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Multiple Choice in Extension Maths Harder or Easier? (1 Viewer)

Multiple Choice Easier or Harder?


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asmellyfish

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The Board Of Studies have chosen to put multiple choice questions into the maths extension papers, do you think it will be harder or easier?
 

jamesfirst

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easier.

Even if you fail, you have 1/4 probability of getting it correct.
 

jamesfirst

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But the multiple choice will probably be the Question 1 equivalent which you get mostly correct anyway.
But you got to remember that there are people who even struggle with question 1...


Edit: or make stupid ass mistakes like me.................. FARKKKKK
 
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jamesfirst

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Not really - there's like how many people that struggle to do question 1? 2%?
Yeah Lol


but LOTS of people make stupid mistakes. And 2 marks DOES change everything dude. esp if you're on the border of getting an e4
 

someth1ng

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Yeah Lol


but LOTS of people make stupid mistakes. And 2 marks DOES change everything dude. esp if you're on the border of getting an e4
Well, it's abit stupid to put in multiple choice for an exam that counts for so much - it gets you into a uni course and in that, I wouldn't want any form of chance to be involved.

You aren't even guaranteed those 2 marks - even if people generally lose say 2 marks - it's not guaranteed that the multiple choice will pick those marks up. What I think will make it easier is the less amount of marks unless they want to make every question worth 1 or 2 marks but that's another story.

Bottom line is that we won't really know until it happens.
 

jamesfirst

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Well, it's abit stupid to put in multiple choice for an exam that counts for so much - it gets you into a uni course and in that, I wouldn't want any form of chance to be involved.

You aren't even guaranteed those 2 marks - even if people generally lose say 2 marks - it's not guaranteed that the multiple choice will pick those marks up. What I think will make it easier is the less amount of marks unless they want to make every question worth 1 or 2 marks but that's another story.

Bottom line is that we won't really know until it happens.

In Korea, the 'HSC' exam is all on multiple-choice I believe and Korea is top-notch in math
 

D94

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Yeah Lol


but LOTS of people make stupid mistakes. And 2 marks DOES change everything dude. esp if you're on the border of getting an e4
Sorry, but you're argument has no logic. If you're on the border of an E4, you would almost certainly be able to do Question 1, as well as MC. It wouldn't make any difference at all. Stupid mistakes in 2 mark questions will almost certainly result in obtaining 1 of the 2 available marks. Making a mistake in MC will mean you get 0 of the 1 available mark, so anyone on the border of E4 would want the current format (ie. integration questions are usually 2-3 markers) if they happen to make a mistake in working out. With MC, whilst there is a 1/4 chance of getting it correct, there is a 3/4 chance of getting wrong. This is not going to make a difference at all, when you consider if someone is not able to do Question 1 (Integration), I don't see how they are going to progress through the exam with any substantial benefit of obtaining marks. So on the whole, MC is not going to really make the test easier, it will just be the same. The people who know how to do those questions will almost certainly get full marks, and do reasonably well throughout the exam, and those who do not know how to do those questions, "may" get a few marks by chance, but will not do well throughout the exam.

I don't think this is a question of "harder or easier", but rather "useful or useless". I reckon it's useless as it isn't going to discriminate between people any more than the current format.
 

Turtleeatdog

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Definitely easier, but that isn't always a good thing, especially for those who pay good money for tutoring, and other tools for studying.
By making the exam partially multiple choice, it would allow the semi-dedicated students to have a better chance at the exam, where the really dedicated students would already have the multiple choice section covered, even if it weren't multiple choice. It would only help those who struggle, which bridges the gap between the smart and the smartER. X_X not good in my opinion.
 

Nympha

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Doubt there's any real way to determine if it'll be "easier" or "harder" as it will be the first time they've introduced it into 2/3/4 unit.
However, the thing with MC is that you're either right or wrong - you don't get any sympathy marks for working out or whatever. Which, I guess, could make it harder.
Having said that I think it's also because BOS is cutting down on costs and MC is an easy way to hire less markers. :p
 

Proteus

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don't see the real need to put MC in HSC maths.

It actually makes it harder, check out the sample questions on the board of studies.

You do a lot of working out for 1 mark, whereas in our old system, we'd probably be awarded 2 marks at least for all that working
 

Trebla

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In my opinion, definitely harder for two reasons:
- If you look at the sample questions (http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/maths-ext-1-2-support-assess-2012.pdf) you get awarded one mark for just getting the right answer with no reward for working. Many of the questions require numerous steps and not giving some reward to the working is a bit unfair (especially since they do get rewarded in short answer questions --> inconsistency)

- The questions themselves aren't as easy as Question 1 in the current HSC exams. Some of the selections actually match those in the case that the student makes a minor error in the working giving the deception of correctness. It is possible that some of them are designed to trap students who have a basic but not a deeper understanding of the concepts.
 

jamesfirst

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Yep, that's what my parents said too - all multiple choice

makes marking cheaper i suppose
Mates.


Korea have HSC in 1 day (they do all their subjects in 1 day. Around 6 hrs or something).


We have it easy man.
 

Craigw0w

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Harder, for me personally anyway. I second guess myself.
I got 3/20 for physics multiple choice and still ended up getting 75% in the trial ><
 

Proteus

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In my opinion, definitely harder for two reasons:
- If you look at the sample questions (http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/maths-ext-1-2-support-assess-2012.pdf) you get awarded one mark for just getting the right answer with no reward for working. Many of the questions require numerous steps and not giving some reward to the working is a bit unfair (especially since they do get rewarded in short answer questions --> inconsistency)
.
+1 to this
 

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