How to Pass WASSCE Core Maths by Strategy

To be able to pass WASSCE Core Maths, you must start with a burning desire, by developing a positive attitude to Maths, become a more determined Maths student, take your destiny into your own hands, make good use of WAEC Core Maths past questions, know what WASSCE Core Maths topics to focus on and associate with your fellow students who excel in Core Maths.

It is important also that you do not hate your Core Maths teacher even if they make your study of Core Maths a nightmare. Have you noticed that students who finally get A1 in Maths are not the ones who waste their time backbiting their Maths teachers?

Above all, what you do in the exam room on that day will either help you to pass the Maths test or set you on the road to failure.

The Importance of Core Maths

So why is it necessary to pass WASSCE Core Maths? Core Maths is important because a credit pass (at least C6) in Core Maths is required for any high school student serious about gaining admission to most public institutions of higher learning in Ghana.

In other words, a good pass in Core Maths is compulsory if you wish to further your education in a public university, college of education or nurses training college.

Again, for recruitment into the Ghana Immigration Service, Police, army, airforce, navy, fire service and similar government institutions, an applicant must have a credit pass in Core Maths.

It is true that not all tertiary educational institutions or employers insist on a credit pass in Mathematics. Some consider a good pass in Social Studies to be just fine for some selected courses. But overall, most high school graduates in Ghana and other WAEC-member countries need at least a credit pass in Core Maths to move to the next level.

This is why we all hate and love Mathematics at the same time. You simply must get your Core Maths grade right, right?

In this post, I will explain to you the very steps I took years ago to pass my WAEC Core Maths paper with relative ease. I believe that since I was able to pass the Core Maths test despite the familiar difficulties I went through while learning Mathematics as a student whose first love was the arts or humanities, anybody in my kind of situation can also pass the WAEC General Mathematics test.

It will always be possible.

By the Way…

Let me quickly say this. This post is not out to teach you WASSCE Core Maths. Neither is it going to teach JAMB or NECO Mathematics. Because the simple truth is I stopped learning and teaching Mathematics seriously many years ago. This is why I cannot pretend to teach you Mathematics the way your qualified Core/General Maths teacher would do.

I still remember things like Pythagoras’ Theorem, Simultaneous and Quadratic Equations, Number Bases, Sets and Change of Subject. Wow! But this is where it ends. I’ve given my life fully to English and General Arts and I’m glad I did.

So what do you stand to gain here? Well, something simple but powerful. You will learn the way to approach your Mathematics studies and handle the Core Maths questions when they are finally placed before you in the WAEC exam hall.

This is why I call this tutorial How to Pass WASSCE Core Maths by Strategy.

Learn this secret about passing any subject. Your intelligence and knowledge will always matter, but never more than your mindset and approach to that subject.

This is why the most intelligent Maths student is not always the one to get A1 in Maths. Sometimes, the student with average intelligence but with the right strategy is the one who gets an A1 or at least B3 in Core Maths.

And trust me, if you follow the mindset and strategies I’m about to teach you, you too can pass your WASSCE Core Maths.

With that out of the way, I’m now ready to give you the tips and tricks to use to pass General Mathematics in the WASSCE.

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1. A Burning Desire

Just like any other personal ambition, the strength of the desire in you to succeed will make the difference. So raise your desire level very high. Let it burn in your chest every morning, afternoon and evening. Focus on this desire to pass Mathematics with flying colours. And keep reminding yourself how much you want this and how you’re bent on making it happen. It works.

2. Develop a Positive Mindset

Let’s put it simply. You will only get what you want if you believe you CAN. A strong belief that you can get A1 in Maths or at least C6 is the starting point to success. Because it will force you to take the needed steps to get there. Here are some tips to use to change your negative mindset about Mathematics to a positive one.

• Stop telling yourself you are too weak in Maths to pass. Because you are not.
• Dissociate yourself from people whose sayings put or increase the fear of Mathematics in you.
• Use positive affirmations to build your self-confidence about learning and understanding Mathematical concepts.
• Never lose faith in the power of the Universe to support your efforts to achieve your best results in WAEC Core Maths.

3. Get More Determined

Whatever your level of intelligence in the area of Mathematics, you still need a good dose of daily determination to succeed.

Do not take things for granted if you have a talent for Mathematics. And if you’re one struggling to learn Maths, you really need to be very strong-willed to pass WAEC Core Maths.

For instance, do not let one very low score in a single Maths test dampen your spirit forever. Instead, study your weaknesses carefully and learn not to repeat your mistakes. Smile when the going gets tough. Refuse to give up and you will laugh at the end of the day.

And remember, do not let one brilliant performance in a test fool you to become complacent. A dogged determination, day after day, is what you need to succeed.

4. Take Your Destiny Into Your Own Hands

Let’s face it, it is not all Mathematics teachers who are on top of their game. Personally, I still believe that the unhelpful attitude of a couple of my elementary school teachers contributed to my initial poor performance in the subject.

On many occasions, I got so scared of my Maths teacher that I got extremely confused in the Maths class. So I ended up at the bottom of the Maths class most of the time. But what scared me most was the realization that I might not get the Distinction I was capable of getting even if I maintained my exceptional performance in English, History and the like. Because my abysmal score in Maths would spoil everything.

That realization was a game-changer for me. From then on, as a thirteen-year-old elementary school pupil, I made the decision to teach myself Mathematics my way. The rest is history.

The point I’m trying to make is this. Do not allow a teacher’s bad teaching methodology to prevent you from passing Maths. Ignore any negative comments from them. Help yourself. Find ways to understand the difficult concepts on your own terms.

