Scoring good marks in mathematics is not a hard task. Everybody knows that it is the most scoring subject. It is all about following the right steps and making correct calculations, and every question will reward the students with full marks. Similarly, one silly mistake can take all this away and end up wasting the students’ time in the exam hall. So, the one thing that maths requires from every student is precision. This ability can be attained through a lot of practice and by getting acquainted with a variety of questions. The purpose of this article is to show the students how they can do the same and secure an excellent percentage in the exam.
Class 9 maths has more importance than one tends to realize beforehand. A good performance in the Board exams in many ways depends on how the students prepare themselves in this stage. It is the precision and the ability to solve any question confidently that will help the students conquer the Board exams and also other professional examinations. From here starts the journey on which, no matter how far one goes, the students have to look back at the starting point on every level. So, below are some tips and methods to help the students prepare mathematics more efficiently.
Firstly, what is there in the syllabus?
It is an important task, and at the same time interesting too, to take a good look at the syllabus. Here is given a list of all the units and chapters that the students have to study:
- Number Systems:
There is only one chapter in this unit – Real Numbers.
- Algebra:
This unit comprises two chapters – Linear Equations in Two Variables and Polynomials.
- Coordinate Geometry:
This unit consists of only Coordinate Geometry.
- Geometry:
This is a very important unit. It has 7 chapters – Introduction to Euclid’s Geometry, Triangles, Lines and Angles, Quadrilaterals, Circles, Area, and Constructions.
- Mensuration:
This unit includes two very important chapters – Areas and Surface Areas and Volumes.
- Statistics and Probability:
Statistics and Probability are the two chapters in this unit.
It is recommended that the students learn these chapters by heart; for they will meet them from time to time in different stages of life.
Secondly, what are the most important chapters?
To evaluate the importance of the units or the chapters, one must see the marks division. According to the new marks scheme and exam pattern applied by CBSE, the written exams will be of 80 marks and the rest 20 will be assigned to the internal assessments. So, here is how the total marks are distributed among the 6 units:
- Geometry, the largest unit, carries 28 marks out of 80.
- Algebra carries 17 marks out of 80.
- Mensuration, also very important, carries 13 marks out of 80.
- Statistics and Probability carries 10 marks out of 80.
- Number Systems carries 8 marks out of 80, and
- Coordinate Geometry carries 4 marks out of 80.
About the question pattern, there will be a total of 40 questions in the exam. And these 40 will be divided into four types of questions – very short answer objective type (1 mark each), short answer questions I (2 marks each), Short answer question II (3 marks each), and long answer questions (4 marks each).
The Internal Assessment will be divided into three categories – Multiple assessments (pen-paper test) carrying 10 marks, Portfolio carrying 5 marks, and Lab Practical carrying 5 marks.
Thirdly, which books to follow?
Since this is not just a matter of one year, one must be very careful about the selection of books. Many books purport to be helpful but in reality, they are not. These books lack the proper explanations and end up confusing the students. The subject experts and renowned teachers recommend books like NCERT Maths and RS Agarwal. These books are preferred because of their authenticity and the trust that they have gained from the students. Year after year, these books have shown the path to the students. NCERT Maths book and RS Agarwal are not only used in school and board exams, but they are trustworthy companions of SSC and other professional and academic aspirants. The students can also seek help from R S Aggarwal Solutions for CBSE Class 9 to clear their concepts and deal with any kind of doubts.
Fourthly, how important is it to note down formulae?
The backbone of mathematics is the formulae. Especially, when seen from the examination point of view, without having a strong grasp of the formulae can be time-consuming and extremely harmful. Thus, the students are advised to have a separate notebook for the formulae, or they can paste all the formulae on a sheet and hang the sheet in front of their study table. So that they can have them easily while practising. This helps the students naturally memorize the formulae and they will remember them for a long time.
Lastly, what are the roles of revision and sample question papers?
The students already know how crucial revision is when the exams are approaching. So, it is suggested that they revise the whole syllabus – every chapter, every topic – thoroughly multiple times. They should go through all the important and difficult concepts over and over again. They should prepare themselves in such a way as to have the basics at the tip of their tongue. Working on the exercise sets given in the books and solving sample questions from different sources will make the students more confident. It will also make them more efficient while dealing with challenging questions in the exam. The students are suggested to broaden the circumference of their knowledge and consolidate their base to enhance their performance.
To conclude, it must be said that the students should only attempt the questions that they are completely sure about. There will be a limited period in the exam, and one’s duty should be to answer correctly as many questions as she/he can.
