April 27, 2021
Mathematics is the study of order, relation and pattern. From its origins in counting and measuring it has evolved in highly sophisticated and elegant ways to become the language now used to describe much of the modern world.
Among the student body, Maths Methods has a reputation of being a challenging, somewhat unforgiving subject.
Sitting between Further Mathematics and Specialist Mathematics, Maths Methods ranks second hardest in mathematical difficulty. It is a popular subject, as all pre-VCE maths are geared towards pushing students into this mathematical stream.
Maths Methods’ topics involving functions, calculus and probability are useful in a significant amount of tertiary studies, ranging from Chemistry to Economics, Biology to Engineering. That is why a 25 study score in Maths Methods is a common requirement for most university courses.
The course covers deep dives into different areas of mathematics.
Typically, the year starts by covering polynomials and other functions, followed by a calculus component before finishing with probability. The entire course culminates with two exams at the end of the year.
A one hour and 15 minute calculator-free exam followed by a two hour and 15 minute calculator exam. This calculator exam is notorious for being both very technically difficult and time challenging.
Maxima and Minima Application questions: arguably one of the most difficult aspects of the course as it is often tested as an application question. It also represents a large portion of the final exam.
Trigonometric Functions: students must be able to recognise and apply a wide range of nuanced theorems and functions.
Probability applications: an aspect of the course that requires precision and patience to master, especially for plotting the functions.
Always keep up to date with work: Due to the density of the subject, many students fall behind and are never able to get up to date again. Make sure that you are always up to date, so you will never be inundated with large amounts of difficult work.
Attention to detail: Maths Methods can be very difficult and technically challenging, despite this many students still make trivial mistakes. Make sure you carefully read every question and underline the keywords so none of your hard work is wasted on easy questions.
Get free study tips and resources delivered to your inbox.
Get more information delivered to your inbox.