And, believe it or not. Mathematics can be read the same way we read Literature or Government. Employ the same in-born abilities you use to excel at your favourite subjects to help you to grasp as many concepts in the WAEC Maths syllabus as possible.

5. Use WAEC Core Maths Past Questions

Look for as many Core Maths past questions as possible and add them to your learning toolkit. Past questions have always been a dependable revision resource for all serious high school and college students.

Here are some tips to apply with regard to WAEC Core Maths past questions.

• Ask around. These days, it is getting more difficult to obtain WAEC past questions. Your teachers, fellow students, seniors and older siblings might just be the right source for getting the Maths past questions you need.
• Download WAEC Maths past questions online.
• Buy a WASSCE Core Maths Questions and Answers book. Aki Ola and Approachers are two popular brands in Ghana. But they are not the only helpful high school Maths textbooks. You can get equally good ones from your local bookshop or from other teachers who write textbooks for sale.
• Study the manner of the Maths questions over the years. Note those that are repeated often.
• Practice answering the past questions. Then compare your solutions to those in the textbooks. Do this as often as possible.

6. Focus on the Right Topics

So how do you learn to pass WASSCE General Mathematics?

Take this from me. If you are a struggling Mathematics student, the worst thing you can do to yourself is to spend most of your time forcing yourself to learn topics in the Maths syllabus that are making life difficult for you.

Look, there are some topics in the WAEC Maths syllabus that you might never grasp fully despite all the effort you put into your studies. Leave such topics alone.

Are there any specific topics like this? No. This is a personal thing. What I may find tough to understand may be easy for you. So just know what is causing you a headache each time you try to get your head around it.

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not by any means saying you should go on avoiding every topic that is proving difficult. The majority of the topics can be understood with sustained, determined effort. But a few won’t just crack.

You can still pass the WAEC Core Maths paper without ‘knowing’ everything. It is a matter of strategy.

Consider the following tips.

• Instead of wasting time on what is not working, use your energy on perfecting your skills in the Maths topics that are not too difficult or are very easy for you. The goal is to maximize your marks in those areas. This will offset any losses in marks you may have suffered from those tough Maths topics. Just make sure that the number of topics you are focusing on is much higher than the ones you don’t want to waste time on.
• There is always a choice to be made even in the most difficult sections of the Maths paper. The probability that you will find some manageable questions to select is always very high. Don’t forget also that you don’t even need to score full marks (100%) in order to get A1 in Mathematics.
• Find some time to learn any aspects (sub-topics) of your problem topics that are a bit easy. And that should be enough.

If you need further explanation on point 6, in particular, you can contact me or leave a comment in the comment box beneath this post.

7. Associate With Exceptional Maths Students

There are some students who are born Mathematicians. For such brilliant Maths students, there is hardly any difficult Maths concept. Count yourself lucky if you have ‘an Archimedes’ or ‘a Pythagoras’ in your class or family. Find a way to make them assist you to learn the subject more effectively.

Trust me, some of these Maths geniuses can help you to say bye to any fears you have about studying WAEC Core Maths.

8. Become Friends With Your Maths Teacher

Finally, learn to be on friendly terms with the person teaching you High School Mathematics. You cannot possibly hate your Maths tutor and still hope to do well in the subject. That is unless you personally have a way of listening attentively and taking instructions from people you have just finished convincing yourself are the worst human beings under the sun.

Thankfully, it isn’t all Maths teachers that are that scary. There are very jovial and extremely friendly ones. I’ve met some along the way.

If you can, go ahead and become his or her friend. This way, they might be willing to give you extra help with your Math studies.

A respectful and disciplined student is sure to get tips from their teacher on such areas as how Core Maths is marked and what Maths topics to devote greater attention to.

Who knows, your Maths teacher may even share with you the secrets of the WAEC Core Maths marking scheme.

9. Do the Right Things in the Exam Room

On the day of the WASSCE Core Maths paper, take the following steps to increase your chances of success.

• Arrive early at the exam centre.
• Do not enter the exam room with any prohibited material.
• Right from the word go, work very fast. Time is precious at this time, please.
• For the objective test, do not waste time on difficult-to-solve questions. Instead, move quickly with the relatively easy ones and get to the last question before the time is over.
• Make sure to get your shading right while you skip the difficult questions.
• Get back to the more difficult objective questions and do what you can with them. Let the Universe take care of the rest.
• For the essay part of the Core Maths paper, select your questions wisely.
• Where you need to answer ALL QUESTIONS, start with the easier ones as we discussed earlier in this post. Ensure that you do maximum justice to your ‘manageable’ questions.
• Again, make sure that you are able to answer, to the best of your ability, all the questions you CAN answer in the essay section.
• Then come back and do as much as you can with the more difficult ones here too.
• Ensure that you have followed all instructions, and corrected all unpardonable mistakes. Your Core Maths teacher would have taught you these.
• Hand over your answer booklet as soon as you are told to do so. No need to put yourself in unnecessary trouble.

10. Tell Yourself You Have Done Your Part

Now the test is over. It is no use going back to check what you did right or didn’t do right. This last point is very much my personal opinion. So I cannot force it on anyone.

What I sincerely believe is that trying to find out whether or not you got this or that answer right might cause you needless anxiety. You must avoid sleepless nights and too much stress long after the Core Maths test had come to an end.

Whatever you think or do now is not going to change anything. Your fate now rests squarely in the hands of that WAEC examiner you may never know by name or face. And your future will be shaped in unimaginable ways by the Universe.

This is why I strongly suggest that you just relax and look into the future with confidence. You have done your part. And that should definitely be enough for you to pass WASSCE Core Maths by strategy.

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