Summary Table
How in Maths? Éxam Folders Practise Examples Practise Exam Papers Topping Up Night Before

How do we Revise in Maths?

Maths is best revised in topics - such as trigonometry, and there is very little point in reading your notes. You must practise examples, and at this stage do not use the book - I will explain later how I recommend you use your notes and textbooks.


EXAM FOLDERS
Get hold of the past papers - both papers, and note which general topics each question is trigonometry, algebra, circles, volume etc. When you have broken down the papers into topics then you can fit the topic list of topics into your revision plan/timetable


PRACTISE EXAMPLES

Now look at your notes on the topic, and practise the set examples. Read through your notes mentally noting the key steps in the set example. Now close your notes and try the example. Did you get stuck? Use your notes to find the next step only. Try to complete the example only using your notes if you get stuck. Did you finish - check the answer?

Keep the set examples as revision notes.


Now that you have finished the set examples, we are going to try the exam papers.
PRACTISE EXAM PAPERS
Read the question and try the problem solving method. Steps 1 and 2 have been done, try step 3 and 4 (5 and 6 don't apply). Still stuck, put the question aside and ask your friend or teacher for help.

Do as many of the past question that you can before you sit the exam, label each past question carefully. Ideally you will finish all the past papers.

By the time the exam comes you will have quite large topic folders - where you can sort them into questions from the two papers eg paper 2 and paper 4 or paper 1 and paper 3. I recommend storing them in ring binders separated by dividers under each topic as well as having a ring binder containing the past papers stored in chronological order.


TOPPING UP
Teachers call this reinforcement. As you get nearer the exam, try some of the questions again. You will find they get easier.

NIGHT BEFORE
Do not try anything new it will only freak you out. Get out your exam folder and try to make sure you remember everything that is there.

But if you revise well, you won't need luck - it will happen.


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