to think that I am thick

[user546425732]

I've got to do a maths exam next week. I've been doing practice paper after practice paper for weeks but I'm still not getting anywhere near the pass rate. I'm thick aren't I? My maths teacher at school always said I was thick, he was right.

Have you actually had any lessons or read a coursebook/online materials or have you literally just sat down and started doing papers with no prior prep?

What do you do when you can’t do a question? What sort of exam is it? What resources are you using?

No teacher should call someone thick. This exam is very close. Could you delay it and then prepare for another go with some help from a decent tutor

Are you on a maths course now? Can you contact your tutor for help?

Which parts in particular are are finding difficult?

It's some entrance tests for a course I want to do.

No, you are emphatically not ‘thick’. I’m pretty clever. Not one of the great intellects of our time, but - fairly smart; if you watch tv quiz shows, you might have seen me be slightly clever on a couple of the BBC 2 ones for which there is no cash prize 😪. But I struggled to get a ‘C’ in GCSE maths. Just - couldn’t do it. Brain shuts down. Have you got to do it next week? Couldn’t you postpone it? It may not be going in because the pressure is too much.

if you watch tv quiz shows, you might have seen me be slightly clever on a couple of the BBC 2 ones for which there is no cash prize

Answering quiz show trivia questions doesn't mean you're "clever".

What sort of maths? GCSE or a functional skills test?

What kind of maths test is it and which bits specifically are you finding difficult? Is it a timing issue/mental arithmetic/formulas/graphs.....

Freaklikemeee - is there really any need to knock kitty? She didn't say being on a TV quiz show made her clever.

There's always one.

Freaklikeme - that was completely unnecessary. Luckily it's made you look bad, rather than kitty.

Op- can you get a copy of course content, and teach yourself? After all, you wouldn't do a gcse without at least a year of lessons! Are you just going in "cold""?

Have you had any lessons? If you didn’t understand it at school and have had no further tuition it’s likely you’ll still struggle with the concepts.

In my experience a good teacher is very important in maths - a teacher in junior school turned me around in a year - prior to that I was quite weak and am definitely not now.

Don’t be hard on yourself. You just need some good tuition and some self belief.

What types of thing are you struggling with!

@freaklikemeee

if you watch tv quiz shows, you might have seen me be slightly clever on a couple of the BBC 2 ones for which there is no cash prize

Answering quiz show trivia questions doesn't mean you're "clever"

No but she at least wasn't being nasty for the sake of it.

Alternatively you might just have 'Dyscalculia' or even if not perhaps maths just isn't your strong point but you are intelligent in other ways!

Are you failing questions in any particular area? If so can you focus your revision to those areas?
Practice papers have their place but you also need to know the material too and put the hours in revising. I know this as I'm guilty of preferring to use my study time doing practice papers than reading the dull AF texts.

Is there a particular area you’re having particular difficulty with?

Why don’t you pop a few questions on here and we can talk you through it?

I’m sure mumsnetters would be happy to help.

Also, Khan Academy is great

There's no point making yourself feel bad about something that is not going to change. Your mathematical acumen/potential is what it is. What matters is doing the work to give yourself the best chance of doing your personal best.

You probably have dyscalculia. You are not thick.

Agree with others that in maths a good tutor can explain things in a way that gives you the lightbulb moment where it all falls into place, then you're flying.

Coincidentally was thinking about 'thickness' when they were discussing Brexit on Love Island the other day. Some would say that they were thick as bricks, but I think it was because they haven't shown an interest in or learnt about the subject matter in the past. Not that they're innately stupid.

Khan Academy. I couldn't do maths and it really frustrated me. Started doing KA from the very basics. 18 months later got an A in maths GCSE.

I've just sat my maths GCSE-I can also recommend Khan Academy, I found their online tutorials so helpful on areas I was struggling with.

I’d also recommend khan academy. Start right at the beginning if you need to. Better to go over something you think you already know than to have a gap which might be important later.

What areas does the paper you have to sit cover?

Who are you doing the course with? Why have they put you forward for an exam you are not ready for? You need to contact them and discuss urgently.

Maybe you need more lessons or more explanations of stuff you are not getting or perhaps a different tutor altogether. It is likely just a matter of time before you pass.

Some people pass driving tests first time some people take their test many, many times. Most people will get there in the end and the better drivers are not necessarily the first-time passers either.

Your teacher was a fool to call you names. Ignore them.

Is it the professional skills tests for teaching?

If so have you been through the revision content on the website or just the practice tests?

If it is the qts tests for teaching, I got myself a book and worked through it before doing the test. It was really straightforward.

Op I hated maths and thought I was thick since I left school. I went back to college to do an access course as an adult a couple of years ago and I never ever thought it was possible but I actually love maths now!! All it took was the right teacher who actually understood what the point of them being in that classroom was. You’re not thick, you just need the right teacher to help you.