Revision notes
Sharpen your Paper 1 technique, review the key formulas, and practise WASSCE-style questions from every section.
WASSCE General Mathematics Paper 1 gives you 50 objective questions in 1½ hours. Zainab's secret is not being a genius — it's a plan: quick questions first, no blanks, and every key formula at her fingertips.
Paper 1 has 50 questions in 1½ hours — that is under 2 minutes per question. Do the quick ones first, mark the long ones, and come back to them.
Read the instructions: unless they say wrong answers lose marks, never leave a question blank. Cross out the options you know are wrong, then choose from the rest.
Use the options: substitute an answer back into the question or estimate to check it. Wrong options are often built from common mistakes, like simple instead of compound interest.
🔑 Key idea: Quick ones first, no blanks, check with the options.
Simple interest I = PRT ÷ 100; compound amount A = P(1 + r/100)n.
Quadratic formula x = (−b ± √(b2 − 4ac)) ÷ 2a. AP: Tn = a + (n − 1)d. GP: Tn = arn−1.
Indices: am × an = am+n and a0 = 1. Calculus: y = axn gives dy/dx = naxn−1. Determinant of abcd = ad − bc.
🔑 Key idea: Know the formula before you need it — then just substitute.
Circle: area πr2, circumference 2πr. Cylinder: volume πr2h. Angle sum of an n-sided polygon: (n − 2) × 180°.
Pythagoras: a2 + b2 = c2. SOH CAH TOA: sin θ = opp ÷ hyp, cos θ = adj ÷ hyp, tan θ = opp ÷ adj.
Gradient = (y2 − y1) ÷ (x2 − x1). Mean of a frequency table = Σfx ÷ Σf. Probability = favourable outcomes ÷ total outcomes.
🔑 Key idea: Write the formula, substitute, then work it out step by step.
Solve x2 − x − 2 = 0.
Step 1: Factorise
Two numbers that multiply to −2 and add to −1: −2 and 1
x2 − x − 2 = (x − 2)(x + 1)
Step 2: Set each bracket to zero
(x − 2) = 0 → x = 2
(x + 1) = 0 → x = −1
Answer: x = −1 or x = 2
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.