Specialist Maths has a notorious reputation for being really difficult. Even though it can be hard at times, it is just Maths at the end of the day – you don’t need to be a specialist. This study guide aims to give you some tips and tricks to navigate QCE Specialist this year.
Guide
How to get a 90+ in Specialist Maths: Advice from a high-achieving student
By Brennen C - 9 minute readIn this guide, Brennen goes through his top tips and tricks for getting a a 90+ in Specialist Maths.
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Introduction
How to prepare for your IAs
Your internals for Specialist makes up 50% of your final grade. You will have three internals throughout the year, which should cover much of the content you need to know. They include the problem solving and modeling task (20% of your grade) and an exam (15% of your grade) which both cover Unit 3 and the second exam (15% of your grade) which covers Unit 4. I suggest you use your internal assessment preparation wisely as this will put less pressure on you during the external exam period.
Stick to the syllabus
To maximize time – use the subject syllabus, which tells you exactly what you need to know for the course – nothing more, nothing less. Before going through a topic, I would get out of my syllabus and generate a list of questions based on the dot points. Therefore, when you’re in class or learning on your own, you have primed yourself on what to look out for and you’ll filter for only relevant information.
Make use of class time
Even though this is true in all other subjects, I think it applies most to maths. The
majority of the time in class is spent doing questions and going through examples. Being surrounded by 30 or so other students also doing the same set of questions is the best opportunity to ask for help when you hit a roadblock. I believe garnering a strong support network in class is one of the keys to success in maths subjects and only makes it all the more enjoyable.
Ask your teacher questions
Whether it is in class, after school or during lunchtimes, ask your teacher for help if you are having trouble with anything. Teachers appreciate you taking the initiative and chasing them up. Having another pair of eyes look at your work can be invaluable.
Make summaries
I found that note taking was the single best way to consolidate your learning onto a few pages and act as an easy place you can refer back to throughout the year. I used the questions I made for the syllabus as a guide while making notes and answered them in my own words. Using three or four resources throughout the year including: your teacher’s notes, Studyclix, YouTube videos (Khan Academy is great) and your textbook will stop you from being bogged down in the sea of resources out there. While creating your summary, I suggest you use:
Headings & subheadings
Heaps of colour
Detailed diagrams
Bolding and underlining
Concise explanations
Flowcharts
Do questions to increase confidence
How to measure confidence? I did this by answering questions. This is an ACTIVE process, which really tests your ability to actively recall what you have learned. I used the textbook questions, which provide heaps of questions. Also, check out the quizzes section on Studyclix. I would then prioritise the topics based on questions I had difficulty with and read my notes, watch a video or go through the textbook until I said “ohhh, I get it now”. This approach will ensure you don’t keep repeating the same mistakes.
Summary book
Having made summaries throughout the year, which I combined at the end of the
year to act as my summary book. I would recommend it contains derived formulas to
make it quicker to answer questions in the exam, dot pointed explanations on the
theory and examples if you need. At the end of the day, the summary book is just a
book to read and remember, as you can’t take anything into the exam with you.
Doing the exam questions however is the best way to prepare. While creating your
summary I suggest you:
Make it easy to find everything
I saw someone in my class using tabs once and thought it was a great idea. And it sure was, it made everything so much easier to find especially during exam study when time is of the essence.
Make your explanations brief
Your notes should be as brief as possible and only contain what you need or you’ll be bogged down during assessments.
Include lots of examples
I believe that examples in maths serve as a much better explanation than long sentence descriptions. I would make all my examples in blue so they would stand out from the other notes and you can put little explanations in the margin. I also suggest you leave a few pages after each major topic – I’d use
this space to write more challenging questions that I had difficulty with in case I encountered a similar question.Have tips on how to use your graphic calculator
You can use the CAS calculator in a plethora of ways. I would write out the syntax for common question types. Your textbook should have sections on how to use your calculator, which you can copy.
Have fun with it
This summary should be uniquely tailors to you and your style. Choose the colours you want to use and set it out in a way that appeals to you.
