*I did 2 unit and extension 1 math so my advice may be more suitable to you if you do either of those two levels of math.
Don’t Be Discouraged
When I started doing this subject at the HSC level, it was overwhelming. The workload increases by a ridiculous amount. Staying on top of this subject sometimes puts you at the risk of falling behind in others. It may overwhelm you. It may make you feel stupid (initially). You may think that there’s no way you could possibly do this subject.
But you can do this so don’t be discouraged. This is a part of the process. If you get discouraged and give up, you’ll never be able to realise your potential. There’s a gap between year 10 level math and HSC math, finding it hard is normal. You just have to keep at it and you’ll get it eventually.
Doing A Fraction Of The Homework Is Still Better Than Doing None Of It
Here’s the thing. With most other subjects, you have to learn the content and then apply it. And it won’t always relate directly to the exam. There’s a gap. You learn content in class and then you’re expected to rearrange and manipulate that information in order to fit the question. There’s a process and it’s not enough to just know the facts, you also have to know the structure of how to answer each question.
But math. Math is great at preparing you for the exam. The stuff you learn in class and the questions you are told to answer are directly related to the exam questions. Your homework may as well be the exam questions (if in a less confusing format at times). Doing your homework is literally preparing for the exams.
This is a great advantage. It means that whereas in other classes you have to learn the content and then only have a few weeks to prepare for the exam, here you’re preparing for the exam for an entire year. But it also means that you absolutely have to do your homework. Even if you can only do a fraction of it.
If you don’t have the time to do it all (which is absolutely normal), pick a few questions from each section and do those. That way, you’ll at least be able to practice each concept.
Constant Practice
Math is one of those things that require constant practice. If you stop practising, your brain will forget the concepts. That’s just an unfortunate truth. There are simply too many concepts and rules within this subject for you to retain it all without constantly practising.
This means that you should do the homework and if you can, do questions from practice papers. Those things are quite literally a lifesaver. And they’re going to be accessible to you if you have a half decent teacher. They will give you past papers with answers. Use them. They are so helpful. Some teachers will even make exam questions your homework throughout the year. Do those questions.
Final Thoughts
While math itself may be hard, the process of studying for it is relatively easy. All you have to do for this subject is the homework and some practice papers. If you only do a few questions at a time, that’s fine. A little work (done consistently) is better than attempting to cram the subject the week before the exam.
And remember, this is a hard subject. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes practice. Don’t expect to get it straight away (at least, not every time). It’s okay if you have to have it explained to you again. When I was doing this subject, there were concepts I didn’t understand until right before the exam.
There was one concept that I had explained to me by four different people and still didn’t get but then I had it explained to me again right before the exam and hallelujah, I got it. So don’t be discouraged and keep trying.