AQA FP3 13th May 2015 [Exam Discussion Thread]

There wasn't a thread for this exam so I thought I'd make one for the few of us that are taking it.

Date: Wednesday 13th May 2015
Time: 9:00am
Duration: 1 h, 30 min

Useful links-tell me if you want me to add any
Formula book: http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/FORMULAE.PDF
Past papers: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/mathematics/a-level/mathematics-6360/past-papers-and-mark-schemes
Specification: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/mathematics/a-level/further-mathematics-6360/subject-content
Textbook: http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-MFP3-TEXTBOOK.PDF
Question booklets: http://www.madasmaths.com/

This is starting to feel worryingly close! (FP3 is my first exam this year) How far through are you with learning the content?

It's my first A-level exam this year. I've got FP3, FP4 then nothing for almost two weeks.
I went through all of the content in October/November. How far are you?

FP3, FP4, then half term, but no exams until the Wednesday after half term so exactly two weeks break (or more accurately, two weeks of revision).

FP3 and 4 are our last units to learn (we have two teachers, so one is doing each). Only done the series and limits/Maclaurin's bit and polar coordinates, about to start on all the differential stuff when we get back. How did you find everything?

Yeah it will be two weeks of revision. Most of my exams are between the 2nd and 22nd of June, so there'll be a lot of work before.

My college only teach C1-4, D1-2, M1-2, S1-2, FP1-2, so I've had to teach myself FP3 and FP4.
I did FP3 in October/November and FP4 in January. I'm doing M3 at the moment.
FP3 was good. The numerical methods were a bit annoying but the analytical solutions to differential equations made up for that.
FP4 I felt the book was a lot worse at explaining things so I tended to just google the things I needed to know. All in all I found it much more difficult to learn, but still enjoyed it.

Definitely... proper revision this year, no leaving it until the last minute and cramming, I'm trying to keep it virtually stress free! Same, I have 10 exams from the 3rd June to the 22nd.

The way our college teach Further Maths is we did our Maths A level last year, and we did C1-4, M1 and D1. This year we do Further Maths A level, which for some ridiculous reason is FP1, 3 and 4 so I'm self studying FP2, and then we do S1 & 2 and M2 for the rest of the units. I'm also resitting C3 because I was only 3UMS off an A* and it was an impressively stupid mistake.

Ah yeah I can't imagine doing FP4 without our teacher (our maths teachers are so fantastic. They also bring us cake/biscuits, so they are great teachers and super nice). I'm half looking forwards to differentials, half not because it's such a huge set of topics :/
FP2 is a fairly nice unit to self study so far.

I have 14 exams from the 2nd to the 22nd. I think there'll be stress whatever happens.

We do C1-2, D1 and FP1, M1, S1 in the first year
C3-4, D2, FP2, M2, S2 in the second year.
Except I did AS maths in year 11, so did C3-4, D1-2, FP1, M1 last year.
I can't imagine why they'd skip out FP2. It's much easier than FP3 and FP4.

Differential equations are one of the most exciting topics covered at A-level.

Yeah we have a great teacher for FP2, S2, M2.

To be fair I don't get overly stressed by exams, it's just last minute cramming that tends to be a bad idea :/ What other exams are you taking this year then?

It doesn't make sense in terms of people taking STEP III either (granted I think there's only one in our year but still) because they need FP2 but not FP4? I guess they maybe chose it that way because FP2 is easier to self study or they wanted to do FP4 maybe. I'm kind of glad, I probably wouldn't have chosen to do FP4 by myself.

Should be a fun month or so then! Our poor teacher is probably missing stats though, she taught us S1 and S2 since the start of the year up until about Christmas so FP3 is a sudden change.

I don't usually get stressed by exams either, but there's so much resting on these ones so it's hard not to be worried.
I have two IGCSEs in English, FP2, FP3, FP4, M2, S2, STEP I-III, chemistry (F322, F324, F325), biology (F214, F215), physics (G484, G485).
For STEP III, FP2 is definitely more important than FP4. It's just me taking STEP III at my college I think. There's one other who might enter but I'm not sure.

Are you applying for Maths at Cambridge then? (or somewhere else that wants STEP III?). My friend is doing STEP II and III for it, possibly I as a safety net.
I've got F324 and F325 as well, and physics for AQA PHYA4 and PHYA5. Dropped biology (AQA) after AS.

I applied to Cambridge but didn't get in. Nowhere else wants STEP III, but I think it'll help me get in.

Well it can't hurt even if it's not part of any other offers. Where else have you applied/where do you want to go now then?

How is everyone revising for Core 1?

How is everyone revising for Core 1?

Does anyone else think this is a really simple exam... There'll be a differentiation question that'll tie in with limits and maclaurins, a polar area question, maybe three differentials and Euler.

Hardly anything to revise compared to every other module...