More often than not, whenever you ask someone “How do I study for 4U Maths?” their response is generally: “Easy — do more Past Papers!”.
What they rarely tell you though is HOW you should be doing them.
Even though I might make a lot of references to 4U Maths in the article, the advice applies just as much to lower levels of Maths as well!
Maths study is like exercise — the later you start, the less fit you should expect to be at the end. Maths is very much a muscle/skill (unlike other subjects which might be more focused on recollection of theory), and as such, requires consistency, dedication, and training. The more you run, the better you become at running. And the more questions you solve, the better you become at problem solving. Simple.
But let’s focus on how to effectively use Past Papers — this is going to be the real key to your success at Maths.
tl;dr
- Use Past Papers to identify gaps in knowledge, and textbooks to plug them.
- Use Past Papers to develop skills, confidence, speed, and marks.
- Scroll to bottom for links to resources.
The Plan
“A raw mark of 70/100 in the HSC exam will give an E4.*”
*scroll to the bottom to see that I didn’t just pull this number out of thin air.
