Maths Plus Leaving Certificate Maths

Revision Tips

“The time is 9.30 and you may open your papers”. If you've practiced some past papers under timed conditions, then hearing this should be a challenge rather than a death sentence! Do NOT panic!

Read the question carefully and answer what is being asked. You will lose a mark by giving an answer as 2.34567834899 rather than rounding it to the number of decimal places specified in the question. If no indication on rounding is given, ensure that you round your answers to the same degree of accuracy as other numbers that are provided in the question.

Show all your working. If you are doing a 20 mark question and you just write down the answer and get it wrong you will get zero marks. If you show your work and only make one slip you may get 19 marks out of twenty. Marks will be lost if all necessary work is not clearly shown.

Graphs and diagrams are useful, and if they show some added information not given in the question and constitute a step in the right direction, you will get the attempt mark.

When taking readings from a graph, show how you get your answers, by putting horizontal and vertical lines onto your graph.

Make sure you are totally familiar with the calculator you take into the exam. Know how to calculate roots, fractions, scientific notation, trigonometric and statistical functions.

When using a calculator, write down answers after each step. Don’t do a whole series of calculations on the calculator and just write down an answer.

With a highlighter, shade in parts of the question on your exam paper as you complete them.

Write neatly and down the page in a logical order. Don’t have calculations all over the page and make the examiner have to look for the answer.

Be wary of rushing through the questions you believe you know well, as a simple calculation error can throw you into confusion and dent your confidence. In particular double check figures calculated when drawing graphs and re-read the question to make sure you are not drawing the graph of y = 2x rather than x = 2y !

Always check the question for units of measure (minutes, kilometres etc.) and make sure that you use the correct units in your answer – remember to perform unit conversions if necessary.

When calculating with minus numbers always show your working e.g. 2 – (–7) = 2 + 7 etc. Even experienced mathematicians make mistakes by missing minuses - make sure you don't. If you have difficulty with minus numbers use your calculator.

Become familiar with the Formulae Booklet. Learn where the formulae are so you don’t waste exam time looking. Almost all formulae are given in the booklet, and to write the formulae is worth no marks - some correct values must be substituted to gain the attempt mark.

Don't use Tippex or cross out. Simply draw a line through the work and start again. Each attempt is marked and the highest mark awarded.

Always check your work. Sometimes you can end up with silly errors and not realise it unless you check that your calculations are correct and that the answer is realistic. It's very easy to miss pressing a key on your calculator which can result in silly answers like saying that the distance from the Earth to the Sun is 14 km or quoting an average age as 230!

Timing is important – you have 2½ hours for each paper to answer 6 questions. Spend 5 to 10 minutes at the start looking through the paper. Spend about 20 minutes on each question, which will leave 20 minutes at the end for checking.

If you can't see how to do any part of a question, at least try and get the attempt mark. You cannot get less than the attempt mark if you show any correct step no matter how small. For example if you are asked to solve for x,

and you write 27 = 3 × 3 × 3 , you will get one third of the marks for doing this one step.

Strange as it may seem, Maths is actually one of the easiest subjects to study for – provided that you have understood what you have been taught and have solved lots of problems along the way to help you reinforce your understanding. If you have done this then your Maths revision should consist of testing yourself by doing past papers, identifying areas where you've forgotten what it's all about, solving more problems in your weak areas and that's it! No strings of dates or foreign verbs or properties of elements in the periodic table to memorise.

Checklist for Exams

• A mathematical set – a ruler and a compass (with pencil), and an eraser.
• Two or three pens and a sharp pencil for drawing graphs.
• A scientific calculator - check that the calculator is working properly and only use a calculator that you are thoroughly familiar with.
• A highlighter pen for highlighting the parts of the exam you have done so far.
• A bottle of water to help sustain you during the exam.