Spesh complementing methods ??

[Zlatan]

Hey guys,

I'm doing both spesh and methods this year and I was wondering if spesh really helps to reduce the methods workload due to overlapping content ??

[brightsky]

Hey guys,

I'm doing both spesh and methods this year and I was wondering if spesh really helps to reduce the methods workload due to overlapping content ??

Spesh extends upon that which is taught in Methods, and introduces techniques that can be used to solve Methods problems. For example, in Methods, you learn that:



Only in Spesh do you learn the integration technique that will enable you to derive this formula. In this way, Spesh does help to clarify certain aspects of Methods.

[doher109]

It sure does! A great example is for the whole topic of Calculus (Differentiation and Integration).

In Methods the content in this topic will typically be MUCH easier than it is in Specialist, but generally along the same line of though. So... the study you do for Specialist is basically for Methods too.

I found that personally Specialist helped Methods a lot (both SACS/Exams), but Methods doesn't really help Specialist.

[Zlatan]

In Methods the content in this topic will typically be MUCH easier than it is in Specialist, but generally along the same line of though. So... the study you do for Specialist is basically for Methods too.

I found that personally Specialist helped Methods a lot (both SACS/Exams), but Methods doesn't really help Specialist.

That's good to know. One more thing, how hard was spesh in comparision with methods ?? (In your opinion?)

Thanks

[pi]

I'd say the consensus is:
- Spesh is conceptually harder than Methods
- Methods exams are more difficult than Spesh exams

[IntelxD]

I'd say the consensus is:
- Spesh is conceptually harder than Methods
- Methods exams are more difficult than Spesh exams

Why are Methods exams considered more difficult than Spesh exams?

[pi]

The application questions test the concepts in more abstract ways in Methods. It'll make more sense when you do practice exams haha.

[IntelxD]

The application questions test the concepts in more abstract ways in Methods. It'll make more sense when you do practice exams haha.

Quite interesting and definitely understandable. The questions in Specialist are naturally more difficult as the concepts are quite complex. I suppose the element of intricacy with Spesh eliminates the need for highly theoretical questions.

[Gentoo]

A common theme with the tricky methods questions (almost invariably contained in exam 2) is that they are either:

-worded pseudo-ambiguously (I remember that there was a probability question some year back that 4% of the state got right, despite the fact that the maths required was nothing more than plugging something into your calculator; pretty much everyone just misinterpreted it);

-or, as others have mentioned, are really abstract to the point of not even really fitting into a particular topic or section of the course. They might have something to do with, for example, tangents (a core part of the study design), but the hard part is generally a) understanding what the heck is actually going on and b) performing some sort of algebraic manipulation to get the answer you need. The final questions (Q4 and Q5 respectively) of the 2013 and 2014 exam 2s are perfect examples of this.

It also feels like there's a lot more reading in Methods Exam 2 than Spesh Exam 2 (the questions, especially prob ones, tend to be pretty long winded; Tasmania Jones' exploits are generally very detailed :p), which not only puts on more time pressure but increases the chance of misinterpeting what the question actually wants you to find. It feels like a bit of a reading comprehension test sometimes, compared to spesh which is generally more to the point. That also adds to the difficulty of the Methods Exam 2.