How to Prepare for Sixth Form Over Summer

[@mariammehrez9412]

A tip for everyone, use google alerts! Set up a google alert for things you are interested in (e.g. math camp, math competitions, etc.) and google will alert you whenever anything new is added with those keywords. Obviously, you'll need to sort through them a bit as sometimes they aren't that relevant but you'll be sure to find some really good opportunities that may not be that well know and be the first one to be informed about them. Amazing video and so helpful! I wish I watched it earlier in the summer but I will try to apply those tips throughout the first few weeks of sixth form. Thank you!

[@RAmjad]

Thank you so much, this is such a good tip!

[@aliabdaal]

Notification squad

[@astudentstudying6199]

Wow this is so cool to see 😂🙌

[@helmsmanpacker3456]

Pretty sure I found Mr Amjad’s channel from Mr Abdaal’s comment section, roles bin reversed!

[@wasd4542]

This is insane. Proud of you Ray 😅

[@Joseph-ej8oi]

This is crazy 😂

[@asd-ro5yk]

Really needed this video, I'm in my summer after y11 right now and I'm doing maths, further maths, physics and chemistry for a levels. Thanks a ton.

[@Mascabar]

ay yo same

[@ronakkumar3295]

how did it go?

[@asd-ro5yk]

@@ronakkumar3295 Good, predicted all A*s and trying for Oxford Physics.

[@JohnJohnson-zt3bv]

@@asd-ro5ykhow did it go? Any tips?

[@salmannadeem2827]

@@asd-ro5ykyo how did it goooo

[@tanatswamatonda9960]

You are one my favourite youtubers Ray! I found you at the beginning of this year (year 12 for me). Im doing maths, physics and chemistry and you are best help on YT for me! You'll have my support always. love from Zimbabwe

[@RAmjad]

Thank you so much!! I'm so glad you've found the videos useful!

[@wildlifehaven8029]

3 years later, but these videos are actually 100% value! I wish I had seen this particular video in Y11 summer, but your other videos are excellent. Thank you for your help 😁

[@katana6088]

Took your advice on problem solving a while a go , working through aops volume 1(Almost finished) , gonna try to finish all the relevant aops books by the end of the year. Then I want to go through the ukmt books and whatever other problem solving books there are. In this I hope to be able to get to BMO1 at least and maybe BMO2(Insanely hard to do ). Thanks so much for awakening me to the calculus trap , and helping me on my journey to becoming a genuinely good mathematician.

[@RAmjad]

That's fantastic! The AoPS books are really quite good and I wish I knew about them sooner. My younger brother does them too. My recommendation is that don't be afraid of doing two or three books side-by-side, you don't have to finish one before moving onto the next. There are some great UKMT books about Olympiads and the website has video solutions and you can go through those too alongside the AoPS books. I would also recommend checking out Evan Chen's blog as he has a page just full of useful Olympiad related bookmarks. I really do wish I found about this stuff sooner and want to make a few more videos on it - I'm going to try to interview some of my friends who've made it into the IMO, IChO, IPhO and IOI and ask them to share their advice and experiences too so do look out for that sometime 🤞

[@katana6088]

@@RAmjad Should I just do the volume 1 and 2 or should I do the topic specific textbooks like precalculus and intermediate algebra..

[@RAmjad]

@@katana6088 Try not to get caught up in doing AOPS cover-to-cover or working through textbooks for the sake of it as if you're keeping a scorecard of how many textbooks you've done. Consider the objective here. For example, say you're doing your first BMO1 question on number theory and you have no idea where to get started. Rather than looking at the solution straight-away, try to find a chapter on number theory or some textbook by AOPS or UKMT on it and learn the fundamentals / practice some easier questions then hopefully, when you come back to the BMO1 problem, you should have a better idea of what to do. You will learn more by going back to an easier problem and working towards the more difficult BMO1 problem than you would by say looking at the solution for the BMO1 problem straight away if that makes sense? Try to consider what you're working towards and what skills in which topics you'd like to develop the most. There's no point doing there matrix chapters in AOPS Volume 2 because there aren't any olympiad questions on matrices. Those chapters would be more useful for STEP 2 and 3 (if you plan to sit it) as they genuinely have some difficult matrix questions. Hopefully that gives you a better sense of what you should be doing but I hope whenever I get to do interviews with some of my olympiad friends, that's more helpful :)

