Here are all VCE General Maths Exams Split into Topic Tests

1. Why VCE General Maths Topic Tests?

One of the most important factors for performing well on any exam is not only understanding the content, but being able to answer the exam questions. And the only way to get good at this is to practice doing actual VCE General Maths exams.

If you want to get good at something, you have to practice the real thing. And so the textbook questions that you look at and other exam questions are going to be radically different to what you are going to do when you do VCE General Maths exams, because these have a certain style of questions, and you can get used to answering those style of questions so that when you get into the actual exam, you can predict what they're going to be like and be more likely to actually get the correct answer.

2. But why timed??

Doing VCE General Maths exam questions timed is important because you're not just learning how to answer the questions, you also need to know how to perform well under test conditions. This has a couple of factors. One, you need to learn the actual technique for performing well under test conditions and also get used to doing it as well.

Now, there's a lot of exam technique that you can learn, but the best way to find the most effective method for you personally is by practicing doing them under timed conditions. The issue is that exams tend to be a little bit too long and so it's hard to sit down and do an hour and a half exam in one sitting, so it's much easier to split these up into manageable chunks.

If, for example, a student was able to complete one timed test every night (which is kind of a big ask, so even once a week is a good start...) this would have a massive impact of their score once they complete the actual exam.

3. Reduce stress by facing your fears

Stress usually occurs in situations you are not familiar with. By doing exam questions under timed conditions regularly, you’ll find that you stress levels will reduce.

Get a bunch of exam questions together, count up the marks, put on a countdown timer on your phone (1 mark = 1.5 minutes) and complete the questions under test conditions. Do this even if you don't think you can't answer any questions.

It will be difficult to begin with and probably stress you out more, but the more often you do this, the less scary the real thing will be.

Ideally you want to make 50% or more of your study time on doing tests, but you may have to build up to this.

You want to reduce the amount of time you spend on textbook questions as these do not tend to simulate your Tests and Exams. If you are finding the textbook questions relatively easy, then do less of them and do exam questions instead.

If you do this regularly, every time you study, you're stress in general will reduce.

4. Let yourself win!

It's important to see where you improve, even if it is just by a little! Going from 20% to 25% is improvement and should be celebrated.

Often students feel bad because they aren't getting a certain mark in their tests and practise tests.

The truth is that the tests themselves are designed to be really hard, and the average mark is quite often under 50%. This means that scoring 50% in a test in Year 11 or Year 12, can be the same as having scored 70% of higher in earlier year levels. 

So when you do exam-questions under timed conditions, you may find you get zero marks to begin with and that's totally fine. Recognise this is normal and that you are learning how to do a style of questions you haven't practised much before. It's a learning process.

Once you finish the test, look at the solutions, then do the test again under timed conditions. Repeat doing the test, marking yourself and looking at the solutions until you get a mark you are happy with, then move on to the next test.

Doing this builds confidence and will help reduce stress and enable you to get a better mark. 

Give yourself a pat on the back for every small improvement. It means you're going in the right direction.