HSC Extension 2 Mathematics

You might know the feeling...

Cold exam room. Cold sweat. Clock ticking away at the front.

You can feel time slowly slipping away.

Scratch that.

Quickly slipping away.

10 minutes are left on the clock, and for the past 5 minutes you've been staring at this one question. It's not even the last question on the exam but you simply can't leave it blank if you want to get a good mark.

It's one of those really tough mechanics questions and you can't get your head around the scenario. It's worded in such a convoluted way. The maths is so challenging too - even incorporating the vector chapters. You don't know where to even start, and the worst part?

It's 12 marks in total. A question that has a part a), part b), part c) and probably the rest of the alphabet.

You look up at the clock and now there are 6 minutes left.

As a student, this type of question is your worst nightmare. No matter how much you've prepared, and no matter how much practice you've done - just one unique question can completely throw you off.

And the thing is, these left-of-field questions always come up. They're meant to be difficult and they're meant to be scary. And if you want to do well, you need to be able to answer them.

This is where really understanding maths is so important. Memorising formulas, remembering practice questions and learning the basics simply isn't enough. Examiners know that this is what students do - so they write unique, never-before-seen questions that scare all but the most competent maths students.

But there's no reason you can't learn how to approach these questions as well. By focusing on understanding the maths through and through, while also building systems and strategies to tackle unique scenarios, you can make these previously impossible questions possible. Here is a quick article going through the differences between HSC maths subjects. Learn the key concepts of Extension 2 maths and break complex questions down into simple parts. Sign up now and I'll guide you to Extension 2 Maths success.

Clock's ticking. I'll see you on the inside