but certainly doable! In this article, we’re speaking with Susanne, who nailed Further Maths. If you want to request a certain article or series, let us know here!

Hey Susanne! So. A 50 study score in Further and 99 ATAR – was Year 12 hectic for you? How much did you study per night?

Year 12 wasn’t too bad for me, because it taught me organisation. If you can organise your time and prioritise tasks, you can stay on top of things and do well. I studied a maximum of 2 hours per weekday, usually split into 30 minute blocks – 30 minutes before or after sports training, 30 minutes before school, 30 minutes after dinner etc. The way you study might be different, but that’s what worked for me.

With that in mind, do you think you did things differently do other people?

No, I just made sure I fully understood the concepts in each module and how to apply them. This was a little difficult at times as I did not understand my teacher’s examples or teaching style. To get around this, I took extra steps to seek help from other sources to ensure I knew it well enough to work through any question I faced.

Did you think during the year you were going to 50 Further?

I was aiming for a 50, but it comes down to a bit of luck on the day of the exam, as the difference between a 40 and a 50 can be just a few marks – even if you ace all your SACs. I was strategic in choosing Further, as I knew that this type of maths was one of my strengths, and I needed a subject that I had potential to score highly in to make the most of my ATAR.

You touched on it a little there, but what do you think the difference is between a 30 raw, a 40 raw and a 50 raw in Further?

The difference between 30 and 40 is knowing the content, and the difference between 40 and 50 is being able to apply the content to any situation. The easiest way to score highly is to look for patterns in past exam questions – if you can recognise what method or formula you need to use for every scenario, you know the content. If you can then find all the important parts and values in the question and get the correct answer, you know how to apply it. Then it comes down to luck (whether your strengths are tested), understanding how to do questions done poorly in the past (they will likely be repeated), and minimising careless errors.

Did you… did you do other things in your life during Year 12?

I swam 5-7 times a week for 90 minutes per session, worked as a swimming teacher 1-2 shifts per week, played sport at school, was involved in the school play and leadership activities, and had a pretty active social life with all the 18th birthdays. Doing things that weren’t study-related helped keep my brain fresh, reminded me that there was a life outside of VCE, and kept me organised. I also spent a lot of time on my other subjects, like French and Chemistry, which I found more challenging.

The age-old question: how many practice exams?

Around 40 practice exams (20 Exam 1s and 20 Exam 2s). It got to the stage where I could smash one out in 30 minutes, check over it and still get 100%, so it was not as arduous as it sounds.

So let’s cut to the chase: what are your top three tips for absolutely nailing Further?

1) Understand everything – the broad concepts, wording of questions, how to apply the concepts, and where you went wrong in mistakes you made. If you don’t understand something, ask. If you still don’t understand it, find out how to. This is key.

2) Use resources outside your textbook and teacher. They may be other teachers, tutors, lectures, online content, note books, YouTube videos, practice exams, or anything else you can find. The Further Maths forums might be a good place to start!

3) Learn how to use your reference book and calculator. You’re allowed a bound reference and graphics calculator in both Further Maths exams. You shouldn’t need to use the reference book too much if you are prepared, but know where everything is so that if you do need to double check something, you don’t waste time looking for it. You need to use your calculator for most questions, so know how to use all the functions you may need.

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Right on! Thanks, Susanne – top advice.

If you want help for any of your subjects, hit us up on The VCE Discussion Group – and make sure you like ATAR Notes – VCE!

NOTE: Following all of this advice by no means guarantees a high study score or ATAR – but hey, it worked for Susanne!

Want Further Maths practice? Get around the brand new Further Maths Topic Tests!