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If I suck at maths, is it worth it to do 4 unit? (1 Viewer)

whoknows5555

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Hey guys, so I'm in year 11 right now and doing 3 unit maths, which I am finding challenging, because I've never really been good at maths. So I was just wondering, is 4 unit maths going to be a lot of work if I'm not good at maths? And will it be worth it? Because I know it helps with your 3 unit and it also scales really high, but if I don't get a good mark, say, I failed in 4 unit, will I still get scaled up high?
 

madharris

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Scaling works in a negative way if you don't do well in that subject

You can always try it if you really want to do it then drop it if it gets too difficult

However, from what I've heard from friends and such, 4u will be challenging if you're having trouble with 3u
 

Carrotsticks

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Hey guys, so I'm in year 11 right now and doing 3 unit maths, which I am finding challenging, because I've never really been good at maths. So I was just wondering, is 4 unit maths going to be a lot of work if I'm not good at maths? And will it be worth it? Because I know it helps with your 3 unit and it also scales really high, but if I don't get a good mark, say, I failed in 4 unit, will I still get scaled up high?
Yes, it is a lot of work if you have a weak foundation. If you are finding 3 Unit challenging, then I strongly suggest against 4 Unit. If you can't jog, then think about what running would be like.

1. Unless a lot of work is suddenly put into Mathematics, chances are you will do poorly in the subject and may end up being in the tail of the grade.

2. Stress and demotivation from that subject will 'permeate' to other subjects and your overall confidence for the HSC.

3. If you fail in 4U, this 'scaling' won't do much in your advantage.
 

braintic

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One other point that hasn't been made yet:
You say that 4 unit helps with 3 unit. But for strugglers I find the opposite to be the case. I regularly see students who should be getting worthwhile Ext 1 results begin to get poor results in Ext 1 because they are overloaded with Ext 2 work.

But I see you are a girl. I have found that girls typically understate their ability in maths, especially if they are not amongst the absolute top students at a selective high school. So perhaps you are more able than you give yourself credit for.
 

RishBonjour

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Hey guys, so I'm in year 11 right now and doing 3 unit maths, which I am finding challenging, because I've never really been good at maths. So I was just wondering, is 4 unit maths going to be a lot of work if I'm not good at maths? And will it be worth it? Because I know it helps with your 3 unit and it also scales really high, but if I don't get a good mark, say, I failed in 4 unit, will I still get scaled up high?
Don't do it at all. I know some people who chose 4u and continued with it despite failing assessments - ended up with ATARs in 70s.
Do 2u if you really think you can't improve in maths - smash all your other subjects.
I suggest keeping 3u though. I initially found it very challenging in year 11, but it doesn't take long to fill in gaps in your understanding and catch up.

good luck.
 

Makematics

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yeah they offer 4 different maths courses for a reason, you shouldnt really be doing 4 unit unless you enjoy maths, have some talent and will be willing to put the hard yards in.
 

BLIT2014

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If your not doing very well with 3unit,or even 2 unit then it would probably be advisable to not do 4 unit maths
 

RaceOfAce

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Admittedly if you have time troubles, then 3 unit is much harder than 4 unit (not joking here, slow workers have many issues with 3 unit but not 4 unit). But if it's content, then avoid 4 unit, you can't really do well unless you are a good learner at maths.
 

someth1ng

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Admittedly if you have time troubles, then 3 unit is much harder than 4 unit (not joking here, slow workers have many issues with 3 unit but not 4 unit). But if it's content, then avoid 4 unit, you can't really do well unless you are a good learner at maths.
I would disagree. It's pretty similar - the difference is that in MX2, you're more likely to get questions that stump you where you skip (making speed seem like a non-issue).
 

someth1ng

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Admittedly if you have time troubles, then 3 unit is much harder than 4 unit (not joking here, slow workers have many issues with 3 unit but not 4 unit). But if it's content, then avoid 4 unit, you can't really do well unless you are a good learner at maths.
I would disagree. It's pretty similar - the difference is that in MX2, you're more likely to get questions that stump you where you skip (making speed seem like a non-issue).
 

anomalousdecay

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yeah they offer 4 different maths courses for a reason, you shouldnt really be doing 4 unit unless you enjoy maths, have some talent and will be willing to put the hard yards in.
Unless someone forces you to do 4-unit, then you really need a natural enjoyment and passion for maths work compared to other work.
I consider it a universal language. You don't have to learn it, but if you want to, you can.
 

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