How to Spend the last 30 days of A Level Preparation for H2 Math
Walking pass the foyer, looking at the number on the board counting down to the exam date never seems to get easier with each subsequent day. Though my A level days are long past, I still remember those days fondly for the moral support and advice given to me by my peers and tutors. I would thus like to share some tips on how to tackle A level mathematics from a student’s perspective.
Patch Up Holes in Understanding
Firstly, you would need a strong understanding of the topics in H2 math before you could apply your concepts. I feel that it would be good to revise the notes on the topics that you are weak at to patch up the holes in your understanding. Not only should you read the notes, you should also annotate at the side. If you have the time, you could also write out a summary which could be used for revision just before the examination. This encourages critical thinking instead of blindly rereading or copying the notes, and this would hopefully help you to better understand the concepts. As the examination tests you on the application of concepts, you should also practise some questions on that topic by using the topical ten-year series for H2 mathematics or by practicing A level math tuition question sets. This would familiarise you with the different question types that Cambridge sets and ideally allow you to better tackle them on the day of the examination.
Review Past Careless Mistakes
Secondly, reviewing the work you have done would help you improve as well. I believe that the mistakes that you have made are the best places for you to learn. These mistakes could have been made due to unfamiliarity of the method being used, so you might want to relook them again. Moreover, by reviewing your mistakes, you might be able to spot habitual careless mistakes. If so, you might want to be more meticulous in your work and check for similar carelessness during the examination. How I would go about reviewing my mistakes is by reviewing my tutorial sets as well as my JC math tuition questions to jot down the numerous past mistakes I have made on a post-it note as I flip through the pages. Not only do I note the mistakes down, I would also indicate how I would prevent such mistakes in the future and the things to take note of.
Familiarise Yourself with the New Statistics Questions
Thirdly, I would reread my statistics notes to recall the theory again. In my year, statistics questions took a turn from mostly calculations to more explanatory questions. For instance, one question asked how a random sample should be selected. These explanations are often forgotten as we are more familiar with the questions that require more calculations. It would be good to familiarise yourself with the new exam requirements again so that should Cambridge set similar questions this year, you would be prepared to tackle them.
Timing is Key
Lastly, practise the past year papers under timed conditions. Students often find that they do not have sufficient time to finish the paper or are so pressured by the time that they cannot think straight. By practising under timed conditions, you condition yourself to think quickly and immediately zoom into the most important parts of the questions during the examination. Having practised under the pressure of time, you would also be reassured on the day of the examination that you could finish the paper and would hopefully feel less stressed on the day itself. Hopefully, this would give you clarity of the mind to better focus on the questions.
To summarise the above points, during these last few days before the examination, other than touching up on the topics that you are unfamiliar with, you can also review your past mistakes so that you would not commit them again. I would also advocate to reread the statistics portion to better understand the theory behind the methods rather than pure memorisation of the methods. Last but not least, you should also practise past year papers under timed condition to train your speed and give yourself reassurance during the examination. I hope this advice from an ex-student’s perspective would help you in your preparation for the examination.
All the best!
