Revision notes
A quick BECE warm-up: key formulas, exam tips and mixed questions from number, algebra, geometry, mensuration and statistics.
Ngozi's secret isn't magic. She knows the key formulas by heart, reads each question twice, and checks her answer against the options. This lesson gives you her toolkit — then puts it to work.
The objective paper gives you about a minute per question. Answer the easy ones first and come back to the hard ones.
Read the question twice and underline what is asked — “not red”, “more than”, “to 2 decimal places” are easy to miss.
Wrong options are usually common mistakes. If your answer is there, quickly check it (e.g. substitute it back into the equation) before you shade.
🔑 Key idea: Read carefully, work neatly, check your answer — never leave a question blank.
Percentage of: x% of A = x ÷ 100 × A. Profit % = profit ÷ cost price × 100%.
Simple interest: I = PRT ÷ 100 (P = principal, R = rate % per year, T = years).
Equations: do the same thing to both sides. Check by substituting your answer back.
🔑 Key idea: Profit and loss percentages are always worked out on the COST price.
Angles: on a straight line add up to 180°; in a triangle 180°; sum of interior angles of an n-sided polygon = (n − 2) × 180°.
Circle: circumference = 2πr, area = πr2. Pythagoras: c2 = a2 + b2, where c is the longest side (the hypotenuse).
Statistics: mean = total ÷ number; median = middle of the ordered list; mode = most common. Probability = favourable ÷ total outcomes.
🔑 Key idea: Know the formula, write it down, then substitute.
A trader bought a football for ₦500 and sold it for ₦350. Find the loss per cent.
Step 1: Find the loss
₦500 − ₦350 = ₦150
Step 2: Divide by the cost price
150500 × 100 = 30%
Why? Profit and loss percentages are always compared with what the trader paid.
Answer: 30%
Ready to check you've got it? Scroll up and work through the lesson: the interactive visuals, practice questions and mastery check are all there.