• Best of luck to the class of 2024 for their HSC exams. You got this!
    Let us know your thoughts on the HSC exams here
  • YOU can help the next generation of students in the community!
    Share your trial papers and notes on our Notes & Resources page
MedVision ad

How do you study 2u math? (1 Viewer)

jarrodoliver1

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2012
Messages
166
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
I'm really struggling to find how to study for it. I'm going to summarise, so possibly complete one question on each type of concept (E.G, each type of Series, limiting sum, geometric etc.) with the formula clearly shown. I may then complete past papers specific to those questions. Would this be a good way to do so? How else would you recommend doing so?
 

Carrotsticks

Retired
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
9,494
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
That's actually a very good way of doing it, and I did something very similar myself. However, I did not have the formulas in front of me because I understood from where they came. Also, I did more than just one question on the individual concept. I didn't set a specific number because it changed.

For one topic, maybe I fully understand it after just 2 questions. Others needed even 10 or more problems before I fully understood how it worked.
 

jarrodoliver1

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2012
Messages
166
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
That's actually a very good way of doing it, and I did something very similar myself. However, I did not have the formulas in front of me because I understood from where they came. Also, I did more than just one question on the individual concept. I didn't set a specific number because it changed.

For one topic, maybe I fully understand it after just 2 questions. Others needed even 10 or more problems before I fully understood how it worked.
I'll do alot more than just one question, but just for writing it down into my book as an example? Should i try and do almost every possible way the question can be asked/interpreted? Sorry, it may be difficult to understand :/

Basically, the one question was going to be written down as an example, then i'll complete more questions in a separate non-study textbook. Good idea? Or, as i said, should i be writing down almost every possible way the formula can be applied/question can be asked etc?
 

braintic

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
2,137
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Don't forget that only a certain fraction of a paper involves directly applying a rule or a concept. Much of the paper involves higher-order thinking. So you really need to understand WHY a concept is true, so that you can answer out-of-the-box questions.
 

Shadowdude

Cult of Personality
Joined
Sep 19, 2009
Messages
12,145
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
Don't forget that only a certain fraction of a paper involves directly applying a rule or a concept. Much of the paper involves higher-order thinking. So you really need to understand WHY a concept is true, so that you can answer out-of-the-box questions.
^ Yeah.

Maths is an understanding thing, and a way of thinking.
 
R

RishadM

Guest
With maths, the best way to study is just practice in my opinion, because you come across different questions that put to test the formulas and things that you do know.
And of course, practice makes perfect, and doing dozens of maths past papers will definitely solidify how you do in exams. Not only because you'll be better practiced/skilled but because you may see repeating concepts in the questions that you have to do internally and for the HSC exam that you have already done in the past papers.
 

RishBonjour

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2011
Messages
1,261
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
for 2 unit. I used maths in focus. I learnt the concepts off that + asking my teacher. then did a few questions from the textbook (less than 10% of those provided - very repetitive and you often find yourself adjusting to a "method" and when a slightly different question comes - you struggle)
After that I did past papers.
With 2 unit, do as MANY as you can. You will see many people struggling to finish the exam in 3 hours while others will easily finish in 1.5 hours.
Also, for two unit, after you understand everything. PLEASE memorise the formulas that are in the syllabus. (I didn't and had to derive everything in my half yearly - waste of time. Off course memorised them for trials + HSC though)


and watch out for the sillies :)
 

Heydosaurus

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
55
Location
Maitland, NSW
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Oh, you're doing the IPT/IT/SSD combo. As passionate as I am about computing and its applications (especially network engineering), I would have committed suicide if I stuck with the initial 6 unit IPT, Industrial Tech: Multimedia and IT combo that I studied during prelim, haha. =P

To study for 2U, I made summaries based upon the content of my reference notes from school and the Excel HSC Mathematics textbook by Lyn Baker. I preferred the layout of the older Lyn Baker publication to the newer one in the fancy blue cover, but the content is essentially the same. Following production of the aforesaid summaries, I would do practice questions from the Excel textbook. After mastering the practice questions, I would move onto the Excel Success One past papers book, doing past HSC questions relative to the topic I was studying, or whole papers leading up to the HSC.

My mark for the HSC examination was 93, however, I slacked off during the half yearlies and topic tests, giving me a ranking that was below my potential (12/40-something), so my assessment mark was only 84. Hell, I could have even done better in the HSC if I wasn't watching Lost most of the time I was meant to be studying. Just make sure you don't slack off leading up to the school exams like I did, haha.
 
Last edited:

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top