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Resitting GCSE Maths? Worth the exam cost? Am I overthinking?

So I'm (m 24) considering to resit GCSE Maths either this summer or November via a private exam centre. My issue is I already have received a pass grade (C) for Maths whilst I was at college but I only sat the November resits then and didn't do the full GCSE Maths course. I was enrolled in this alongside my A-Levels.

I was glad that I won't have to retake Maths but am disappointed with my grade as I expect I can do better and achieve a higher grade. It definitely affected the choice of universities I had at my disposal as most courses required a grade B or above.

But am I overthinking this? Does it really matter at this stage of my life?
It's always in the back of my mind for some reason. I miss studying and preparing for exams. Also feel that it's been a long time since I've been in education. I thought there was nothing that could be done then due to financial issues but now I can?! Idk, what are your thoughts, guys? Should I pursue it? Anyone here who has resat the exam privately? What was your experience like?

Thanks in advance :smile:
Reply 1
Original post by ConfusedAmbivert
So I'm (m 24) considering to resit GCSE Maths either this summer or November via a private exam centre. My issue is I already have received a pass grade (C) for Maths whilst I was at college but I only sat the November resits then and didn't do the full GCSE Maths course. I was enrolled in this alongside my A-Levels.

I was glad that I won't have to retake Maths but am disappointed with my grade as I expect I can do better and achieve a higher grade. It definitely affected the choice of universities I had at my disposal as most courses required a grade B or above.

But am I overthinking this? Does it really matter at this stage of my life?
It's always in the back of my mind for some reason. I miss studying and preparing for exams. Also feel that it's been a long time since I've been in education. I thought there was nothing that could be done then due to financial issues but now I can?! Idk, what are your thoughts, guys? Should I pursue it? Anyone here who has resat the exam privately? What was your experience like?

Thanks in advance :smile:

So are you actually at university now? If you're going to end up with a decent degree at the end of it, then your GCSE grade is neither here nor there, provided you have a pass (which you do).
Original post by chavvo
So are you actually at university now? If you're going to end up with a decent degree at the end of it, then your GCSE grade is neither here nor there, provided you have a pass (which you do).
Not at uni currently. But I feel that if I were to decide to go to uni in the future, my Maths grade would limit the many of the unis and courses that I am actually interested in. I'm also thinking that since it's been so long of a break, it'd be sensible to at least try to re-attempt GCSE Maths and see how I feel about going back to education. Besides, only the highest grade would be considered right? So, no harm done?!
What are your thoughts?
Reply 3
Original post by ConfusedAmbivert
Not at uni currently. But I feel that if I were to decide to go to uni in the future, my Maths grade would limit the many of the unis and courses that I am actually interested in. I'm also thinking that since it's been so long of a break, it'd be sensible to at least try to re-attempt GCSE Maths and see how I feel about going back to education. Besides, only the highest grade would be considered right? So, no harm done?!
What are your thoughts?
You've sort of answered the question yourself! It only "matters" if it affects what you want to do in the future, so if you wanted to do an arts-type degree and a 'C' was sufficient to get in to your chosen course, then it's not a problem. If you're aiming for a numerate degree of some sort (including things like social sciences) then you have to look at the required grades for the course and make a judgement.

At the end of the day it's about thinking what type of course you want to do, then looking at the ratio of unis that would accept a 'C' in maths versus those that require a higher grade and see how much your choices are currently limited :smile:

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