Studying for Mathematics efficiently

[ayylmaolad]

Hey, So Mathematics is by far my worst subject and i ended up with a rank of 28/41 (terrible, i know)

Ever since week 10 or so i've tried to crank out at least one past paper for math a day, it's coming to no avail however and im still struggling when i get to question 15/16

What are some good Math study strategies especially to tackle those harder questions, thanks in advance

[biffi023]

Hey, So Mathematics is by far my worst subject and i ended up with a rank of 28/41 (terrible, i know)

Ever since week 10 or so i've tried to crank out at least one past paper for math a day, it's coming to no avail however and im still struggling when i get to question 15/16

What are some good Math study strategies especially to tackle those harder questions, thanks in advance

Arghh!!...... I am definitely in your boat!!
Heck.. one PP a day.. that is awesome! I have been doing PP's as well (I can't quite manage that per day tho!  ) and although it is definitely still boggling me..... i find that you start to see the pattern they use, as well as the questions that turn up EVERY year..... having one of the 'Success' books is good to as it gives u a really good rundown of the working out in the answers section...... i also keep a book beside me that i write out formulas i come across that i had forgotten or need more practice, and another list of topics/questions that need totally revising........ at the end of the PP i go back to my class textbook and redo the challenge exercises of those topics and read through my theory notes to get them back in my head! 
so yer.. i am sure u are far ahead of me in that way.. my marks have been awful!...... but it is true wot they say.. especially at this point..... all u can do is STACKS OF PRACTICE!!.....
would love to hear other ppls tips.. 
ATB everyone!! 

[RuiAce]

Hey, So Mathematics is by far my worst subject and i ended up with a rank of 28/41 (terrible, i know)

Ever since week 10 or so i've tried to crank out at least one past paper for math a day, it's coming to no avail however and im still struggling when i get to question 15/16

What are some good Math study strategies especially to tackle those harder questions, thanks in advance

Questions 15 and 16 are purposely designed so that they target the higher bands, and can not simply be completed by relying on simply knowing theorems, methods and formulas. You need to develop intuition and the abilities to both break down the question, juggle multiple things at once, and experiment.

The questions are not intended to be problems you have seen in the past (although you may have if you get lucky). It can be quite easy to pick a method that doesn't work, or leads to a dead end. Q15/16 can only really be approached correctly if you have found that:
a) You've ultimately used ALL of the information they provided you. (This isn't science; in maths they never give you extraneous information.)
b) You can draw on concepts from MULTIPLE topics at once.
c) You understand why your theorems/formulas/methods work and know how to TWEAK them to be ADAPTED to a foreign scenario
d) You can relate each problem to a topic of the mathematics course
e) You understand the need to experiment, because it's quite easy for a first approach to be wrong

It's no longer about using rote-learnt concepts; it's about properly understanding what you know and knowing how to implement modifications. It can occasionally also be a matter of thinking outside the box, and not forgetting elementary concepts (some people fail Q15/16 because they forget to return to basics).

There is no other strategy than past papers, but when you give up and look at the answers you shouldn't just be looking at how to do it, but why that method even works in the first place.