The Most Personalised VCE Maths Methods Tuition, Designed For You.

“VCE Mathematical Methods (“maths methods”) is one of the most popular STEM subjects, with many students completing it as a university course prerequisite, or even just out of interest. 

This subject is highly competitive despite its large cohort and can also be very challenging. In this post, I will be explaining the course and its assessments, the exam, and tips and tricks for you to get the scores you’re aiming for!

Breaking down the exam:

The maths methods exam will consist of two parts; a 40 mark tech-free exam, and a 80 mark tech-active exam. The reason for this is to test your ability to do maths by hand, but also with the assistance of technology. The tech-free exam (exam 1) does not permit notes in the exam, however, a formula sheet will be provided. 

There are around 8 to 11 short answer questions, each testing a different concept. These questions often increase in difficulty, with the last question typically being the most difficult (and is typically a functions, algebra or calculus-based question).

The tech-active exam allows you to bring a “bound reference” (more information about this will be provided below), and you will also be provided with a formula sheet. 

Also, depending on your school, you will either bring a CAS calculator or be provided with a computer with the Mathematica program (version 12.0). This exam consists of 20 multiple choice questions, as well as 5 short answer questions with multiple parts. 

Multiple-choice questions will often test a certain concept and are often straightforward. On the other hand, short answer questions may test multiple skills and are much more challenging.

Typical short-answer questions will often require you to complete calculations, but in some cases, you may be asked to give reasoning for a solution or a concept. For example, in question 5 of the 2021 exam, you are required to perform various calculations with respect to the graph f(x) = sin(x/2)+cos(2x), where a graph of the function is provided. 

These different types of questions can be found within this question: firstly, questions 5a, b and c for example test simple concepts, and can be simply solved by examining the graph, performing a substitution (using a CAS or Mathematica) and using graph transformations. 

Next, question e is more complicated, and requires you to find the area under the graph of a similar function g(x) = sin(x/a) + cos(ax) which contains an unknown constant a. The aim of this is for you to recognise patterns within the first three questions in the function f(x), then apply this to a more general case g(x)…”