Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DS thinks he can teach himself to pass an exam in a week. AIBU to think he is wrong?

755 replies

user1494154933 · 07/05/2017 13:45

This is going to sound ridiculous and I wasn't going to post, as you'll probably call me stupid Blush or irresponsible, etc.

My son is now 18. He isn't a 'genius' or anything like that. He did ok at GCSEs but didn't try hard at all. I used to try my best to get him to revise for him exams, he refused to and said it was pointless and exams don't help etc. which is ridiculous because as much as I do agree it's about memory, you clearly do need to know, anyway, he did ok and got accepted into sixth form, he decided not to go and got a part time job but did a part time photography course in the evening (he is still doing that).

I don't really know how it came about but I think I brought it up about how his exams were important and does he agree now he has matured and he was saying how he doesn't agree because exams aren't showing how intelligent you are, etc. and anyone can do them if they learn the exam technique. Last year (around december) he was telling me how he was going to prove it, he booked himself into the Maths AS exams for this summer (last year you can do these ones I believe). He hasn't learnt anything yet Hmm and I keep bringing it up (he spent £150 odd pounds for the exams (private candidate) and will sit them at his college he goes to part time) and he is telling me 'to wait and see'. He says when he has a week until the exam he will start learning the technique of it? I could slightly understand if a different subject, but he seems to think for Maths it works the best. I really don't understand his whole thinking behind this, but can't wait to be like WTF when he doesn't pass...

AIBU to think this is just stupid and not possible?

OP posts:
user1490734428 · 13/05/2017 14:57

Tbh, I think he can do it. It's not that ridiculous, I had a friend at uni who didn't turn up to any lectures and taught himself from past papers the week before an exam. He got a 2.1. This is at Bath Uni which is top 10. I knew another guy (but he was a genius) who did the same, but the DAY before the exam. AS isn't that hard if you're good at maths. Hell, I sort of did this for Further Maths and got an A*.

Sure, he might not get the best grade, but he'll probs pass well. Only he knows what he's capable of. Students love coasting and it becomes some sort of competition to see who can get the best grade with the least effort.

QuintessentialShadow · 13/05/2017 15:00

How do you know he has not been attending maths classes too?

Original poster
user1494154933 · 13/05/2017 15:04

I know he hasn't been going to maths classes because... He was 16 when he started photography, it was pretty much we who helped him sort it, etc. if he had added in Maths, it wouldn't have been possible due to his college not letting students do courses and A-Levels, he would have to do one or the other. If he had been for whatever reason, he wouldn't have needed to do it as a private candidate and last but not least, where would all that time come from? He works and does photography... He has hardly any time.

OP posts:
danTDM · 13/05/2017 15:08

YY totally agree on past papers. That is the key user

I went to a good RG uni and managed it!

Longislandicetee · 13/05/2017 15:33

It's possible.....kind of how I got through uni where I didn't spend an awful time in lectures. I was able to do it because my memory was photographic. However, 20 years later I am a bit embarrassed to mention my degree as people expect me to know stuff. Sadly I can't remember a word of it. I realise now it all went into my short term memory bank.Blush

JanetBrown2015 · 13/05/2017 15:52

Depends on the subject and natural ability. My sons remember things learned very shortly before the exam (although they have been working fairly hard through the 2 years to A level too) and one specifically did not do much over Easter as that was too long before the exams themselves to help him. People's minds and memories are different from each other. However it certainly would be quite hard to do AS maths with a week's learning only even if you have GCSE AS maths.

BelfastSmile · 13/05/2017 16:23

I've a bit more faith in him passing if he has a textbook now. It'll still depend on him having a natural aptitude for maths and a bit of luck with the questions, but it's conceivable that he could manage a pass.

MinkowskisButterfly · 13/05/2017 16:25

I am actually rooting for him! Can't wait to see how he does, let us know how he gets in with his mock that you do with him!

PeanutButterCheesecake · 13/05/2017 16:27

Just posting as I'm about to do all 6 papers (AS and A level) with about 8 weeks self teaching plus one hour a week with a tutor. So this thread really interested me.

It's time consuming though. And easy to find the area under a curve when you have the examples and answers in front of you.

Interesting.

noblegiraffe · 13/05/2017 16:29

Mind you, he gave in and brought a text book, so who knows.

