May 27th, 2015Last updated: July 18th, 2017
AS- and A-Level exam season is already upon us in the UK. By now you should already have done the bulk of your revision, but what can you be doing in the short term to make sure you are completely ready for success in AS-Level Maths this exam season?
1. Past papers!
Its an oldie, and I’ve said it a bunch of times in other posts, but do as many past papers as you can get your hands on. Try mathspapers.co.uk as well as the official exam board websites.
2. Get familiar with the markscheme…
A really good way to improve your understanding of a module is to mark it as an examiner would with the markscheme, going through each step of each question and awarding marks exactly as specified. Be harsh on yourself- your examiner will be! It is very likely that you’ll find something you were dropping marks on. Common mistakes include forgotten/wrong units, not marking co-ordinates on graphs and simple calculation errors.
3. Practice writing on the actual paper
Some might see this as going too far, but I always encourage students to practice writing on the actual paper. Maybe its simply a psychological thing, but I reckon that by getting used to writing on the exam as it will be given, students will build confidence and overcome some jitters on the day.
4. Use the formula sheet
Another really handy tip is to practice using the formula sheet as much as possible. This resource is incredibly useful. Many students are simply unaware of how much they are actually given in the formula booklet, and try to remember more than they actually need to. Try it out- you’ll probably find you’re remembering more than you need to.
5. Go through old papers in chronological order…
The day before an exam I recommend going through the last five or so papers in chronological order. (This means in the order they were written, oldest first). Many very able students drop marks by not being able to apply their knowledge to the context of a question. In reality, there are a relatively small number of questions you can be asked on A-Level Maths, so by covering the most recent papers you are likely to have covered many (if not all) of the possible questions that could come up. That being said, DO NOT stay up all night doing every single question on every single paper…
6. …but don’t go crazy!
The absolutely, completely, totally WORST thing you can do before a big exam is stay up until 4AM doing past papers. Get a good night’s sleep in, watch a film or read a book to switch your mind off. (Similarly, don’t go out partying, but you shouldn’t need me to tell you that).
(7. Keep smiling)
I know this may sound crazy, but whatever happens, don’t panic. There will likely be one question that is tricky or strange or hard to complete part of. This doesn’t mean you’ve failed, nor does it mean you can’t get an A or A*. Keep going and do your best on the others.
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