Query about 3+4

[Yacoubb]

Hi I'm doing Methods 1+2 this year and I'm considering doing Specialist Maths next year 3+4, without GMA. How much variation is there between GMA and Methods 1+2, and if so, how can the differences be compensated?

[Conic]

Honestly, you can easily learn the important parts of GMA on your own if necessary. Some schools don't even run GMA and still get 40+ scores. Just try and do the best you can in Methods.

[Yacoubb]

Honestly, you can easily learn the important parts of GMA on your own if necessary. Some schools don't even run GMA and still get 40+ scores. Just try and do the best you can in Methods.

Yeah I also know many people who haven't done GMA and have still excelled in Specialist Mathematics. I also think that Spesh will make Methods a whole lot easier and sort of be to my advantage in the cohort I'm in.

[Yacoubb]

Which Unit would be more helpful of GMA for Specialist Maths next year? I'm thinking of dropping Physics at the mid-year and doing GMA via distance. Obviously I can do either Unit 1 or 2. I'll do the one more relevant to next year. Help would be appreciated.

If this helps, maybe I could do the Unit that is not so much similar to Methods 1+2.

[pterozachtyl]

I'm doing Specialist without having done GMA. It helps with Methods like crazy (and vice versa), which is why I'm doing it. We may be moving slower through the course (neither of my other two classmates did GMA) than what you would usually, but we're going okay. Talk to your Methods teacher or the 3/4 Specialist teacher at your school.

[Yacoubb]

I'm doing Specialist without having done GMA. It helps with Methods like crazy (and vice versa), which is why I'm doing it. We may be moving slower through the course (neither of my other two classmates did GMA) than what you would usually, but we're going okay. Talk to your Methods teacher or the 3/4 Specialist teacher at your school.

How would you compare the level of difficulty of Spec to Methods. I do minimal Methods revision and manage 80%+ because of silly errors, lol. Plus I have two 3+4sto worry about.

[pterozachtyl]

How would you compare the level of difficulty of Spec to Methods. I do minimal Methods revision and manage 80%+ because of silly errors, lol. Plus I have two 3+4sto worry about.

Well, I'm getting mid 70's on my Specialist tasks and high 80's on my Methods. We had two very separate courses up until a few chapters ago, now everything we do in Methods has already been done in Specialist.
Specialist is probably only a little harder but we have a much bigger workload to keep up to date. Methods requires (for me, at least) far less effort and time than Specialist.

[Yacoubb]

Well, I'm getting mid 70's on my Specialist tasks and high 80's on my Methods. We had two very separate courses up until a few chapters ago, now everything we do in Methods has already been done in Specialist.
Specialist is probably only a little harder but we have a much bigger workload to keep up to date. Methods requires (for me, at least) far less effort and time than Specialist.

I'll be doing Chemistry, English, Math Methods + Specialist next year if thats the case. So Chemistry and English will be allotted time seperately, and I guess because of the coinciding concepts between Methods + Specialist, you kill two birds with one stone. I know that Methods + Specialist (especially Spesh) will take time, especially because you need to get through quite a bit of Methods before you can PROPERLY do the work in Specialist. Thats why I was thinking of maybe continuing Physics (motion is helpful) until the end of the year, and do Specialist Maths next year... I just don't want to make a decision that is going to be disastrous. The bright side is that if I feel that Specialist is just taking up a ridiculous amount of my time, I can settle for a pass (25) which will go up to about 37, which is better than getting a pass in say Physics (which will only got to 26 or 27). I think that in many ways, Specialist will be better for me. Plus I actually really hate Physics - the set-up for VCE is really not good...

[pterozachtyl]

I'll be doing Chemistry, English, Math Methods + Specialist next year if thats the case. So Chemistry and English will be allotted time seperately, and I guess because of the coinciding concepts between Methods + Specialist, you kill two birds with one stone. I know that Methods + Specialist (especially Spesh) will take time, especially because you need to get through quite a bit of Methods before you can PROPERLY do the work in Specialist. Thats why I was thinking of maybe continuing Physics (motion is helpful) until the end of the year, and do Specialist Maths next year... I just don't want to make a decision that is going to be disastrous. The bright side is that if I feel that Specialist is just taking up a ridiculous amount of my time, I can settle for a pass (25) which will go up to about 37, which is better than getting a pass in say Physics (which will only got to 26 or 27). I think that in many ways, Specialist will be better for me. Plus I actually really hate Physics - the set-up for VCE is really not good...

Totally agree. It is super biased towards languages and Specialist. If I had full choice of VCE subjects, I would have done Geography and French instead of Specialist and Psychology, but our school doesn't run either of them (only 65 Year 12's). Just do your best at Methods this year (I should have tried A LOT harder) and by subject selection you'll have a better idea. Good luck!

[Yacoubb]

Totally agree. It is super biased towards languages and Specialist. If I had full choice of VCE subjects, I would have done Geography and French instead of Specialist and Psychology, but our school doesn't run either of them (only 65 Year 12's). Just do your best at Methods this year (I should have tried A LOT harder) and by subject selection you'll have a better idea. Good luck!

I hope so - thanks for your help pterozachtyl

[ealam2]

Someone told me that GMA unit 2 is an introduction to specialist while unit 1 is much like methods. I'm also wondering whether I am going to do specialist next year. I'm currently taking GMA this year but I'm not sure I'll be able to cope next year if I do take it and plus I am struggling with GMA this year especially Trigonometry in unit 1 and I hate application tasks.

[Eugenet17]

Fairly sure majority of the Trig component in Unit 1 GMA is in the further course, at my school we did Data, Trigonometry, Variation and Graphs for Unit 1. Heard unit 2's gonna be better though, i think we're being introduced to complex numbers,kinematics,vectors etc

[Yacoubb]

Hi guys (:

So I've dropped unit 1 Physics after realising how much nursed hatred I have for it. I no longer have any incentive to study for it. Therefore, I'm doing Specialist Maths next year. Now I'd be doing it via Distance Ed. Has anyone done is by Distance Ed and has any tips for it? Also, I'd be doing GMA Unit 2 over the summer holidays just introducing myself to vectors, kinematics, dynamics and basically everything not covered in Methods 1+2.

Thanks

[Kuroyuki]

Hi guys (:

So I've dropped unit 1 Physics after realising how much nursed hatred I have for it. I no longer have any incentive to study for it. Therefore, I'm doing Specialist Maths next year. Now I'd be doing it via Distance Ed. Has anyone done is by Distance Ed and has any tips for it? Also, I'd be doing GMA Unit 2 over the summer holidays just introducing myself to vectors, kinematics, dynamics and basically everything not covered in Methods 1+2.

Thanks

don't forget complex numbers!

[Yacoubb]

don't forget complex numbers!

Is that part of Unit 2? Because I don't want to spend too long on GMA over the summer. I'd prefer to get straight into the nitty-gritty of Spesh over the summer holidays for a head-start.