Hah. How long into the studying did he buy the textbook? Interested to know how much out of his 7 days he wasted just looking at past papers!

Interesting that he said he has mastered circles, but hasn't said that he has mastered solving quadratics and completing the square. If he hasn't sorted those, then he hasn't sorted circles.

noblegiraffe · 13/05/2017 16:34

I really don't understand these people saying 'oh he'll probably pass but maybe not with a good grade'.

I just looked up last year's AS Maths results for AQA. 13.5% of students got a U. That's 13.5% of students who actually made it to the exams - many who won't cope drop out in the first few weeks (longer than this kid has given it!). Why do people think that some kid with chutzpah and a textbook will be able to achieve in 7 days what more than 1 in 10 students can't achieve in a year of doing it properly? If only they'd printed off a bunch of past papers before the exam and done a bit of studying they'd have passed??

Stillwishihadabs · 13/05/2017 16:40

Well lets just see shall we noble ? I am begining to think you don't really understand young peope with IQs above 120 or so. If one is good at learning and memorising then it can be applied across all sorts of disciplines. AS maths really isn't that hard especially the stats and mechanics, the pure does take some thinking about but nothing a reasonably bright person couldn't grasp in a few days....

danTDM · 13/05/2017 16:40

We say it noblegiraffe because we have done it.

noblegiraffe · 13/05/2017 16:43

I am begining to think you don't really understand young peope with IQs above 120 Grin go on ask me my IQ

Dan you taught yourself AS maths after not having done maths for a year from a B grade at GCSE with nothing but a textbook and passed?

danTDM · 13/05/2017 16:46

Not at all.
I have not said so. I'm shit at maths.
But I taught myself to pass Eng Lit, Eng Lang and French and then went on to get a 2.1 in Philosophy at Southampton uni.

I wouldn't recommend it though Grin

danTDM · 13/05/2017 16:46

oh and geog

noblegiraffe · 13/05/2017 16:47

But those subjects are different to maths. Totally different. You can't learn maths by reading a book or by memorising a bunch of stuff.

ZilphasHatpin · 13/05/2017 16:47

Erm noble you realise that those dropping out and those getting U's could be in that position for any number of reasons. You can't seriously expect them all to have the same circumstances and ability as OP's DS. People vary, circumstances vary, abilities vary. That's a given surely?

Stillwishihadabs · 13/05/2017 16:48

It doesn't make any difference Noble, bright kids can and do work very intensively and cram huge amounts in a short time. It's not a great way to learn, they won't remember it, it's surface learning but it is possible. Have you no experience of this ?

Stillwishihadabs · 13/05/2017 16:49

Oh and for stats and mechanics it is memory work and technique, arguably easier than something like geography.

danTDM · 13/05/2017 16:50

No, I am telling the OP that it is possible.

You seem to think languages, philosophy and so on are not like maths?

Good grief, the logic I had to endure in my degree.

I am not at all clever, but I was clever at passing exams.
That is what I am saying. It is possible. Many people do it.

ZilphasHatpin · 13/05/2017 16:51

You can't learn maths by reading a book or by memorising a bunch of stuff.

That's exactly how I learnt maths! Confused I learned the steps I needed to follow and the patterns each type of question followed. I stored images of the worked examples in my head. I worked and reworked each one until i knew the pattern off by heart.

noblegiraffe · 13/05/2017 16:51

I teach maths A-level. I know kids who have dropped out who and got Us with better GCSE results than this kid. I know kids who got Bs at GCSE who worked their socks off all year (which this kid hasn't done) and got very low grades. The reason being that maths AS isn't easy.

Many sixth forms set their entry requirement for A-level maths at an A, not a B. There's a good reason for that, and that's because the most likely outcome for a student with a B at GCSE is a fail.

noblegiraffe · 13/05/2017 16:52

I worked and reworked each one until i knew the pattern off by heart.

Now that's more like it. Working through examples, then attempting questions without that scaffolding of support is how you do it. Not by reading stuff.

Danglingmod · 13/05/2017 16:53

Aren't differentiation and integration, surds and squaring the circle just the topics he hadn't learned from GCSE and therefore the easiest bits on the A level? They were all on ds's iGCSE paper which he sat in January.

I also admire his chutzpah but am surprised he only got a B at GCSE if he has natural ability in maths. Only time will tell...