• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

Should I Do Maths Ext 1? (1 Viewer)

Interdice

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2021
Messages
522
Gender
Male
HSC
2023
Hey guys, I am currently doing 5.2 math and am wondering whether to do Extension. I got a 91 percent in my report this year and find the content that they teach boring and dull. All of my subjects are very science and math based My studying skills and my skills in math are improving at a rapid pace. Should I do Maths EXT?
 

Leadmen4y

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2021
Messages
478
Gender
Male
HSC
2021
if u were doing 5.3 i would say its a no brainer, but 3u gives u the option for 4u in year 12 so I don't see a reason not to pick it up. though it means you'll need to allocate more time for this sub, id recommend to sus out the questions in 5.3 and see how u do, because if u cant cope with 5.3 usually its a sign you would struggle in yr11 3u. but also depends on what other subjects you want to do as its best to keep your units within the 10 to 12 range, but if ur willing to commit to maths definitely.
 

Interdice

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2021
Messages
522
Gender
Male
HSC
2023
if u were doing 5.3 i would say its a no brainer, but 3u gives u the option for 4u in year 12 so I don't see a reason not to pick it up. though it means you'll need to allocate more time for this sub, id recommend to sus out the questions in 5.3 and see how u do, because if u cant cope with 5.3 usually its a sign you would struggle in yr11 3u. but also depends on what other subjects you want to do as its best to keep your units within the 10 to 12 range, but if ur willing to commit to maths definitely.
I was in a pretty high maths class in year 8, but i failed it since i didn't care and put no effort. Now I am learning the material.
 

Leadmen4y

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2021
Messages
478
Gender
Male
HSC
2021
I was in a pretty high maths class in year 8, but i failed it since i didn't care and put no effort. Now I am learning the material.
u have plenty of time to catch up then, not to mention 3u gives u an advantage (idk the extent as I don't do 3u, only heard from others) in adv becoz u can use 3u methods for 2u questions, a bonus ig.
 

jimmysmith560

Le Phénix Trilingue
Moderator
Joined
Aug 22, 2019
Messages
4,578
Location
Krak des Chevaliers
Gender
Male
HSC
2019
Uni Grad
2022
u have plenty of time to catch up then, not to mention 3u gives u an advantage (idk the extent as I don't do 3u, only heard from others) in adv becoz u can use 3u methods for 2u questions, a bonus ig.
Yeah that’s true, at least in my own experience. Year 11 2U used to feel easy when I was doing 3U, in addition to some 3U methods you might be able to use.
 

not_sure

New Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2021
Messages
28
Gender
Male
HSC
2023
Hey guys, I am currently doing 5.2 math and am wondering whether to do Extension. I got a 91 percent in my report this year and find the content that they teach boring and dull. All of my subjects are very science and math based My studying skills and my skills in math are improving at a rapid pace. Should I do Maths EXT?
Honestly, at my school someone was getting 90% in 5.2 and came up to 5.3 near the start of year 10 and isn't doing the best. Just be prepared that there will be a change - 3u and 5.3 stuff is a lot more conceptual than 5.2. I'm sure you'll be fine, but the people in your class will probably be better with senior maths cause they have experience with harder questions, especially A10 level. Its good that you're trying to catch up and I reckon just give it a go you can always drop I guess.
 

Interdice

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2021
Messages
522
Gender
Male
HSC
2023
Honestly, at my school someone was getting 90% in 5.2 and came up to 5.3 near the start of year 10 and isn't doing the best. Just be prepared that there will be a change - 3u and 5.3 stuff is a lot more conceptual than 5.2. I'm sure you'll be fine, but the people in your class will probably be better with senior maths cause they have experience with harder questions, especially A10 level. Its good that you're trying to catch up and I reckon just give it a go you can always drop I guess.
thanks for all of you answers
 

firefly15

New Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2021
Messages
5
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2022
I got a 91 percent in my report this year and find the content that they teach boring and dull. All of my subjects are very science and math based My studying skills and my skills in math are improving at a rapid pace.
If you're doing well at maths and you feel like you'd be more interested in higher-level maths, then I don't see why not. Put in the effort into any subject and you'll get a good mark, but even if you did decide to drop Extension Maths later after Year 11, that already still puts you up on a better path for the Advanced course (since you've basically done 1-unit worth more work than your other Advanced-only counterparts)

So if it's something you're truly interested in, then go for it :)
 

ExtremelyBoredUser

Bored Uni Student
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
2,479
Location
m
Gender
Male
HSC
2022
I haven't been in 5.2 classes so I can't really tell if you're skill level is satisfactory enough to do Extension 1. It's already going to be "hard" for those doing 5.3 with topics such as Perms/Combs or Further Rates from experience however it never becomes boring at all, even with topics such as polynomials or inverse trig that seem to be at the easier side of the spectrum, they still are interesting topics as you gain a better understanding of the general topic (Functions and Trig) and a variety of techniques such as double angle formula or addition/multiplication of roots that can help you out in Advanced.

Ext-1 definitely takes up a significant amount of time that you could distribute to other subjects which people doing only Math-Adv take for granted however it is so worth it as it really assists your learning and understanding of math topics that much more. I recommend brushing up and mastering all basic and fundamental skills such as algebra, basic trig (sohcahtoa) and functions (parabola, linear graphs) and learning some of the content in 5.3 before doing the course over the holidays because it is a mistake made by many of my peers resulting in them with great amounts of stress and anxiety along with workload and leading them to either distribute an unhealthy amount of time in the schooldays refining their fundamental skills and completing the exercises or more frequently, just dropping Ext-1 altogether.

If you plan it out right, have a strong foundation in basic skills and you are enthusiastic then I don't see why you couldn't do Ext 1 but considering you're 5.2, you might need to put in more effort and dedication than your 5.3 counterparts to reaching a level competent to undertake the course REASONABLY (not overworking or spending too much time on Ext 1 solely)
 

Eagle Mum

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2020
Messages
561
Gender
Female
HSC
N/A
I was in a pretty high maths class in year 8, but i failed it since i didn't care and put no effort. Now I am learning the material.
I suspect from this statement about yourself that you can do 5.3 & 3U if you put in the effort. Self directed learning can be a very successful strategy.

To close the gap between 5.2 and 5.3, you may not necessarily need to do all the exercises with repetitive questions. Try a 5.3 revision book that fully explains the topic concepts but only has a handful of questions per concept. You could still have the full textbook handy in case you don’t immediately grasp every concept in the revision book.

No harm giving it a go at your stage & you may find it very rewarding. Best wishes!
 

osciggyz

Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2021
Messages
35
Gender
Male
HSC
2021
Hey guys, I am currently doing 5.2 math and am wondering whether to do Extension. I got a 91 percent in my report this year and find the content that they teach boring and dull. All of my subjects are very science and math based My studying skills and my skills in math are improving at a rapid pace. Should I do Maths EXT?
This may be a late reply but just to talk about my experience. I was in 5.2 maths in yr10 averaging mid 70s. I ended up begging the head teacher of maths to allow me to do advanced math and it after begging for months and pestering him I got my dad involved and it worked. As I went to year 11, no one choose extension math in our cohort so on the first day of year 11 anyone can just put their name in the math staff room and do extension 1 maths, so as joke I put my name to do extension math. At first when doing the maths, it was very daunting and quite challenging but I studied everyday atleast an hour to catch up and be up to standard to do extension. The hard work payed off as I ranked 3/31 and was invited to do extension 2. Now fast foward to the present I am doing extension 2 maths, ranked first in it (1/6). This just proves that even if your doing a lower level of maths that is restrcting you from your choices, you can still do adv, ext, etc.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top