The bound ref is confusing me !!

[shxre]

Hey guys,

so as it is still pretty early on in the year, i really wanted to start my bound reference for methods so that when it gets closer to exam period, i won't be panicking about it. But i'm really confused as to how i should set it out??? 
Should i make summary sheets on each chapter as i complete it and include the questions i found difficult? -  Not sure if i want to be reading through these questions during the exam though, so is it even worth it?
Should i just stick practice exams into it?
For those of you that have already done methods, any advice on the usage of the bound ref in the actual exam?

As you can tell, im really confused so any replies are appreciated!!

[Shadowxo]

Hey guys,

so as it is still pretty early on in the year, i really wanted to start my bound reference for methods so that when it gets closer to exam period, i won't be panicking about it. But i'm really confused as to how i should set it out??? 
Should i make summary sheets on each chapter as i complete it and include the questions i found difficult? -  Not sure if i want to be reading through these questions during the exam though, so is it even worth it?
Should i just stick practice exams into it?
For those of you that have already done methods, any advice on the usage of the bound ref in the actual exam?

As you can tell, im really confused so any replies are appreciated!!

Hi,
What I did was made sure that I knew pretty much all the formulas and I wrote out a chapter summary for each chapter, with the formulas at the top (useful particularly for difficult formulas that I tend to forget such as a^x=b -> x = log_zb/_za, and probability)
I rarely wrote examples but I imagine they would be quite useful if you get stuck on a question.
I tended to dislike probability, so I had a different page with formulas for each of binomial, continuous etc so I could easily find relevant formulas if I got confused.
Practice exams are very important though, they're great for practice and refining abilities, but having a familiar bound reference can be useful for finding equations or how to do a question easily, as not all formulas are on the formula sheet and they're not always in a familiar form.
If I were you I'd do a seperate page (or a couple) for each chapter, listing important relevant formulas at the top, and examples/explanations on the bottom.
Just what I did good luck!

[MightyBeh]

My bound reference was very (overly?) structured; I started at the front of the book with things I forgot about often - different probability rules, geometry stuff, index/log laws, odd/even functions, stuff like that. Wasn't just a list of rules, but also included a few diagrams. Basically it was what my summary would be if it could only be one page. After that was calculator syntax; for the useful TI default ones that I didn't use much (angle,  stat calcs, etc.), and programs I'd written on my own so I didn't accidentally put things in wrong.

The bulk of my bound reference went like this, where a topic was a collection of chapters (1-7 in Cambridge methods being 'functions', etc.):

• Summary of whole topic at a glance.
• Checklist of mistakes not to make by topic. (e.g. remembering to write the inverse as f^-1 and not y.)
• Chapter X Theory
• Chapter X Examples
• Maybe a chapter summary if it's particularly long
• So on and so forth until the end of the section

At the very back was anything important that didn't fit other places, and between the end of the section notes and that was anything else; usually worked solutions from SACs and practice exams.

I wouldn't recommend my approach to everyone (anyone? ) because it was a lot of work; got $20 out of in the end when I sold it but otherwise it was pretty much worthless because I didn't touch it during the exam. You could argue that because I made it so meticulously I didn't need to check, but in any case I didn't get any use out of it.

I found that of my friends who used their references, it was generally those who were neat and organised that got the most out of them - colour coding, tabs, etc. . Personally I believe that the bound reference is a bit of a waste of time in an exam because it takes away from value working time, but it also could save you marks if you forget. I would recommend a 'lighter' approach; listing rules and how to use them. Anything else is a waste of time - both in an exam or sac when you have to flip through the fluff to find what you're looking for, and in the time that it takes to write it out anyway. ofc in the end, it's up to you; do what you feel comfortable with, and if you're not sure, do more.

[Cheesehat]

To be honest, I generally wouldn't recommend that you spend a lot of time on your bound reference. Doing lots of practice exams is a far better time investment, as actual practice, experience and exposure to different kinds of questions is far more important in vce maths than written theory. Your bound reference is mostly there just for peace of mind. If you prepare well enough, ie. do enough practice papers, there's a high chance that you won't touch it at all during your exam.

Your current idea of writing summary sheets for each chapter as you go along sounds optimal. Write out formulas in their different forms, difficult questions with worked answers that you had trouble with, and little tips and tricks that you might pick up along the way. Don't stick practice exams inside your bound reference - that's totally a waste of space, as you definitely won't have time to look through them during the exam (and if you do, you're squandering away valuable checking time). Think of your bound reference not as an exam helpline, but more as a chance for you to consolidate your knowledge beforehand.

It's still early in the year, so for now I'd recommend that you mainly focus on fully learning the material, doing textbook questions and looking for interesting/challenging questions once you're confident. Once you've properly gotten into the course, what you might need to include in your bound reference will become apparent.

Hope this helps, best of luck with the year!