How to Choose Secondary School Math Assessment Books

How to Choose Secondary School Math Assessment Books

I may have to camp the night here to find right assessment books.

It can be quite a tedious task to find the right Math assessment books or any assessment books

for that matter. Based on my experience as a tutor, I complied a list of important points to 

consider when buying Secondary School Additional Math (A-Math), Math (E-Math) or Sec 1 

/ 2 assessment books.

1. Answers 

Every now and then, we get Math assessment books that either print incorrect answers or omit 

some answers. Honestly, I don't know if they even bother to get anyone to check prior to

publishing. My suggestion is to get books from well-known publishers like Casco

or Shinglee. They have been around the block for many years. When they first started

many years back, I found a number of their answers to be incorrect, but in recent years

they have up their game (perhaps they have math experts to QC for them). 

2. Update Syllabus

Yes, I have been guilty of buying assessments with outdated syllabus before. Before you buy

please flip open the first or second page and check the publish date. Do not let the word

"Latest Syllabus" on the front cover fool you. You may end up buying the 2012 syllabus.

Some bookstore, like the one starting with 'P'  still do sell assessment books from  older 

syllabus. 

3. Various Levels of Difficulty

Find Math assessment books that categorize their questions according to the level of difficulty.

(Level 1,2,3 or basic,intermediate,advance or *,**,***) it does not matter how and what

they use to indicate the level, as long as it is indicated. There are books that 'rojak' all

the questions, this will frustrate beginners as well as student who already know the basics.

4. Step-by-step answers

This point is a tricky one. Some will say that step-by-step answers will encourage copying

well, you can just rip the answers off for safe-keeping. I do encourage all students to buy

at least one assessment book with step-by-step answers. In all marking schemes,

marks are awarded for working, you need to do the correct steps besides getting the correct

answers to get full marks for most questions. Book with step-by-step answers will allow

you to check if your working is on the right track.

5.Topical versus Yearly

Topical Math assessment books should be purchase at the beginning of the year. This allows

student to master each topic thoroughly. Yearly Math assessment books should be purchase 

a month before the Mid-Year exams as these assessment books are needed to train students

to identify the topic or topics related to each question and to execute the correct method to 

solve the question.

In my next blog post, I shall recommend a few math assessment books. FYI, I do not get any

benefits from the publisher cash or otherwise.

Additional Math (A-Maths) and Math (E-Math) Tutor in Woodlands, Chua Chu Kang,
Sembawang, Bukit Panjang, Yishun and Johor Bahru.

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About Unknown

I created this Blog after my students told me that there is very little information about how to solve GCE O Level Math and Additional Math (A-Math) questions on the internet. Even if they manage to find, the solution were for very basic questions. I am a Full-time Math Tutor in Singapore. I tutor mainly in Northern Singapore (Woodlands, Chua Chu Kang, Bukit Panjang, Yishun and Sembawang). I also tutor in Johor Bahru.