Don’t do what I did and leave exam early

LET me start by stating that I am not, nor will I ever be a mathematician.

I am not fluent in the complex language of numbers, and I marvel at higher level maths students constantly. I’m an ordinary level maths student.

I also committed a huge sin yesterday – I left my exam early.

Now, before I get floods of hate from you all, let me say I did try. I definitely attempted each question, but I felt like crying staring at functions and complex numbers.

That’s not to say that there were no decent questions on the paper – financial maths, which was the first question, is my strength, as are simultaneous equations.

I’m just praying I earned a fair share of attempt marks across the board to make up for the few blanks I left (I’m only human!).

To other candidates out there, I have a piece of advice: please don’t do what I did, don’t leave early. I regretted it the second I left the exam hall, and there’s no going back once you hand up your paper. Stay in it for the long haul, it’ll be worth your while!

Thankfully, there’s a second maths paper on Monday, a second chance for redemption. Paper 2 is far more practical in that it’s full of constructions, trigonometry, probability and the like – I am far less likely to leave early.

As you can imagine, my weekend plans include burying my head in exam papers once more in preparation, as well as mentally preparing myself for Irish. That being said, I also know that it’s vital to give your mind a break so, while this exam weather remains so notoriously gorgeous, I plan to soak up as much sun as I can.