5 Worst PSLE Math Revision Techniques [2021]

[ updated: May 2021 ]

Students revising for their PSLE math exam use a variety of revision styles and techniques. Instead of going through an entire list of revision techniques, in this article, we will put the spotlight on the worst 5 revision styles for your PSLE preparation.

What is the mistake:
When PSLE is just around the corner, some students will turn to creating revision notes, thinking that those notes will help them understand faster.

Truth is that some students do not realize that they are merely self-comforted by the act of creating the revision notes because they feel like they are ‘doing something’ for their revision.

It is far better to do the actual revision than to create an aid for revision when PSLE is near.

Don’t mistake revision note creation as the act of revising itself. It is not. Even if it is, the former is far inferior than the latter.

Why is it a mistake:
Do not spend too much time creating notes, the textbooks or revision guide books are sufficient.

You can spend days, even weeks creating notes

It takes up an excessive and unnecessary amount of time which could otherwise be used to do the actual studying itself

Some students will say that they understand better using their own revision notes, that could be true. However, is there really ample time to do that when PSLE is just a couple of days away?

What to do instead:

Most of what is needed is already on the textbook or guidebooks that can be bought in the bookstore. It does not make any sense to recreate another similar set of revision notes.

Alternatively, share the task with a group of friends. Each person could do the notes for a few topics instead of the entire syllabus and then share the compilation of revision notes.

What is the mistake:
There’s a tendency for students to highlight the books excessively.

The highlighter is meant to ensure that important information pops out when the student is reading the book or revision note, it is not just to highlight all the important parts of the book.

Most of the information in the book is important, does that mean that we should highlight the entire book?

In that case, what’s the use of highlighting? The student might as well dip the book in highlight liquid.

Why is it a mistake:
If every piece of information pops out at the student while studying, there won’t any focus or prioritising of information to be absorbed.

Students who face difficulties in deciding which part to highlight usually have a corresponding difficulty in prioritising different information elements.

It can also reveal an underlying fear of not having enough information or resources to tackle a problem (in this case, the problem may be the test/exam/quiz).

What to do instead:
Refrain from simply preaching or scolding your child for excessive highlighting.

Instead, focus on discussing with him which part of the book he has difficulty remembering and guide him to focus on those parts.

Help him to understand the function of a highlighter, which is to ensure that the information ‘pops out’ at him when he flips to the page.

This habit will take time to form.

What is the mistake:
When it comes to PSLE math exam, there are always students

who feel that it is sufficient to spend most of the time memorizing the many formulas (area of parallelogram, area of triangle, etc).

because such actions of memorizing fill them with the confidence to tackle the exam questions

Why is it a mistake:
PSLE math exam is not structured to allow students to ‘read’ their way to an A grade, instead it places heavy emphasis on practising how to apply what they have read.

The latest PSLE math syllabus focuses very little on formula and technique memorizing and instead,

they put the spotlight on application of techniques on highly creative questions that stretches the minds of the students.

Students who flip through the revision notes with minimal amount of practising and testing themselves on the application of the mathematical techniques will find it extremely tough to handle the PSLE math exam.

What to do instead:

Take a few minutes to flip through the revision notes and start attempting the exam practice papers.

The exam practice papers are not categorized by topic but rather by school.

Therefore, it will be much easier for them to do the questions categorized by topic and difficulty level.

After the students are done attempting the questions, they can check their answers and watch the video tutorials on the fastest method to do those questions.

What is the mistake:
Most students (and parents) structure the revision time table based on time slots.

For example, Thurs 3pm – 4.30pm (math), 4.30pm – 6pm (English).

Why is it a mistake:
The goal of this revision structure is to complete the allocated time, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the goal is to spend 1hr 30 mins of productive studying on the subject itself.

The student could very well

day dream for 50% of the time slot
and doodle for 25% of the time
and only spend 25% of the time on actual studying.

This is a very inefficient style of structuring a PSLE revision time table.

What to do instead:

Structure the revision time table by goals instead. 

• For example, the goal for that day could be to complete 1 full exam practice paper and to complete the given school homework.
• Once the students achieve the goals, they can do whatever they want after that. 

In this scenario, the students are motivated to complete their learning and they wouldn’t dread spending 1hr and 30 mins at their desks because they know that they can leave as long as they are done.

What is the mistake:
Students, especially younger ones, find it exciting to study in groups.

They will justify it by saying that their friends can help them if they encounter questions they need help with.

They will also justify it by saying that studying in groups keeps them motivated.

Why is it a mistake:
It’s undeniable that it is usually more entertaining to study with their friends instead of being alone.

With that said, group studying is very much unsuitable when PSLE exams are just around the corner.

Most of the time, the studying speed is very slow due to distractions and tendency for students to chat among themselves.

What to do instead:
Students should separate the time used for studying and hanging out with friends.

• When the time comes for intensive revision, students need to be by themselves.
• When they ae done with their revision, they should be allowed to hang out with their friends.

Both are important. Parents should also avoid a 100% complete ban on social gathering among the students’ friends. This will demotivate the student and there could be a negative impact on the students’ overall learning motivation.