Struggling with methods?

[lazaward]

I'm barely averaging 50% for unit 1 and 2 maths methods. It's a really important subject and one which I can't drop. I've asked my teacher for advice on how to improve but he didn't tell me anything I didn't know. My class has been averaging really poorly and everyone agrees that the exams and sacs are unfairly difficult. There's only a handful of people that are doing well and they're generally also doing specialist maths. I really really need to improve and I can't keep getting such disappointing marks. Any tips on how to improve? Especially from someone whose doing well in methods.

[zhen]

I might not be doing exceptionally well in methods but I feel like I can still chip in. In my opinion (unless your school's tests are as crazy as mine, where 50% is sometimes considered an above average mark) getting over 50% to around 70% is a matter of knowing the basic concepts really well and being able to do the basic application questions. For me, I learn the basics by first copying down a few examples and trying to understand them. Afterwards I start doing questions related to the topic. Also always check your answers or else you won't learn from doing the questions. Whenever I get a question I don't understand, I copy down the worked solutions and try to understand them. This is my way of learning. So, basically I learn by understanding the method by looking at examples and then doing some questions. This is how I learn, but you might be different, so find your own ideal way of learning.