How to revise for exams
Be familiar with your calculator
Even though it may be easier for you to use your phone, laptop or graphic calculator, it’s going to do you more harm than good when it comes to exam time. You should be using the same scientific calculator you will use in the exam so that finding the right buttons and signs comes naturally during the exam. Make sure you learn all the tricks and shortcuts of your calculator, as anything to make it quicker to give you more time to answer the questions is a bonus.
Do as many practice exams as possible
You’ve probably heard about practice exams a million times by now, but let me tell you, they are a godsend when you’re studying for the exam. At the end of the day, 50% of your Specialist mark is going to be your exam result. So, what better way to study for this exam than by doing exams yourself.
I started doing practice exams quite a few weeks out from the actual one, which gave me plenty of time to revise. You can do this really easily on Studyclix through the exam builder tool.
Try and do them under timed conditions, so you are really simulating the exam environment. Of course, it will be hard when you get started so give yourself some leeway until you get settled into it.
I recommend you do at least 10 practice exams starting with past QCAA papers, followed by company ones and finally other papers from VCE and WACE.
On top of this, ensure you are revising and studying all your notes throughout the entirety of the year, as this will help you remember a lot of the stuff and not have to re-learn it all at the end of the year. You should be revising the work you have done at the end of every week if possible.
Misreading the question
Underline key words when reading the question and don’t move on without reading the question again.
Silly mistake
Proof-read your exam to pick up on these slip ups.
Content mistake
‘[Derived formula]’. Now write this in your notes in red and review the concept.
Not answering the question
Though it is tempting to regurgitate everything you know on a concept, you need to be specific to the question.
Not copying values down correctly
When using formulas make sure you copy in the correct values. To ensure this, I recommend highlighting all the important values in the question.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to use the notes section to document your
mistakes. Don’t worry, I was slapping my forehead a lot during this period too but
making mistakes now will prevent you from making them during the exam!
Exam Day
You will have 2 exams for Specialists. One with a calculator and one without.
How to approach the exam
Use the reading time to get a feel for what topics are covered in the short answer. Then start answering multiple-choice questions in your head.
Spend 20 minutes on multiple-choice and the rest on short answer.
Spend until you have 10 or 15 minutes left on the clock on the short answer.
Use the remaining time to check through your exam
Finally, make sure you go back to any unanswered multiple choice questions and make an educated guess as you can narrow most down to 2 answers which gives you a 50/50 chance of getting an extra mark.
Completing the exam
Multiple Choice Questions
The Specialist exam comes with 10 multiple choice questions which cover a wide array of topics. Your best friend when it comes to MCQs is the process of elimination. Normally there are 2 distracting options that you will cross off, so you essentially go from having a 1 in 4 chance to a 1 in 2 chance of picking the correct option! Just remember while you’re staring at the question, scratching your head, the answer is right back at you so if worse comes to worst make an educated guess.
Just remember that the questions may look strange, but they are the same basic mathematical principles you have been learning throughout the year. It’s ok to sometimes start again and try a different approach (keeping time in mind of course).
Short answer questions
The short answer questions account for about 2/3 of your exam mark. I will go through a few of the common types of questions below:
How to graph:
If the question asks you to label key features, label as much as you can to get full marks. With restricted domains, if the value is included use a closed dot, if not use an open dot. Asymptotes should be labelled with the equations (y=? or x=?). Your graph should approach the asymptote very closely but never touch.
Hence questions:
Use the answer you obtained from the previous question.
Show that questions:
You must show all of your working out. It’s tempting to just plug everything into a calculator and get the answer but it’ll only result in you getting one mark.
Some extra tips:
Your answers should always be in exact form unless otherwise states. Write dx after the expression when differentiating and integrating. Don’t forget the +c when integrating. Remember + or – when square rooting.
Just remember that the questions may look strange, but they are the same basic mathematical principles you have been learning throughout the year. It’s ok to sometimes start again and try a different approach (keeping time in mind of course)
Some final tips
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Use your teachers
Teachers are walking fountains of knowledge – having marked hundreds of exams,
they know what they’re talking about. I’d recommend you build a strong working
relationship with your teacher and ask questions when you need to even if the
questions seem a bit silly, your teachers are there to help. Remember the only silly
questions is the one not asked.
