How to do well in specialist maths?

[datfatcat]

I understand the book clearly, but when I do the application task/analysis tasks, I did pretty bad (around 60% for my sacs).  What should I do?  I have done so many questions in my textbook!   

[Special At Specialist]

I had that problem last year. The trick is to attempt some extended response questions, rather than just the basic textbook "exercises", which are nothing more than the real basics. In your textbook, you will find extended response questions at the end of each chapter. Do some of them. Also do practice exams from the VCAA website and from itute.

[max payne]

I had that problem last year. The trick is to attempt some extended response questions, rather than just the basic textbook "exercises", which are nothing more than the real basics. In your textbook, you will find extended response questions at the end of each chapter. Do some of them. Also do practice exams from the VCAA website and from itute.

How much practice exams have you done and when did you start?

[SenriAkane]

I had that problem last year. The trick is to attempt some extended response questions, rather than just the basic textbook "exercises", which are nothing more than the real basics. In your textbook, you will find extended response questions at the end of each chapter. Do some of them. Also do practice exams from the VCAA website and from itute.

How much practice exams have you done and when did you start?

I didn't start until term break of after Term 3.
It's not the amount that counts, it's the what you learn when you doing it counts. Do 2 to 3 from a couple of companies (MAV ones are quite challenging and  VCAA from the past few years.) and see where you are the weakest and strongest and adjust your study plan. 

[Special At Specialist]

I had that problem last year. The trick is to attempt some extended response questions, rather than just the basic textbook "exercises", which are nothing more than the real basics. In your textbook, you will find extended response questions at the end of each chapter. Do some of them. Also do practice exams from the VCAA website and from itute.

How much practice exams have you done and when did you start?

I didn't start until term break of after Term 3.
It's not the amount that counts, it's the what you learn when you doing it counts. Do 2 to 3 from a couple of companies (MAV ones are quite challenging and  VCAA from the past few years.) and see where you are the weakest and strongest and adjust your study plan.

This is true. If your school is anything like mine, then the SAC's will be significantly easier than the exam, so doing exam questions helps you for SAC preparation.

[duhherro]

I had that problem last year. The trick is to attempt some extended response questions, rather than just the basic textbook "exercises", which are nothing more than the real basics. In your textbook, you will find extended response questions at the end of each chapter. Do some of them. Also do practice exams from the VCAA website and from itute.

How much practice exams have you done and when did you start?

I didn't start until term break of after Term 3.
It's not the amount that counts, it's the what you learn when you doing it counts. Do 2 to 3 from a couple of companies (MAV ones are quite challenging and  VCAA from the past few years.) and see where you are the weakest and strongest and adjust your study plan.

This is true. If your school is anything like mine, then the SAC's will be significantly easier than the exam, so doing exam questions helps you for SAC preparation.

Wait so you guys just literally print off all the exams and just do the questions relevant to the upcoming SAC topics?

[Special At Specialist]

I had that problem last year. The trick is to attempt some extended response questions, rather than just the basic textbook "exercises", which are nothing more than the real basics. In your textbook, you will find extended response questions at the end of each chapter. Do some of them. Also do practice exams from the VCAA website and from itute.

How much practice exams have you done and when did you start?

I didn't start until term break of after Term 3.
It's not the amount that counts, it's the what you learn when you doing it counts. Do 2 to 3 from a couple of companies (MAV ones are quite challenging and  VCAA from the past few years.) and see where you are the weakest and strongest and adjust your study plan.

This is true. If your school is anything like mine, then the SAC's will be significantly easier than the exam, so doing exam questions helps you for SAC preparation.

Wait so you guys just literally print off all the exams and just do the questions relevant to the upcoming SAC topics?

Yes. My specialist maths teacher created a folder on "moodle" (which is what we call our school intranet) which is split into different chapters. In each chapter, he composed all of the VCE exam questions from 2006 to 2011 into a single document and we can do them for revision for the SAC. So there is a page called "Complex numbers" and another one called "Kinematics" and so on for each of the chapters and there is just a list of questions and the marks they are worth. He also makes his own tests for each topic and we can do them.

[duhherro]

I had that problem last year. The trick is to attempt some extended response questions, rather than just the basic textbook "exercises", which are nothing more than the real basics. In your textbook, you will find extended response questions at the end of each chapter. Do some of them. Also do practice exams from the VCAA website and from itute.

How much practice exams have you done and when did you start?

I didn't start until term break of after Term 3.
It's not the amount that counts, it's the what you learn when you doing it counts. Do 2 to 3 from a couple of companies (MAV ones are quite challenging and  VCAA from the past few years.) and see where you are the weakest and strongest and adjust your study plan.

This is true. If your school is anything like mine, then the SAC's will be significantly easier than the exam, so doing exam questions helps you for SAC preparation.

Wait so you guys just literally print off all the exams and just do the questions relevant to the upcoming SAC topics?

Yes. My specialist maths teacher created a folder on "moodle" (which is what we call our school intranet) which is split into different chapters. In each chapter, he composed all of the VCE exam questions from 2006 to 2011 into a single document and we can do them for revision for the SAC. So there is a page called "Complex numbers" and another one called "Kinematics" and so on for each of the chapters and there is just a list of questions and the marks they are worth. He also makes his own tests for each topic and we can do them.

Holy thats awesome!!! does he do that with methods too then o.o

[InsaneMcFries]

Unfortunately our methods teachers are very mediocre in comparison to our specialist teacher (I am at the same school as Special at Specialist), and we don't have anything like that for methods.