Am I wasting time? (1 Viewer)

[GorZTE]

Hey guys, i just want to know...is it worth doing ALL the textbook (Cambridge 2 unit math) question? I feel that I'm really wasting time doing this...

Every time we finish a chapter (9a, 9b, 9c, I will have an urge to like...finish every single question within that chapter in one day.... I don't want to miss out on any question...especially if it pops up in an exam.

Is it worth doing all the questions in 1 day? For just 1 chapter?

I almost failed my yearlies for Yr 11 (55%)....Suggestions?

 

[Capo]

You should try doing the ones you can't do instead of just doing everything.

Say if you don't know how to do concept XXX and there's only 4 questions in the exercise that's related to it then just do those four, check answers and move on.

Picking out questions seem like the more efficient method for me.

 

[rumbleroar]

I hope you know the Cambridge textbook was designed so not all of it is done...otherwise you would spend a long, long, long time doing it.

The questions are relatively the same - same structure, with different values, etc. Sometimes there may be different methods of solving it, but I wouldn't recommend doing all the questions because there are much more effective things you can do as practice. I don't think teachers nab questions straight out of the textbook, just learn how to do them or learn how everything works and put practice into past papers, etc.

The fundamental section of Cambridge exercises is to see if you fully understand the new concepts...if you do, then you should move onto developmental and pick questions out of there.

Don't waste your time doing all the questions (you'll also burn out)...and if you want to improve, look at a wider range of questions, like past papers and take note of your mistakes and work on eliminating them.

Good luck

 

[flashtrick]

I think textbooks are a great way to learn new concepts and practice different methods. Once you've built a decent foundation, tackle past papers or challenge questions given by your teacher. Rather than trying to prepare for every question, learn how to use what you've learnt in the textbook as a tool to solve problems. It's more enjoyable to treat exams as problem-solving tests rather than "try and remember textbook questions and answers" memory tests, not to mention the Maths Syllabus is not designed for route learning.

Get comfortable with the topic. Skip questions if they feel repetitive or that you've done them before. Then try past papers. If you're struggling, go back to the textbook.

Also, the reason why textbooks rehash questions over and over again is for you to build accuracy and speed. Repetition builds confidence.