Hello everyone : ) Im a Russian girl who will give this exam a try! I really want to study in Japan!
The only problem I have is that I don't know how to prepare for the math exam...how did everyone else prepare?
Advice will be greatly appreciated!
Hello Anya
(By the way in my language your name means "mother"
)
Which program will you apply for?
In my case, I
downloaded some of the previous tests, and tried solving them. If I had trouble with something, I asked my math teacher or someone who learnt advanced math. Practice makes perfect, after all. (Though in my case it was nowhere near perfect
) Do so without using a calculator, as you're not allowed to use one during the test either. You're not allowed to use anything except your pen, actually, so you should also try to memorize as many formulas and theorems as possible. They seem to be fond of triangles, so checking out stuff about them might be a good idea.
There's usually a differentiation problem as well, so you should practice that, or if you have not learnt it, then ask someone to explain it, and/or find a good source to learn it from. (I spent about 2-3 days before the exam learning that and solving easier problems. I could kind of solve the differentiation exercise in the test, but since then I've completely forgotten it
)
I don't know if this sound silly, but I also tried "training" myself to be better at not using a calculator. When I was taking a walk or a shower, I usually chose two random numbers between 10 and 100 and multiplied them in my head. I don't know if that actually helped, though, just seemed like a good way to "use my mind" when I didn't have to think about anything.
All in all, I think practice is the best way. Especially because if you solve the previous tests you get a general idea of what kind you can expect. If you can't solve an exercise, just ask someone you know, or you could even ask here; I'm sure someone will be able to help you. (I probably remember some of the solutions as well.)
Anyways, good luck and welcome
