One focus per day, building to a timed run. Work it in order.
Ranked from analysed past papers. Start at the top: if you run out of time, you will have covered the most-tested ground.
A very high-frequency geometry topic. OCR questions on circle theorems are often multi-part and can be worth 5-7 marks in a single question
Tested across OCR papers. Always worth setting up algebraically with clear working, never worth guessing an answer
Higher tier only. Consistently a multi-part question worth 6-7 marks on OCR papers, usually a geometric proof using column vectors
High frequency across the whole spec. On a calculator paper, expect standard form entered correctly into your calculator and read back off the display accurately
A high-frequency calculator topic. Finding the original amount before a percentage change, not just calculating the new amount
Appears on calculator papers most series, often combined with unit conversion. Set up the formula triangle before you calculate
Higher tier only. Find the nth term of a quadratic sequence, a topic OCR tests as reliably as the other boards
Appears most series. Use 2n for even, 2n+1 for odd, and show every algebraic step, OCR mark schemes award credit for the steps as much as the conclusion
PrepWise has a one-page Knowledge Organiser for every topic above. In the final 3 days, use them the same way each time: cover the page, try to recall the method and a worked example from memory, check what you missed, then repeat the next day.
Rules specific to Paper 1. On this paper, structure earns as many marks as knowledge.
Method marks are your safety net even on a calculator paper. If your final answer is wrong but the examiner can see a correct method (correct formula, correct substitution, correct rearrangement), you still pick up marks. A right answer with no working can lose marks under OCR's mark scheme too.
OCR provides a formula sheet on every paper, but do not assume it matches AQA's list exactly. Check the formula sheet in a recent past paper before the exam so you are not caught recalling something that was given, or missing something you needed to know.
Keep the full calculator display (or at least 4-5 significant figures) between steps in a multi-step problem and only round your final answer to the accuracy asked for. Rounding after step one and carrying that rounded figure into step two is the most common accuracy-mark loss on a calculator paper.
A calculator left in radians mode gives completely wrong answers to SOH CAH TOA, sine rule, and cosine rule questions, and the error is easy to miss because the calculator still produces a number. Check the mode indicator before your first trig question, not after you get a strange answer.
For a multi-step problem, write the formula and the substituted values on paper first, then use the calculator to evaluate. This protects your method marks if you mistype a number, and it stops you losing track of what you are calculating and why.
The errors examiners see most on this paper. Each one is an easy mark you already know how to keep.
Rounding a calculator answer too early in a multi-step problem → Keep the unrounded value on your calculator display and carry it into the next step. Only round the final answer to the degree of accuracy the question asks for
Naming the wrong circle theorem, or giving no reason at all → Learn the exact wording for each theorem: 'angle in a semicircle is 90 degrees', 'tangent meets radius at 90 degrees', and write it down every time you use it
Leaving your calculator in radians mode for a trigonometry question → Check the mode display shows 'D' or 'DEG' before starting any sin, cos, or tan calculation. A radians-mode answer looks like a normal number, so this error is easy to miss
Substituting into simultaneous equations incorrectly, especially with negative coefficients → Write out the elimination or substitution step in full. Do not do the sign change in your head, it is the single most common place marks are lost
Assuming a formula is given on OCR's sheet when it is not → Check a recent OCR formula sheet before the exam. Do not assume every formula AQA gives you is also given by OCR, some need to be recalled from memory
The 60 minutes before you walk in. Review what you know and settle your nerves.
You do not revise maths by reading it. Work exam-style questions in PrepWise, get them marked instantly, and see exactly which topics still cost you marks.
Open the Maths Knowledge Organisers, quiz every priority topic and walk in ready. Free during alpha.
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