GCSE MATHS

[Meralia]

I’m hoping to go to uni this September (as a mature student) to study Psychology.

I have an access to HE diploma (pre 2014, so included gcse maths equivalence). The uni requirements are that I need to have a grade c/4 or above in GCSE maths. My access was a while ago, and I know they’ve changed now as there were significant gaps in knowledge with the maths equivalency part of the access diploma.

I enrolled in a distance learning maths gcse and have booked to sit my exams as a private candidate in May/June this year.

I just don’t think I’m going to be ready in time! I have a 20 month old, so I can only do the work in the evenings when he’s in bed, but, he’s a very poor sleeper.

Does anyone have any tips for how to manage my time? Or has anyone recently sat the exam and could share any pearls of wisdom?

I’m sitting the foundation paper, so the highest grade I can achieve is a 5, I need 55% to gain a grade 4 (old low C).

I have such a fear of maths, I’ve got some cgp books and also some test papers, but it just seems like such a mountain to climb. I took my original maths gcse over 20 years ago.

I think my Aibu is maybe I should have waited and sat the exam in November and reapplied next year for my degree. But, I really want to get the ball rolling and start sooner rather than later.

I know you said you have a fear of maths but how good are you actually? Are you starting from scratch and really struggling with all of it, or do you have a pretty good idea on some of it, some needs refreshing and just struggling with a bit?

Also, how much time realistically do you think you’ll have a week to work?
Knowing how much you need to improve, and how much time you have is important to get an idea of the best way to approach it.
Generally though, if you do struggle with maths, and you just need 55%, if there is one particular part you just do not get, leave it and focus on the stuff you think you can master. Given the limited time there is not a huge benefit spending hours and hours and hours trying to get your head around one particular bit that you just can’t get and will probably only be one question in the exam anyway (this obviously only applies if it’s one specific thing you don’t get, not loads of things).
Look through the syllabus and the papers now and see if there are any parts that you totally know, no problem, can answer in your sleep. Do a few questions to check you’re right, and then leave them until nearer the exam, and just refresh your mind on them then - again it’s just not a benefit to spend ages on stuff you’re really confident on.
I think the key is focus on the stuff you don’t know/aren’t totally sure of, but that is achievable - that’s what I’d do if someone told me I had to do a maths exam in a few months. I think it’s the best way to use your time and get the most out of it. Are you able to afford a couple of sessions with a private tutor? They should know the syllabus well, and if you see one soon you can ask for the best areas to focus on.

Also, I did a psychology degree and it was very mathematical. We had two stats modules a year which I think is standard across universities as psychology degrees need to be accredited so they all have to cover certain things. This was fine for me, I love maths, but I know lots of people struggled, not realising just how much maths would be involved in those modules.

Hi, OP - just offering a virtual hand-hold here, as I'm also taking a maths-heavy GCSE subject this summer as a private candidate.

First off, are you absolutely certain that your university won't accept the Access to HE diploma (and its implicit maths grade C) that you already hold? Has it "expired", so to speak? Do you genuinely have to take the exam this summer?

If you absolutely do need to pass GCSE maths but decide to hold back, what would actually change in your life over the coming year? Your toddler will turn two, become more chatty and more active, and potentially need more stimulation and interaction - will you have childcare arrangements in place that would free up some daytime hours for you to revise/practise the topics you find toughest?

Also, if you withdraw from the June exams now, is the November presentation of the exams open to fresh candidates or only to those re-sitting after a disappointing June result? Don't shoot yourself in the foot here!

If you're going to be facing the same everyday challenges over the next 6-12 months, then studying conditions won't really improve if you hold off, so I'd say forge ahead now and give it your best shot. Can your DH/DP deal at least some of with your DS's evening interuptions so that you can focus on what you're studying? Would either set of grandparents be willing to have him for a morning or afternoon at the weekend to give you a few extra hours for studying?

I'm finding with my own studying, which is a physics-based subject, that constant practice of the formulae and processes that I struggle the most with really is the only way to get familiar and faster with them. Perhaps practise the same question over and over again until you're absolutely certain how to tackle it, what figures go in what places in the equation, how you then manipulate them to reach the final figure you need. The on the day of the exam, hopefully all you'll need to do is slot the exam question figures into the same places and the rest of the process will fall into place.

Good luck!

Seconding the pp who said that psychology hatd a huge maths element - it was part of why I switched degrees after a year. The statistics part was going straight over my head, I really did try to understand it but at the time I just had a huge mental block and could not do it. I was leaving the stats lab crying half the time.

Strange because I love maths now.

I'd double check with the university that they actually need this. No point stressing yourself out if they don't.