Advanced maths can be a difficult subject, particularly given that many of the concepts can be quite new and a step up from anything you might have done in year 10 or year 11. But not to worry! Advanced maths is definitely doable, and enjoyable, as long as you put in the required effort (like any of your other subjects)!
This article will give you a brief introduction to advanced maths, what you should expect, what topics and assessments you might encounter and how to prepare, start early, and stay organised!
Maths Advanced: A Quick Intro!
In year 11, you would have covered functions, trigonometric functions, differential calculus, exponential and logarithmic functions and statistical analysis!
In year 12, you’ll cover advanced functions & trigonometric functions, differential and integral calculus, financial mathematics, and further statistical analysis!
As you can see, there is quite a bit of overlap between the two in terms of the general topics you’ll go through, but make sure to note that each has its own unique and interesting subtopics that you might find, increase a little in difficulty as your senior year progresses.
So, let’s break that all down!
- The functions topic involves learning about and understanding how to work with and recognize functions as well as how to graph these functions.
- In the trigonometric functions topic, you’ll learn how to solve and graph trig functions as well as complete trigonometric proofs.
- The calculus topic will take you through differential and integral calculus, which can be a little tricky to grab at first, but becomes really fun once you get the hang of it!
- When going through exponential and logarithmic functions, you’ll learn the basic rules for algebra with logs and exponentials, and learn how to draw these functions.
- The statistical analysis topic will run you through discrete and continuous random variables as well as normal distributions!
- Financial mathematics will involve solving a variety of problems involving superannuation and returning loans. In this topic, you will be incorporating series and sequences – a hidden subtopic in your syllabus!
What are the assessments you might receive?
Like most maths subjects, the majority of assessments you’ll receive will be exams. As you might already know, there are three other assessment tasks besides your trials. The first three may all be exams, but can also include an assignment depending on how your school organizes their assessments.
Your term exams will be relatively short and will only focus on the specific topics covered in that particular term. But, your trial exams will be like a “mock HSC”, being 3 hours, and covering the entire year’s worth of content.
The trial exams tend to bring students a lot of stress, which is completely valid and understandable! But, consistent practice throughout the year should ease some of that stress, and perceiving the trials as just another yearly exam can put things into a little bit more perspective!
How do you prepare?
There are a couple of ways to prepare for your Maths Advanced assessments.
Firstly, make sure to keep up with content across each term, keeping note of any topics or questions that you find particularly difficult. By doing so, you’re making sure that by the time you hit any major exams, you know which areas need work and what you should be targeting your practice on – this will help reduce any exam stress greatly!
Secondly, challenge yourself with difficult questions! It can be tempting to stick to completing questions you know how to do, but remember that this isn’t how you can improve! Make sure to pop in a difficult question here and there and soon enough, you’ll realize that you’re completing these hard questions with ease!
Thirdly, practice, practice, practice! Maths is a subject that requires a lot of practice and exposure to different question types and questions of various difficulty levels. To make sure you’re getting the exposure you need to be able to tackle unique questions that you might get in the HSC exams, you need to be putting in the required effort! This doesn’t need to be several hours a day – even just 30 minutes of consistent maths practice daily can take you a long way through the term! This not only applies to students who are just starting off but also to those of you who have completed your trials and are prepping for the HSC exams as we speak!
How do you stay organized?
One of the greatest challenges in year 12 is staying organized! So how do you do it? Here are some tips:
- Use a planner. Whether this be paperback or using an app like Google Calendar, having a planner can be really useful in getting all your thoughts, deadlines and to-do’s onto a page.
- Make sure to complete your homework as you go. By doing this, you’re helping yourself slowly consolidate concepts and pinpoint weak areas early on.
- Hold yourself accountable for your time and the things you need to do. Devising a way to hold yourself accountable can be a great way to make sure you’re staying on track! Maybe ask a friend or your parents!
- Get a tutor! A private tutor or group tutoring is always a super helpful addition when you're struggling with tough concepts, or finding it difficult to stay on top of things!
The Top Five Tips to Ace Maths Advanced
Overall, if you’re hoping to ace Maths Advanced, try to incorporate these top five tips:
- Keep up with your work over the term
- Have a planner
- Make sure to complete harder questions
- Practice, practice, practice
- Ask for help when you need it
Whether you need a little bit of extra maths help before your HSC exams or want to get a headstart before you start year 12, KIS is here for you! We have thorough online courses and an amazing set of maths tutors who have all aced maths as well as their HSC on the whole, who are ready to support you along your maths journey, whichever stage you might be in!
If you’re starting really early, are in year 10 and are wondering whether you should be choosing advanced maths in year 11, go check out this useful article that might help you clear things up a bit!
Want more personalized tips to drastically improve your Maths mark? A private tutor can make the biggest difference!
Written by KIS Academics HSC Maths tutor Yasmin Hasan. Yasmin is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) at UNSW and has received stellar reviews from her past KIS Academics students. You can view Yasmin’s profile here and request her as a tutor.
