is maths really just practice?

I did c1 the other day and totally cocked up, basically i haven't done any work outside class and did about 2 days revision in total, do you guys reckon that maths is really just practicing it all the time, or do you think that if i didn't make a good job of c1 i should give up now lol? i understand it all in class, but just the exams i blanked out on. :confused:

Reply 1

Dilute

I reckon a lot of it is just practice, especially what you do at A Level. If it's higher level maths, then it'll be more of how you think. With A Level questions you just have to realise how to answer questions, because they're all the same style really.

Reply 2

Simba

I agree, at GCSE and A-level at least, it's all a matter of practise. You will probably be sailing through C1 papers once you've done C3. That's how most people work anyway with the A-level course. You can always re-take modules you've done poorly on, so I wouldn't worry too much. If you learn the basic concepts, and know them very well, there's no reason why you shouldn't get a very high mark in each module; the questions are all basically the same...

Reply 3

random123

Yeah practice is definitely important. I used to think it was all about learning and remembering methods and identities and that there was nothing else to it, that's why I did really badly in my Summer exams. But then over the past couples of months something clicked. I suddenly realised that to be a good mathematician all you need to do is learn how to spot patterns and clues in questions that lead you to the answer, and of course, the ability to do that comes with practice.

Reply 4

Carlin

Yeah, practice is really important for maths. It isn't a case of repeating yourself, as such, more so that you can recognise exactly what you have to do and so that you know exactly how to do it. The method is very important for maths

Reply 5

dec0!

Dont worry after doing C3 you can afford to do 2 days revision x D C1 will look so easy ;D

Reply 6

Meat Loaf Rocks

In my opinion it depend what way you look at it. Maths is a subject that if you leave for months without doing any your standard will drop considerably, however getting the concpets of maths is not about practice. you need to understand the concepts and the relationships and then the rest is practice.

Reply 7

wilgina

It definately helps a lot to practice, if not you lose it and everything seems 10 times harder than it actually is. Some people just seem to understand it, which is frustrating if you find it hard to get your head round!

Reply 8

sebbie

even if you're not that great at maths but are committed to it you will still find you do OK at Maths A-Level... Because the types of questions are very similar practice will get you everywhere.....