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Tips to speed up calculating/solving questions?


Emilia1320

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Hi :)

I consider myself to be mediocore in math. I figured the biggest problem of mine to be time consumed.

On Pre-year I'm on now this is not that important as we have always had a lot time to do our exams, and for example on my latest math test I had 41/42 points (and one was lost by not naming x and y axises)

However I used 1 hour more than anyone else.

As on IB time limits are fairly tight how could I speed up my calculation process? :(

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However I used 1 hour more than anyone else.

As on IB time limits are fairly tight how could I speed up my calculation process? :(

 

The key thing for you to improve is to practice a lot because practice helps you familiarize yourself with the questions. Also, there are a few things that you can do while doing practice questions:

 

1. Time yourself. IB maths requires you to spend maximum 1 minute/point, so stick with that. Be strict with yourself as well, even when you do practice question or past exam papers. Let's say that the question is worth 5 points, then spend a maximum 5 min on it. Once the time is over and you haven't completed the question, then stop all your calculations and take away 5 points from your total. Doing this often would certainly create some sort of pressure, forcing your brain to think faster.

 

2. Have some sort of strategy for each type of problem that you have encountered, so that you know exactly what to do when you encounter it again. For example, let's consider a question that requires you to draw a graph of a trigonometric function. So your strategy maybe to first transform the function into a standard form (e.g. f(x) = Acos((bx) + c) + d), and then use graph transformations to graph that function. In other words, you should have some sort of secret recipe/algorithm for approaching each type of question.

 

3. Even though you are allowed access to tonnes of formulas in the IB booklet, I still think it might be a good idea to remember most of the formulas by heart. I find this enormously useful when it comes to exams, because searching for a formula in the booklet can take away a bit of your valuable time. To be honest, I found it very easy to learn by heart all those formulas, because I used them practically everyday when I did practice questions. I also think that by remembering formulas, you can increase your ability to think abstractly, thus speeding up your thinking process

 

Last but not least, good luck! :)

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Thank you for your valuable help! I've been thinking about asking something like "training exams" from my teachers to time out myself, but I don't know should I bother them with such a thing, especially when on pre-year exams aren't IB standards, doing that 42 points exam on 42 minutes would have been very hard for anyone on our course considering I did the best among us and the fastest guy who finished at 1 hour 15 minutes only got 20/42 or so. That's because relatively less points were given.

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Thank you for your valuable help! I've been thinking about asking something like "training exams" from my teachers to time out myself, but I don't know should I bother them with such a thing, especially when on pre-year exams aren't IB standards, doing that 42 points exam on 42 minutes would have been very hard for anyone on our course considering I did the best among us and the fastest guy who finished at 1 hour 15 minutes only got 20/42 or so. That's because relatively less points were given.

 

Oh, i just noticed that you are in Pre-IB. Well in that case, you don't really need to worry too much. You have tonnes of time left to improve. So don't even bother with the first point in my previous post. Just try to do as fast as you can for all questions. Also, i think it might be good for you to follow my 2nd and 3rd advice :)

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1. Familiarize yourself with the methods involved with different types of questions. The more practice you have, the more likely you'll be able to go on 'auto mode'. Well having said that, do be careful too in case the question they ask is slightly different. This is similar to what Vioh said too.

2. You don't have to all the questions in order. Do those you're confident with first. But in your case, if you know can more or less do everything, do those questions which take you less time first.

 

3. While you're at pre-IB, try to build a strong foundation so you won't have to worry about the basics when you're in IB. Saves some time of, say, trying to remember the different integration 'rules' or something.

 

4. Like what Vioh said, time yourself. And do be aware of your timing. If you find that you're spending too much time on something, stop that question (if you're nowhere near done) and move on.

 

All the best!

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math is just practice, practice and practice. So just familiarise yourself with your calculator, and remember the philosophy "The calculator is only as smart as you are" ('Princeton Review for SAT' dont say I plagiarise). So if you can get in a lot of practice you are good. 

Like Vioh said, keep timing. 

I say, along with that, if you cant find a possible solution in like 30-45 seconds, just ditch it and carry on, better to lose 5 points by not answering rather than like losing 15 points because you didnt have time.

Best of luck

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