Cannot pass the qts maths!!!!

It is holding me back now for fulfilling my dream and progressing into a career and moving my life forward.

Hi thank you for your replies. I normally fail the test by 3 marks in actual test. And my highest ever score on a practice test is 57% only this week. Until then from 2015-2019 my highest practice test score was 28%. I have learned my timestables but I still wouldn’t be able to see that 49/70 is 0.7 as in my head that just feels like it is going grey and foggy and I can’t see it. Then with the added countdown timer on the test I just crumble and can’t find the answer. I have been to the uni booster sessions before and they didn’t help. It was just a room full of people who knew the answers and I didn’t. I couldn’t keep up with the pace and found it to be of no help whatsoever. I am currently going to my local college for GCSE maths night classes as a way of bumping up my maths knowledge and to help me. I’ve been going there now since 2015 as well but nothing seems to help me. I am getting tested next week for dyscalculia as my friend is convinced I have it and maybe dyspraxia. As I feel that I suffering from some illness where I can’t retain information or process it and maths is all about problem solving and that I suffer with. Thank you so much for your replies, I really appreciate it.

It sounds like you aren’t far away at all, with failing by two marks. It sounds like you’ve made a huge amount of progress. Please don’t forget that.
Tbh I think it’s more about your mind set, you have to absolutely believe that you can do it.
I’ve always struggled with maths, I was told at high school that there was no point in me doing the intermediate paper and I would have to do foundation where the highest grade was a D. I got an E and just forgot about maths for years. Did a BTEC, then did a degree. Then started on my maths again, struggled so much but upgraded to a D, went for a resit and got a D again, did two equivalency tests and was 5% and 12% off a pass respectively. I finally passed GCSE maths last year, 22 years after the first attempt.
The difference? I totally changed my mindset, I came to enjoy maths and I worked my socks off. When it came to the numeracy test I passed third time. I know it’s a cliche but if I can do it anyone can. Keep going, keep positive, keep going over everything, make it an “I can” rather than an “I can’t”. Seriously, I know how you feel, Maths was my Achilles heel but now that’s changed and it’s such a relief.

Nice post.

Thank you so much for replying and outlining your struggles and how you have overcome these. This is a really brave thing for you to admit to and what an achievement for you to finally of broken through and got where you wanted to go!

I an contiuing to revise and plod away with the maths practice tests. And I have also been affected for a pgce at a university in Northern Ireland, where you do not need to sit the QTS skills tests in order to teacher train so if I get accepted then I will go there and leave Liverpool in order to become a teacher!

I don't want to sound harsh, but is this constant failure perhaps telling you something? It is worth noting that every teacher is a teacher of English and Mathermatics in the UK school system hence the requirement for maths and English. Many of the kids in my school including those targetted 3s and 4s hold unrealistic dreams of being doctors and lawyers. There is nothing wrong with failure and failing. But sometimes it is necessary to accept that we simply can't jump over the wall in front of us and instead focus our efforts and energy on something we can achieve.

Just a thought. Good luck!

I have failed the QTS numeracy test again this evening for what feels like the 30th time!!

I have been trying to pass it since 2015! But I just fail every time. Tonight was by 3 marks.

I am currently on a one year contract as a unqualified English teacher but if I don’t pass it by July then I will not be able to train in my currrent host school.

I have had tutors, bought the DVD’s, read the books, sat oractice tests, revised, downloaded the app, Skyped with tutors and friends, lived and breathed maths, went to night classes at college, been to the doctor and had CBT and been put in tablets, been allowed 25% time in the test, tried time myself to help with the mental arithmetic etc. But I still cannot pass.

I have as of this year been accepted on to 5 PGCE salaried courses and every year for the past 4 years come 31at August I have had to decline my offer as I cannot pass the maths skills test to gain entry on the course.

It is holding me back now for fulfilling my dream and progressing into a career and moving my life forward.

I am trying my best but my best simply isn’t good enough.

I have spent so much money on tests, tutors, revision packs and apps etc. I have deadicated so much time to revising and practicing over and over and over and over and over and I am still not quick enough for the mental section or can cope with the test.

The constant failure is so demoralising and disheartening now it’s really affecting my confidence, self esteem and how I view myself.

I am surrounding daily by people who have and can pass it and I cannot not. I feel so different and that I am the only one in this constant black hole of failure over and over again and I cannot break through to succeed.

I am desperate to pass, would sell my soul to the devil himself at this stage but cannot seem to do it.

I am going to walk away from teaching entirely come July 2019 as I cannot financially or emotionally or for my mental health continue to put myself through these tests as it’s being destroying me now.

Can anything think of genuine suggestions to help me break through or has anyone been in a somewhat similar scenario and made it through?

I don’t want sympthay or pity, I just want to pass so I never have to look or think about this test ever again and become a teacher.

Thank you

I have failed the QTS numeracy test again this evening for what feels like the 30th time!!

I have been trying to pass it since 2015! But I just fail every time. Tonight was by 3 marks.

I am currently on a one year contract as a unqualified English teacher but if I don’t pass it by July then I will not be able to train in my currrent host school.

I have had tutors, bought the DVD’s, read the books, sat oractice tests, revised, downloaded the app, Skyped with tutors and friends, lived and breathed maths, went to night classes at college, been to the doctor and had CBT and been put in tablets, been allowed 25% time in the test, tried time myself to help with the mental arithmetic etc. But I still cannot pass.

I have as of this year been accepted on to 5 PGCE salaried courses and every year for the past 4 years come 31at August I have had to decline my offer as I cannot pass the maths skills test to gain entry on the course.

It is holding me back now for fulfilling my dream and progressing into a career and moving my life forward.

I am trying my best but my best simply isn’t good enough.

I have spent so much money on tests, tutors, revision packs and apps etc. I have deadicated so much time to revising and practicing over and over and over and over and over and I am still not quick enough for the mental section or can cope with the test.

The constant failure is so demoralising and disheartening now it’s really affecting my confidence, self esteem and how I view myself.

I am surrounding daily by people who have and can pass it and I cannot not. I feel so different and that I am the only one in this constant black hole of failure over and over again and I cannot break through to succeed.

I am desperate to pass, would sell my soul to the devil himself at this stage but cannot seem to do it.

I am going to walk away from teaching entirely come July 2019 as I cannot financially or emotionally or for my mental health continue to put myself through these tests as it’s being destroying me now.

Can anything think of genuine suggestions to help me break through or has anyone been in a somewhat similar scenario and made it through?

I don’t want sympthay or pity, I just want to pass so I never have to look or think about this test ever again and become a teacher.

Thank you

Who the f’ are you to judge? I’m not surprised you’re a teacher?? Non of your lot are ‘perfect’ either seeing as every time anyone hears about ‘teachers’ these days its usually after they’ve committed some vile crime which involves child abuse. 3’s and 4’s you say? And what are these? Another mediocre ‘structure’ in which to limit a child’s progress because that’s been the general tone in teaching since the 1980’s and we all know it’s nothing to do with aiding a child’s educational development at all, its to do with the fact no one wants to be a teacher anymore, much less a maths teacher! Every state educated child has suffered under that hinderance to the point where most parents I knew started paying private tutors and those kids did go on to be ‘doctors and lawyers’. You idiot. You shouldn’t be in the job. In fact you shouldn’t be anywhere near education or childcare with that attitude.