How to Survive (and Ace) the VCE Maths Methods Exams

If you’ve got your VCE Maths Methods exams coming up, you might feel like you're walking into a maze without a map. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Methods is a subject that can feel overwhelming at first, but with the right strategies, you may find yourself enjoying the process. Here are the best tips to help you not only survive, but thrive in your VCE Methods exams!

Pre-Exam Tips

Tip 1. Quality >>>> Quantity

As you go through your practice exams, remember to ALWAYS emphasise quality over quantity. There's no point churning out exams if you're not properly absorbing anything; you'll only burn yourself out and make things harder for yourself.

Here is a step-by-step guide when completing your practice exams:

1. Choose a good quality exam to complete (VCAA & NHT are a great place to start)

2. Complete the exam under timed conditions.

3. Slowly and thoroughly review your answers.

4. For your mistakes, understand WHY you got the question wrong, and HOW you can get similar questions correct in the future. (Bonus tip: create a Mistakes Logbook. Keep track of the mistakes you’ve been making so you can understand what your patterns are, and review them regularly to ensure you can now do it correctly yourself.)

Tip 2. Which came first: the MCQs or the SAQs?

Before the final exam, figure out which order you'd like to complete your exams in.

For Exam 1, some people like to do the easy questions first to warm up, while others like to get the hard questions out of the way first.

For Exam 2, it is highly recommended to do the SAQs first. If you run out of time at the end, you can always quickly guess the MCQs and gain some extra marks - impossible to do if you run out of time in the SAQs.

Tip 3. Ask for Help

You are not alone in this! Asking questions and talking to others is one of the best ways to understand something that's challenging. No question is too silly; your tutors are always here for you, and ready to help for any topic and question.

Additionally, study groups are really helpful, as you can help each other out and learn from each other's mistakes. Find a group of people you can lock in with and go through a few practice exams together.

Tip 4. Calculator Buff

In Exam 2, your CAS/ClassPad is your best friend. Be comfortable with how it works, remember all of your shortcuts, and don't forget that it's there for you during Exam 2. Remember to clear your variables when moving to a new question (for CAS users, go Doc > 4 Insert > 1 Problem, to create a whole new calculation page for each question).

Exam Tips

Tip 1. Draw A Diagram!

Always always always. Draw one. If you're stuck, draw a diagram. If you're not stuck, draw a diagram. Often you'll find that you understand the question heaps more when you make one. Label your diagram with the features of the graph that you know, and use key parts of the question to formulate equations that you can use to solve for unknown variables.

Tip 2. Double Check and Move On

After every line of working, double check it to make sure you copied all your numbers down correctly and didn't miss a negative sign. When you get an answer, make sure it fits in the context of the question. Quickly check over your working once more, then tick it off in your head and don’t come back to it until the end when you're checking (unless you have a random epiphany and need to revisit haha).

Note: double checking can look a bit different for everyone. Some people like to smash out the exam as quickly as possible and spend a lot of time checking their work afterwards. Other people (including me) like to take it slower, thoroughly check every question, then never look back. Find what works for you!

Tip 3. Just Keep Swimming

Sometimes you get those random 1 mark questions that are actually super hard and require a lot of working. Don't get stuck on it. Instead, leave it until the end, and if you can't get the answer just write a random number down (the answers tend to be easy like 1 or 2 or ½). You never know, you might get it correct!

Tip 4. Forget Your Bound Reference

This may seem counterintuitive, but the process of making a bound reference is often more fruitful than the output itself. An over-reliance on your bound reference can take away from your performance, especially if you're wasting time looking for things in the exam.

The highest performing students often have little to nothing in their bound reference. If you can get to a point where you're confident enough in your skills without your bound reference, that's a great sign!

Personally, I didn't make my bound reference until the night before Exam 2, and it just had a few random formulas on it. This might not work for everyone, but for me, I saw more value in spending time doing more practice questions.

See our other blog post for How to Make an Effective Bound Reference!