TEE Mathematics Examination Hints

Now

• Begin to prepare your pages of notes for the examinations.
• Organise your pages into sections for different topics and become familiar with where each topic is located.
• Include type examples from past TEE papers, or questions from your tests during the year that you had difficulty doing.
• Some people like to have the basic information all on one side of one sheet, divided into sections and framed in a particular colour highlighter or texta. On the other three sides they then have worked examples to elaborate on the basics which are framed in the same colour as the corresponding notes to make them easy to find. This means they can refer to the one sheet each time, and then if it's not enough look for the further information, making the notes pages more time efficient to use.
• Software such as Equation Editor in Word can help to create formulae and equations more efficiently.
• By customising your notes you are also revising the course.
• You might like to list the topics for your subject in the order that reflects your strengths, so that you do your best topic first in the exam and then your next best and so on. If you include this list in your notes then you can refer to it in the exam.
• Use your notes for your class tests and your mock exams in the lead up to the TEE, but after each one look critically at your notes to see what wasn't useful and how the notes could be improved.
• Make sure you are familiar with the provided formulae sheets for your pair of units so that you don’t waste space on your notes sheets duplicating the information given. Also look for gaps – is there anything you’ve done where you’ve found a formula is useful which isn’t on the provided sheet? Make sure it’s on your notes page with an example of how and when to use it.

Revise your work from first semester

• Go through your notes, summaries and worked examples. Add important facts and examples to the examinations note pages.
• Review your past tests and examinations: Note particular wording types for solution formats (answer only, specific units, complete solution, etc.).
• Look at your answers to questions and see whether your answer could have been more precise. Time is important in examinations
• If there are questions or sections about which you are unsure, make a note of them in your diary and ask your teacher during the next lesson.

Work through past examination papers

• The best preparation for a maths exam is to do maths exams, but do them critically.
• Last year’s examinations are available from the Curriculum Council, but there are revision books available that use exam-type questions as well. When using revision books, however, make sure you can recognise what method or approach to use from the question as many of these are organised by topic, but your examination won’t be.
• Your teacher may already have some past papers available for you.
• Work through them under examination conditions.
• Mark each paper honestly and learn from your mistakes - don't just look at what you did wrong, but also work out why it was wrong so that you don't repeat your mistakes.
• The Curriculum Council publishes the examiners reports on each exam paper. You can access these from their website. These reports list common errors and things the examiners were looking for. When you go through the exams you have worked through, refer to the examiners reports for tips on what were common errors and what the markers wanted to see. Remember that marks are allocated according to what the examiners want to see so it helps to know what they look for, and every extra mark moves you up the ranked list and improves your ATAR.
• Look through the past papers for common styles/types of questions. Look for patterns of questions as well. Sometimes good questions are reused with only slight modifications.
• Practice the skills of mathematics until they become routine. The more you practice the better you become. In particular, practice solving questions that are more difficult than the WACE examination requires. Your teacher may be able to help you locate more of these.
• Practice your examination technique:
• Timing - Examinations take 3 hours (180 minutes) and the exams have 180 marks. That means that there is a mark a minute to earn. If a question is worth 5 marks, allocate 5 minutes. Do not exceed the time allocation or you will run out of time.
• Easy questions first - During the reading time choose the 'easiest' questions and attempt these first when you can start work. You may like to plan to attempt the paper in three sections each of 60 minutes (=60 marks), like they are 3 class tests in a row, and do the easiest section first. This will produce a more confident approach for the remaining two sections.
• Comprehend - Read and understand the questions. Don't skim them. Each word is important.
• Break it down - Write down the information that is given in the question and determine what you need to do. Draw a diagram, state any formulae required and above all set your work out neatly and logically. Examiners and markers want to see how much you know.

Equipment

• Learn to use your calculator efficiently. Good knowledge of calculator functionality can add up to an additional 15% plus you gain valuable working time. Have back up batteries for your calculator in your pencil case.
• A scientific calculator may be quicker than a graphic calculator for simple calculations.
• Be aware of the equipment allowed in the examination. This may include pens, pencils (for diagrams), sharpener, eraser, templates and a clean tables book. There should be no writing or highlighting in it except your name and address. It is your responsibility to ensure that all of your equipment is acceptable and allowable in an examination.

In the Examination

• Arrive before time. Take the time to settle yourself so that you enter calm. When you sit at your desk, place the equipment on your desk in an orderly manner. You may like to place your watch on the desk to monitor the time as you work. Take several deep breaths and prepare to show the examiner what you are capable of doing!
• During the reading time, as you read each question ask yourself "What topic is this question about?". This will help you to work out how to do it and help you plan the best order to attempt the questions in. If you can identify what the question is covering then you know what method to use.
• Remember that the exams are a ranking process, so everything you do that gives you another mark, moves you up the ranked list. Don't leave questions blank - put something in that at least shows you know something about it - you may just fluke it and get a mark!
• Lastly, you must show your working out in order to get full marks for any question - the answer alone is not sufficient. Make sure you include units and round your answer to the required level of accuracy.