Help with maths

[pineapple515]

Hi All,

Applied for teacher training course for sep 2019. I need to pass maths and english skills test.

I can, very much to my surprise, pass the English one fine when using practice papers. However, i'm failing badly at maths. The first section has 10 questions which are 60 seconds long, they are mental arithmetic questions. I'm finding these the hardest, they are long questions and by the time I get my head around them time is up.

I was really good at maths in school, college and uni. I'm currently a software dev and I feel like I've gotten lazy over time as I do everything via comp. Any advice? It's questions like working out fractions/remembering how to divide on paper/working on percentages etc! Links to any useful resources would be more than welcome.

Thanks!

[Disney Dreaming]

Originally Posted by pineapple515

Hi All,

Applied for teacher training course for sep 2019. I need to pass maths and english skills test.

I can, very much to my surprise, pass the English one fine when using practice papers. However, i'm failing badly at maths. The first section has 10 questions which are 60 seconds long, they are mental arithmetic questions. I'm finding these the hardest, they are long questions and by the time I get my head around them time is up.

I was really good at maths in school, college and uni. I'm currently a software dev and I feel like I've gotten lazy over time as I do everything via comp. Any advice? It's questions like working out fractions/remembering how to divide on paper/working on percentages etc! Links to any useful resources would be more than welcome.

Thanks!

See more...

I have a brilliant math's book pm me your address and i will send it to you, the only thing i ask is when you are done can you send it back to me

[pineapple515]

Originally Posted by Disney Dreaming

I have a brilliant math's book pm me your address and i will send it to you, the only thing i ask is when you are done can you send it back to me

See more...

Thank you so much! Will do.

[Blue nose]

Maybe try some online maths games to get your brain thinking quick. There's loads of free ones online

[pineapple515]

Originally Posted by Blue nose

Maybe try some online maths games to get your brain thinking quick. There's loads of free ones online

See more...

Ah such a good idea! Thank you!

[jackster14]

Practice, practice, practice..Good luck

[Helen J]

I don't know if they are free but my sons school provides them with access to Hegarty Maths and Senecca, he says both are very good.
There are lots of free resources online, as others have already said, the only way to get better is to practice.

[Magic Mouse]

Your post has made me nervous! DD is applying for a degree in Primary Teaching for next year and at this very moment has the website open with the practice tests!

She thinks she will struggle with the maths one.

Do you have your tests booked yet?

[ziggyzag]

My daughters school uses Sumdog, to improve the mental maths skills. Its pretty good though she is better than me at it lol

[neilhd]

My DD had the same issue. She was never great at maths but did surprise us by getting a C at GCSE after a lot of hard work.

When it came to this test she couldn't do it. Or, more to the point, couldn't do it in the time limit. It didn't help that the exam centre she did it in was really noisy with lots of people coming and going which didn't help her concentration.

So she failed it - not by loads - and then I think if you fail a couple more times you are blocked for 2 years. So rather than put all her eggs in that basket she decided to not pursue a career as a primary school teacher, which is a shame.

Given the shortage of teachers they are making it difficult. I don't think she would need that level of maths to teach 4 year olds.