PSLE Math: Preparing and Revising for Them
The PSLE math paper is one of the most important math exams your child will face. If they score a low mark, they’ll have less of a chance of getting into their dream secondary school. If you want your child to be ready to face the PSLE math questions, you need to help them prepare and revise ahead of time. In this article, we’ll go through the ways of preparing for the PSLE exam and 5 helpful tips on revising for the exam!
What’s the best way to prepare for the PSLE Maths exam?
If you are looking for a one-size-fits-all sure-win method, there isn’t one. After all, what works for one child may not be as effective for another. In order to prepare for PSLE successfully, you need to understand your child’s learning abilities and the amount of time they have before the exams. Taking note of their current learning level and slowly advancing it beforehand is one of the best study habits to have for the PSLEs.
Why is it important to start early?
The PSLE is a 2-year course. So, your child will need to be very familiar with the primary school math concepts that are taught in Primary 5 and Primary 6. Since the PSLE exam is a consolidation of what your child has learnt over their 6 years of primary school, don’t be surprised to find primary school math questions from Primary 3 and 4 appearing as well. Preparing for the PSLEs early will ensure that your child has ample time to go through all the class materials and brush up on what they have missed step by step. More importantly, having more revision time would also help to reduce the amount of stress you and your child face as opposed to last minute revision.
How early should you prepare for PSLE?
The best time to start is the beginning or middle of the year in Primary 5. If your child is already quite strong in mathematics, starting PSLE preparation is simple. Doing consistent practice everyday and keeping up with what is taught in school is the key. In some cases, your child will need more time to adapt to the demands of Primary 5. So, feel free afford half a years’ time for them to settle down and gain confidence.
How to plan a PSLE revision timetable?
There is no point creating a PSLE study plan according to what you, the parent, want. The study plan needs to cater to your child’s learning style and preferences to be effective. So, sit down with your child and discuss the times they feel is best to study. Allocate their studying time and play time accordingly and appropriately. If your opinions clash, try to reach a compromise that settles both parties. To guide you along, here’s what your study plan can include:
- A targeted PSLE math score
- A targeted score each math exam before the PSLE
- Total number of study sessions per week
- A weekly study schedule for all math concepts
Have your child write the plan down on a piece of paper so they can remember it. Keep track of their progress as they are doing their revision throughout the year and adjust whenever necessary. If you need help on goal setting, check out this post here.
5 Tips for PSLE Math revision
1. Understand Your Child’s Current Math Level
The first, and most important, tip is to know where your child is currently standing in math. In order to have an effective study session, you need to know your child’s proficiency levels in various math topics. Being aware of your child’s learning gaps will help you plan out the time and effort they’ll need. You can either do this by keeping track of your child’s practice manually or use a platform like Practicle to help you monitor their math proficiency automatically.
2. PSLE Math: Focus on the Right Areas
Your child already has a lot to work with, so you shouldn’t overwhelm them with unnecessary practices on top of their workload. So, make sure that all of their math study sessions are targeted to their needs and learning gaps. Focusing on the right areas ensures that your child spends a balanced amount of time strengthening their math foundation. This effective study habit is also a much better approach to helping them improve instead of trying to focus on everything all at once. Demanding them to be equally good in all areas can lead to unneeded stress in the long term.
3. Ensure Regular Practice
When it comes to preparing for the PSLE math exam, practice really does make it perfect. Build your child’s study momentum by reminding them to practice math questions daily. Consistent practice will also increase your child’s familiarity with numbers, which also helps improve their accuracy and speed over time. Come up with a working schedule to help your child get into the habit of daily Math practice. You can also arrange frequent study groups with their friends to make studying more fun. This study habit is so timeless, even college students still do this!
4. Teach Time Management
To save your child from the stress of running out of time, you need teach them to have good time management while studying! Guide your child on how to divide their time amongst the different kinds of math problems. Teach them to study smarter by narrowing down their study focus and taking frequent breaks to maintain their concentration. To start with, you can use a timer to help them keep track of their time studying. Study planners are also an effective way of mapping out their study sessions throughout the day.
5. Look out for Common Mistakes
Make a point to review your child’s mistakes while practicing math and have them reflect on them. Helping your child be aware of the mistakes they tend to make will increase their sensitivity. Leading to preventing making similar mistakes in future. One simple way to do this can be to keep a notebook of the usual mistakes that your child makes in their practices and review them on a regular basis.
Revise for the PSLEs with Practicle!
Now you know the best ways to prepare and revise for your child’s PSLE math exam. It will be a hard and challenging time both for you and your child, but seeing them get the PSLE results they work for will be worth all the struggle. If you want an easier time preparing for the PSLE math exam, though, you can always try out Practicle. Our gamified math app uses AI to give out personalised math questions in the form of fun daily quests. This way, your child can revise for the PSLEs and have fun at the same time. If you’re not ready to commit, we offer a 7-day free trial so you can try the app out for yourself.
