The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is a big deal for students in Singapore. It’s the gateway to secondary school, and Maths often feels like the toughest nut to crack. Many kids dread the problem sums, the tricky geometry questions, and the pressure of getting every step right. But here’s the good news: with the right study techniques, improving your PSLE Maths score isn’t just possible—it can even be fun. Let’s dive into some smart, practical ways to boost those marks without burning out.
Start with a Game Plan
Imagine you’re a football coach preparing for a big match. You wouldn’t just tell your team to “run around and kick the ball,” right? You’d have a strategy. Studying for PSLE Maths is the same. Begin by figuring out where you stand. Grab a past-year paper or your latest school test and go through it. Mark the questions you got wrong or struggled with. Are fractions tripping you up? Do word problems make your head spin? Knowing your weak spots is like having a treasure map—it shows you exactly where to dig.
Once you’ve got your map, set small, clear goals. Don’t aim for “get better at Maths.” That’s too vague. Instead, try “master percentages in two weeks” or “solve five problem sums a day.” Break it down, and suddenly it feels less overwhelming. Plus, ticking off those mini-goals? That’s a confidence booster.
Make Friends with the Syllabus
The PSLE Maths syllabus isn’t a mystery—it’s a list of topics you can find online or in your textbooks. Get familiar with it. Print it out, stick it on your wall, and highlight what’s coming up in the exam. Topics like ratios, decimals, and geometry are guaranteed to show up, so don’t waste time on stuff that’s not tested. Focus your energy where it counts.
Here’s a tip: pair this with your weak-spot list. If you’re shaky on angles but rock at multiplication, spend more time measuring triangles than drilling times tables. It’s about working smarter, not harder.
Practice Like It’s a Sport
You don’t become a pro swimmer by reading about strokes—you jump in the pool. Maths is the same. Grab those assessment books, past papers, or even free worksheets online, and practice daily. Start with easy questions to warm up, then tackle the harder ones. Time yourself too—PSLE is as much about speed as accuracy.
But don’t just scribble answers and call it a day. After every session, check your work. If you messed up, figure out why. Did you misread the question? Forget a formula? Skip a step? Mistakes are gold—they teach you what to fix. Keep a little notebook of your slip-ups and review it weekly. Over time, you’ll spot patterns and plug those gaps.
Crack the Code of Problem Sums
Let’s be real—problem sums are the dragons of PSLE Maths. They’re long, wordy, and love to hide the actual question in a wall of text. But here’s a secret: they follow patterns. Learn to spot them. Grab a problem sum and break it into chunks. Underline key numbers and words like “more than,” “shared equally,” or “left over.” Draw a quick diagram—bar models are a lifesaver for visualizing what’s going on.
Take this example: “A shop sells 3 pens for $2. Amy buys 5 pens. How much does she pay?” Don’t panic. Draw 3 bars for $2, then figure out the cost of 1 pen (divide $2 by 3, about $0.67). Multiply that by 5, and you’re at roughly $3.35. Practice this method with different sums, and soon you’ll be slaying those dragons like a pro.
Use Mnemonics and Tricks
Maths isn’t all serious business—spice it up with some fun. For formulas, make up silly rhymes or stories. Need to remember the area of a triangle? Sing “Half times base times height, that’s the way we do it right!” Struggling with order of operations? Think BEDMAS (Brackets, Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction) as a quirky superhero name. These little memory hooks stick better than dry memorization.
For quick wins, learn shortcuts too. Dividing by 5? Multiply by 2 and shift the decimal one place left. It’s faster than long division and impresses your brain into thinking Maths is cool.
Study with a Buddy
Ever tried explaining something to a friend and realized you didn’t get it as well as you thought? That’s the magic of peer learning. Team up with a classmate or even a sibling. Quiz each other on times tables, race to solve sums, or take turns playing “teacher” by explaining concepts. Teaching forces you to understand things deeply, and it’s way more fun than staring at a textbook alone.
If your buddy’s stronger in an area you’re weak in, even better—learn from them. Just keep it focused; don’t let it turn into a chat fest.
Take Care of the Basics
Here’s a not-so-secret secret: your brain works best when you’re not a zombie. Sleep at least 8 hours a night—cramming till 2 a.m. might feel heroic, but it fries your focus. Eat proper meals too; skip the junk and grab fruits or nuts for a study snack. A quick stretch or a 5-minute dance break between study blocks keeps you sharp. PSLE isn’t a sprint—it’s a marathon. Pace yourself.
Test Day Smarts
When the big day rolls around, don’t just rely on luck. Read every question twice—slowly. Underline what it’s asking. Show your working step-by-step; even if the answer’s wrong, you might snag method marks. Got time left? Check your work, especially the tricky sums. And if panic creeps in, take a deep breath and move to an easier question. Build momentum, then circle back.
Keep the Fire Burning
Improving at Maths isn’t about being a genius—it’s about grit and good habits. Celebrate the small wins, like nailing a tough sum or shaving a minute off your practice time. Every step forward counts. If you stumble, don’t beat yourself up; just tweak your plan and keep going. You’ve got this.
With these smart study tricks—planning, practicing, cracking problem sums, and staying fresh—you’ll walk into that PSLE Maths exam ready to shine. It’s not about overnight miracles; it’s about steady, clever effort. So grab your pencil, map out your attack, and let’s turn those scores into something to brag about. Ready? Let’s do this!