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Help and be helped by your friends
Having study buddies is equally important, whether it is making a group chat or meeting up once a week to go through concepts you are having difficulty with. I always found trying to teach a concept to someone else to be the single best revision techniques because you really need to understand to make someone else understand it too.
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Important things to remember
Keep in mind for Specialist though that you have already done a problem solving and
modelling task (20%) and an exam (15%) on Unit 3 (so that’s 70% of Unit 3 already
covered) and a second exam (15%) for Unit 4 (30% of Unit 4 covered). So it’s safe to
say that a good chunk of the external exam will be on Unit 4 and I can confirm this
from when I did my external in year 12 but that doesn’t mean you can ignore
studying Unit 3.
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Use your memory wisely
It is hard trying to store a whole year’s work in your memory for just one subject, let
alone 6. Don’t forget to make sure you are rope learning throughout the year as this
helps to keep the older content fresh in your mind. If you are having trouble
remembering something, try to make a funny or silly way to remember it as this
usually sticks in your mind better, I found.
4
Try to understand
Don’t get me wrong, Specialist is not an easy subject, but cramming everything 2
weeks before your exam will not do you any good. I really tried to wrap my head
around all the theory so that I built a solid foundation to approach exam questions.
The one tip I can give you when going through notes is to constantly question the
concepts and ask “why?” at each step.
Enjoy Specialist
Even though the words maths and enjoy are hardly ever used together by students,
I’m here to tell you that maths can be enjoyed. Working methodically and getting to
the right answer with grit and determination gives you a feeling of elation like no
other. The more you relate a concept to a real life application, the more you will
remember the concept. Having fun with this fascinating subject will result in you
appreciating what you’re learning and this positive attitude will allow you to excel.
Final Tips
Here are some final tips from Brennen on how to get a 90+ in Specialist Maths.
Use your teachers
Teachers are walking fountains of knowledge – having marked hundreds of exams,
they know what they’re talking about. I’d recommend you build a strong working
relationship with your teacher and ask questions when you need to even if the
questions seem a bit silly, your teachers are there to help. Remember the only silly
questions is the one not asked.
Help and be helped by your friends
Having study buddies is equally important, whether it is making a group chat or meeting up once a week to go through concepts you are having difficulty with. I always found trying to teach a concept to someone else to be the single best revision techniques because you really need to understand to make someone else understand it too.
Important things to remember
Keep in mind for Specialist though that you have already done a problem solving and
modelling task (20%) and an exam (15%) on Unit 3 (so that’s 70% of Unit 3 already
covered) and a second exam (15%) for Unit 4 (30% of Unit 4 covered). So it’s safe to
say that a good chunk of the external exam will be on Unit 4 and I can confirm this
from when I did my external in year 12 but that doesn’t mean you can ignore
studying Unit 3.
Use your memory wisely
It is hard trying to store a whole year’s work in your memory for just one subject, let
alone 6. Don’t forget to make sure you are rope learning throughout the year as this
helps to keep the older content fresh in your mind. If you are having trouble
remembering something, try to make a funny or silly way to remember it as this
usually sticks in your mind better, I found.
Try to understand
Don’t get me wrong, Specialist is not an easy subject, but cramming everything 2
weeks before your exam will not do you any good. I really tried to wrap my head
around all the theory so that I built a solid foundation to approach exam questions.
The one tip I can give you when going through notes is to constantly question the
concepts and ask “why?” at each step.
Enjoy Specialist
Even though the words maths and enjoy are hardly ever used together by students,
I’m here to tell you that maths can be enjoyed. Working methodically and getting to
the right answer with grit and determination gives you a feeling of elation like no
other. The more you relate a concept to a real life application, the more you will
remember the concept. Having fun with this fascinating subject will result in you
appreciating what you’re learning and this positive attitude will allow you to excel.
By Brennen C
Brennen recently graduated with a 96.4 ATAR score, excelling in Methods both in his results and interest in the subject. He is now moving to study an Electrical Engineering and IT degree at JCU.