i want 7's

hello! i’m so sorry for the late response, but here we go:

i live in ontario, and i’m not sure if there is a universal entrance exam for ib. the test that my school did is the CAT-4. i did it 3 years ago, so i don’t quite remember it much, but i do remember it being super easy. it was all multiple choice and things that you should have learned in middle school. the biggest thing i’d recommend is to be sure your mental math skills are up to par - there was a no-calculation section, although you were allowed scrap paper - and to take note of your time. i think each section was around 25 minutes (again, not too sure) and i remember having about 5-10 minutes to revise, which i didn’t think was that much.

it’s really lovely having people freak out with you about cas, ia’s, ee, etc... so if you’re an active studyblr in the ib diploma programme, please message me or reblog with the following information:

year

classes (and levels if known)

country

i’m not too too knowledgeable on this topic as i’m not going into medicine (i think right now, anyway), but these are my two cents:

the way it worked out in my hl math class is that most people are going into engineering, i think. the people who want to go into medicine are primarily in sl, so i don’t think it makes too much of a difference what math level you take (sciences you should probably do hl). if you feel hl would be advantageous… my teacher said at the beginning of the year that to be in hl, you need to love math, be good at it, and work hard at it. even if you’ve been coasting through math your entire life, it is a shift in difficulty for 95% of the people. you can’t expect to just “study really hard” for every single test - it’s not feasible, and it’s unnecessary if you’re not going into math. i was very lucky in grade 10 and had the hl math teacher for my math teacher, and he recommended me, which made me more confident going in.

[thursday, december 17th 2015 / 4:55 pm]

feeling like a miserable high school student who’s tearing her hair out over stress and needs caffeine to stay alive. also i’m sorry that my pictures aren’t study-related, but you know what, i don’t care because i fucking! hate! this! essay!

[wednesday, december 16th 2015 / 5:37 pm]

❝i like to think about where people will be in 10 years and for some reason i think you’ll be very successful. i don’t know why. you just have it together.❞ ─ my friend

[tuesday, december 15th 2015 / 1:40 pm]

there’s only one essay left between me and winter break…

it’s the worst when you study really hard for a test and it goes poorly anyway, because chemistry. might bake cookies tonight to cheer myself up. or watch tv.

i thought i was good at math until i put myself into hl math and it all went to shit down the drain. i have never had to study particularly hard for math as i have for other courses so starting over as a rookie feels strange but liberating. my math mark has improved greatly and so here is my guide on how to study math!

resources:

questionbank (if you have mac download winebottler to open) [will straight up save your life if you’re in ib hl math]

khan academy [bit annoying in that the videos are unnecessarily long because of mistakes, but useful for learning specific concepts]

wolfram alpha [helpful for double-checking annoying calculations]

google calculator [sometimes i forget my graphing calculator at school and i hate this calculator but i like it better than my phone]

your textbook [a bunch of practice questions with answers is a gift from heaven]

your friends [probably nice and want to help out]

your teacher [probably nice and want to help out, but if not, then ask another math teacher at your school]

math masterposts:

abs-studies

organisaticns

moisturbate

enfpfocustudyblr

doitforthea

notebooks-n-naps

general tips:

solve as many practice questions as you can - practice really makes perfect

do your homework. a lot of classes have homework questions on the test, just with different numbers

do your homework right, and by that i mean check your answers. math textbooks usually have answers, but if there aren’t any, compare with a friend. you need to know if you’re doing it right or not

write your notes using graph paper or buy a graph notebook because once you get into functions there’s no going back

math is all about pattern recognition, especially with word problems

word problems have key vocabulary that let you figure out what kind of math you need to use

if you have to draw a diagram, try to draw it somewhat to scale. you can sort of check if your answer makes sense that way

skipping steps is useful because speed is important but if it’s a step you feel uncomfortable skipping, then don’t do it; it will screw you over

a lot of people don’t get math because it’s hard! if you feel you understand what’s happening, try and help someone. it’ll benefit them and you, because that’s how you know if you really understand

learn how to use your graphing calculator. you can really use it to your advantage

memorize the math terminology and symbols. it may not feel necessary, but it’s useful and you could get screwed over on a test because you didn’t know summation notation or the symbol for integers

make sure your handwriting is as legible as possible. sometimes your answer is wrong simply because you couldn’t read your handwriting during the process and calculated the wrong numbers

asking for help is important because you always build your knowledge and even if you memorize and get away with it now, you will get screwed later. if your teacher scares you, ask a friend or get a tutor

specific tips for ib maths:

questionbank is the best resource you have. use it, love it, become best friends with it - especially if you’re in hl. ib hl questions are hard to come up with, so most teachers will take test questions from questionbank. even if they don’t, however, it’s good practice. hl is hard simply because they combine the topics you learn in ways you wouldn’t think of. practice, and you will be fine.

remember how to do basic math calculations. paper 1 of sl and hl don’t allow any calculators, so you really want to remember how to do 2 by 2 digit multiplication and division etc.

having a formula booklet on a test or exam is great only if you know what to do with the formulas you’re given

get to know your formula booklet because it could save you some brain space not memorizing formulas

masterposts:

math!

+ more

the way it works out at my school is that all ib courses are taught higher level. this decision comes from not being an entirely ib school (therefore not enough classes to separate the two levels) as well as the fact that standard level covers less material than what’s required in the provincial curriculum. therefore i haven’t chosen my levels yet - except for math, which is the one exception, and geo, because i’m taking ib2 in grade 11 and you have to do standard level if you take it early at my school.

[saturday, december 12th 2015 / 4:15 pm]

not feeling my moody aesthetic but that’s what the weather’s like outside today - cloudy and sad. spent the entire day filming a population infomercial for geography in the outskirts of town, and we’re finally almost done wrapping things up!

[friday, december 11th 2015 / 2:27 pm]

it’s been a rough few days and it’s going to be a rough few next weeks because school and ib1 and procrastination but feeling ready to tackle things!

finally got my spare after a week-long “devynn vs guidance” battle and using it to make some tok notes 🤓

[tuesday, december 8th 2015 / 9:46 pm]

hi friends my name is dev that’s short for devynn and i’m a 16 year old girl from canada. my grades suck, my clothes suck, my life sucks, and i’m trying to repair this suckiness by doing something different for a change - working hard, not being an asshole, and drinking water!

like/reblog if you’re a studyblr and i’ll check out your blog/follow you! we’re all in this together... let’s all succeed.