Welcome to our final post in the series as we look in-depth at each of the six assessments offered by ICAS, in order of sitting dates. This week, I recruited one of our Maths educators, Doris, to give expert feedback on the ICAS Mathematics assessment.
What is ICAS Mathematics?
This assessment looks at a student’s ability to solve a range of mathematical problems across key mathematical areas of knowledge. The assessment is between 35 and 60 minutes long, with 30-40 questions. Mathematics is offered for NZ students from Year 3 (Introductory paper) to Year 13 (paper J), and is available at Focus Education.
Why sit this assessment?
Maths is one of the three major subjects that all students must master for a successful school education and underpins many STEM-related subjects. Without a grounding in main mathematical concepts, students may find it difficult to succeed in courses such as economics, accounting, engineering and science, as well as struggle to understand and manage their own personal finances. Understanding your child’s strengths and weaknesses in maths gives you the ability to support them in the way they need to succeed.
What does the assessment cover?
Students will be asked to perform a range of tasks, depending on their school year. You can view the detailed assessment framework along with tasks that may be required for every paper level on the ICAS website here. The assessment covers five key mathematical areas, and becomes progressively more complex for older students. The five key mathematical areas involved are:
- Number and arithmetic
- Algebra and patterns
- Measures and units
- Space and geometry
- Chance and data
Some highlights from the framework we noted here at Focus: The questions vary each year, so students are really tested on their ability to solve novel problems. They are also expected to fully understand each concept and be able to apply it in real-life contexts since ICAS Mathematics includes application questions – questions in complex scenarios.
How can my child prepare for this assessment?
The best preparation for ICAS Mathematics is twofold: awareness of the paper structure and question styles, and reviewing topics likely to be assessed.
- Use a past paper or example questions from the ICAS website to get your child used to the structure of the assessment and how it is conveyed in a digital environment. For Mathematics, we suggest using past papers and sample tests available here.
- Follow the assessment framework as a guide to check your child’s knowledge of the topics to be assessed. Shore up any weak areas with extra practice.
- Use resources such as the Maths Olympiad and Maths 101 series of workbooks to reinforce your child’s knowledge and skills.
Technical requirements for this assessment
As a digital assessment, ICAS assessments all require a suitable device with an operating system that can support the live test. Some schools and centres may provide a device, whereas others may require you to bring a device for your child. Most common devices and operating systems are supported, but it is a good idea to check your device on the ICAS page for technical requirements here well in advance of the sitting date for the assessment.
A final note
If you choose to register your child for ICAS Mathematics at Focus Education, you can find all the registration information along with sitting dates here. Please also ask us about pre-assessment support.
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