15 May 2023

Feeling a bit stuck? The Maths Mentors can help you tackle your final assessments and exams

The end of the trimester is always a busy time as you complete your final assignments and prepare for exams.

While it’s normal to feel a little nervous ahead of finishing your final assessments, if you’re struggling to make sense of mathematical concepts in one of your units or lacking confidence in your maths abilities, it’s OK – Deakin’s Maths Mentors have heard it all before and are trained to help you understand your course materials. Read on for their advice about how to ace your final T1 assessments, or attend an online session to receive help from one of our friendly Maths Mentors, like Mollie or Sam (pictured)!

Worried about your maths and upcoming assessments?

Then you’re not alone! Don’t feel embarrassed if you don’t know the solution to a problem or you’re lacking in confidence. You’d be surprised how many students feel intimidated by maths subjects, and sometimes you might not even realise just how close you are to reaching the right answer to a problem before assuming it’s beyond your understanding. 

‘The most common problems students have are confidence issues,’ says Senior Maths Mentor Daniel Coomber.

‘A lot of students… will have a very good idea of what they are meant to be doing, but they will just mess up one step in a question because they are not confident about their answer. Then solving the whole problem goes wrong.’

If you’re doubting yourself or feel like you need to regain your confidence in your mathematical ability, don’t be shy about it. Attend one of our online drop-in sessions and talk it over with a Maths Mentor as they will understand your concerns.

Test yourself with our Maths Support Resource Centre resources

Practice makes perfect, as they say! Sustained repetition is a great way to start building your confidence with any subject and improving your problem-solving skills.

Maths Mentor Katherine Barbadonis supports this notion: ‘Try lots of practice questions. I know sometimes it can feel boring or repetitive but the more questions you do, the more patterns you will begin to see.’

Fellow Maths Mentor Daniel Kanigowski (left) agrees: ‘Setting regular revision times throughout the week, such as 10–15 minutes every third night, is much more effective than looking at the content once after six weeks have gone by. Save yourself the trouble of having to relearn everything once exams roll around.’

With this in mind, did you know about Deakin’s Maths Support Resource Centre? Guided by the Maths Mentors, it provides a range of great links to maths examples, videos and practice questions for you to gauge your current understanding of concepts and bolster your problem-solving abilities before you complete your assessments and exams.

Talk to a Maths Mentor online for some recommendations about what resources you should try or explore the Maths Support Resource Centre in your own time.

Get exam-ready with one-on-one help

‘Get started early,’ advises Daniel K. ‘Whether it’s assignments or exam preparation, the sooner you start, the sooner you can detect the things that don’t quite make sense and still have enough time to seek help or clarification.’  

Wise words indeed! If you’re deep in the throes of maths revision for an upcoming exam and something’s not making sense, don’t stress – Maths Mentors are available until the end of Week 12 (first week of the end-of-the-trimester study period).

Drop in online to chat with a Maths Mentor today and bring along any tricky maths concepts and problems that you’d like help solving. We’ll help you find the answers you need.

Talk to a Maths Mentor today!

If you have any maths concerns ahead of finishing your final assessments or sitting your exams for Trimester 1, don’t cause yourself needless worry by not seeking help. Attend one of our online drop-in interactive sessions with a Maths Mentor today. You don’t need an appointment, just bring along any maths questions for personalised help. You can share your screen, talk or text with the mentor. You can also get in touch via email and access all the useful resources on the Maths Support Resource Centre at any time.