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Calculus past paper questions


dandoon96

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Recently had a test on Integration.

The questions in the exam are so different then the simple ones we get in our text book.

I really struggled with some challenging questions.

The concepts of Differentiation and Integration are relatively easy but.. the way they ask.. is hard to interpret and solve!!!

Does anyone agree??

Any tips/ words of wisdom??

Anyone manage to scrape a 7?? :D

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Practise Practise Practise. Things will come easier as you keep trying questions from tests, textbooks and past papers. Be familiar of the applications of differentiation and integration; I'm assuming when you say it's hard to interpret questions, you're talking about word problems? If not, you should clarify so it's easier to help you. Also, if you are able to obtain the syllabus, check off each section as you go along the list to make sure you are understanding what the IB requires of you.

I was predicted a 6 due to coursework and portfolio work last year, and I scored bare 60s in my mocks. Guess what I did to do well on that exam?

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Just practise, hahaha. If you think the concepts are easy to grasp, I suggest mainly working on word problems if you find difficulty doing that. Inevitably, there will be some application problem which might have parts to it so that really might screw you over on the real exam. Skim over the math questions on past papers and work on word problems.

Again, make sure you are familiar with the applications. I'm glad you find the concepts easy. It's important to understand and not memorize for exams (ideally) and you should make sure that you're not just studying hard; you should be studying smart.

Word problems are definitely harder than the pure mathematical problems you get because yes, they require you to take the extra step to interpret the question and apply your knowledge to them. I don't really do this unless I'm very unfamiliar with the concept, but a common tip you should know is to write down values and vital information the question gives you in the simplest way so it's easy to read, and write the formula (if applicable) that should be used. Draw diagrams if that helps you, and read the questions very carefully. Find whatever way is best for you to break down the problem so that it is easy for you to understand. Also, take the time to consider the practicality of your answer; for example if they ask you to solve for the number of people, and you end up getting negative decimal as your answer, that's a bad sign and you may want to check back.

At the same time, you need always be aware of your time restraints.

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