[@katana6088]

@@RAmjad Thanks a lot for the advice, one more thing do you think it's worth doing step even though I'm not applying for maths just as something to put on my application.(I've done maths and further maths a level early so content wise I can do it) I'm applying for economics

[@RAmjad]

@@katana6088 There are quite a few people who sit STEP I at the end of Year 12 and if they score a 1 or an S then they like to write about it on their personal statement when applying at the start of Year 13. They often sit it for fun because it's not really required for their course. It's pretty difficult to sit STEP II or III for fun though as that requires so much more preparation I've heard! It depends on what subject you're applying for, if you were applying for Medicine they certainly won't care that you sat STEP (they treat maths and further maths as a single subject too!) but I'm not too sure for Ecomonics. But preparing can be a whole lot of fun and if you think you'd do well then sit it

[@wasd4542]

My advice is start working and creating flashcards etc as soon you start the year. Most importantly binge watch all of Rays videos

[@oliver9174]

eren yeager!!!???

[@kellyhyounsukcho4408]

My son is only year 7 now, but i study your skill to study , how to study effectively. Thank u.

[@Joseph-ej8oi]

Ray honestly, If I had this kind of information at the start of Year 12 - I would be set! Im at the end if Yr 12 - however these tips will still be put to great use - especially improving my problem solving skills - so thank you for creating such a wealth of information which is so easily accessible - and for also creating a create community of high aimers - you have completely transformed my grades, so I thank you greatly. All the best, Joseph :)

[@RAmjad]

Thank you so much - I'm so glad you've found them useful! I'm planning on making a bunch more videos on generally improving your problem-solving skills throughout this summer (and hopefully planning on bringing a few friends who've done exceptionally well in olympiads on the channel) so hopefully that goes to plan 🤞

[@Joseph-ej8oi]

@@RAmjad Hey Ray, that would be great. I'm going to apply to Oxford for Engineering Science and I was wondering if you had any tips for the PAT as I think I remember you mentioning in a previous video that you had prepared for the PAT as you were considering applying to Oxford for Physics.

[@RAmjad]

@@Joseph-ej8oi Yup, I did prepare for the PAT but changed my mind and applied to Cambridge in late August instead. I don't think my process was any different. I found oxfordpat.wordpress.com/ to be particularly useful and seeing the discussion involved. I still did BPhO Round 1 papers as they were quite similar to PAT papers but I'm not sure what else I would have done differently (it's been almost 3 years now since I've been preparing so struggle to remember much other than I mentioned in the video lol)

[@Joseph-ej8oi]

@@RAmjad Hey Ray, thanks so much - I checked out your GitHub resources and they've been more than helpful! Ill definitely try the BPhO Round 1 papers too. Thanks for all the help and advice!

[@physicsgirl2389]

Hi Ray! Appreciate your videos. I would like to recommend you to make a video on how to effectively study for a physics degree. Id like to see how other people approach their undergrad physics classes . Cheers :)

[@changelings8074]

Yes !! This is something I’d like to see

[@lindsyadams950]

This sounds like a good vid idea

[@karshinighanesh1624]

Yes!!!

[@RAmjad]

Hi, I will at somepoint but make no gurantees as to when because I'll be focus on developing problem-solving skills for secondary school and sixth formers. But if you want something to look into then search "Remnote" on KZbin and learn about how it works and you'll see why it's useful for more concept-driven subjects. Everything I did could either be split up into: (a) learning the content and turning the key ideas into flashcards on Remnote (b) doing the practice problems (c) doing exam questions from past papers. (c) was done closer to exam time. (b) and (c) would both feedback into (a) because I'd realise there's a neat trick or there's some aspect of the course that I'd forgotten. Hopefully that helps!

[@Five30s]

Great video very good thoughts

[@astudentstudying6199]

Also im really digging the new background 🙌

[@RAmjad]

Thank you! I didn't think it was particularly good, I should probably put some nicer decorations on the mantelpiece for upcoming videos 😅

[@astudentstudying6199]

@@RAmjad I think it has a lot of potential. Especially if u maybe add some plants or lights in the background, maybe even LEDs

[@RAmjad]

@@astudentstudying6199 Thank you! They seem like excellent suggestions (much better than a box of Weetabox, Heroes and whatnot 😂). I'll look into it!

[@astudentstudying6199]

@@RAmjad 😂😂👍

[@neney6197]

thanks for the vid!! im starting year 12 this september so this will be helpful (:

[@neney6197]

@stuff and things what a levels are u doing? (:

[@suprvrse]

My guy

[@catsmeow3656]

Thank you, really useful !!!!!

[@amberf3044]

love the weetabix in the background

[@bfex1443]

Thank you for this video I really appreciate it quick question what is the best revision website for Alevel Physics and can you make a video on how to use active recall for revision thanks

[@RAmjad]

Hi, I linked some websites I found useful in the description of my video on A-level Physics here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/enPOYYqpm92lbtE and I've also made a video on using active recall here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pn26mGVqZseWpM0 Hopefully you find both of them useful :)

[@manya6058]

Hi! I was wondering how you made flash cards for maths? Or is it for just physics/ chemistry?

[@RAmjad]

Hi, great questions, I would recommend checking my maths flashcards on the GitHub link (and for further maths if that's a bit more helpful). But I tended to focus on a few interesting methods that I'd forget (I wouldn't try to recall the method exactly but just the loose structure so I can remind myself this exists) and I mainly made flashcards on some definitions (which were especially important for statistics) and a few concepts. But my flashcards weren't nearly as wide reaching or as detailed as they were for physics and chemistry because I think there's only so far you can go with flashcards for maths. Hopefully that makes a little more sense but do let me know if it doesn't 👍

[@manya6058]

@@RAmjad Hello again, thanks for replying! Do you mind pasting a link for those notes? As a student going into year 12 this year, studying maths, further maths, chemistry and physics, I find your videos very helpful and relevant :-)

[@RAmjad]

@@manya6058 No worries and you should find a link in the description of this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6C4iGinn9xsr6s

[@isfakrahaman4140]

hello I have a question do you think in should start the a level syllabus as I have finished nearly everything on the gcse spec already and I am getting kinda board(have like 7 more topics left)

[@RAmjad]

It depends if you want to do STEM-related subjects. I talked about the logic for why it's much better to improve your problem-solving skills in maths and science rather learn ahead in this video and the same thing applies here. And trust me, if you find some good problem-solving books then you won't find yourself being bored lol

[@crypticgod1134]

How to prepare for uni? For spring weeks and stuff.

[@RAmjad]

Honestly, I'm not sure for spring weeks. I've always hated normal application processes (and was generally quite bad at them). My internship this year and last were both at places that don't advertise, I just sent a cold email and got the role lol but if you have any other ideas of what you're looking for then I could mention that in a video? I'm planning on making a video on freshers advice closer to when university restarts with some friends but that's about it for now

[@user-iz8xe5pf2q]

Could you make subtitles for non native speakers? Your videos are so useful but sometimes I cannot get the whole information due to English

[@RAmjad]

Thank you so much - I'm so glad you find them useful :) I don't think I have the capacity right now to subtitle my videos but hopefully in the future 🤞

[@swaggerviews2175]

Should I do four a levels if I’m trying to do medicine or should I do three?

[@RAmjad]

Hi, I'm honestly not sure but I think it'd be helpful to contact some medics via LinkedIn or asking university admissions offices of the universities you hope to apply to because they will know much more than me