South Australian Year 12 students take to social media to share trauma from maths SACE exam

Year 12 students have taken to social media to share their woes after maths exam papers left them traumatised. The SACE Board has responded to the concerns.

Year 12 students have taken to TikTok to share their SACE trauma after this year’s mathematical methods exam left them feeling hopeless and “crashing out”.

Students across the state were left stunned after sitting the “ridiculous” exam on Monday, which included topics in the second booklet – worth 50 marks – that many say they weren’t prepared for.

“What was that SACE? The 2017-2024 past exams fooled me,” one student wrote on TikTok.

“All that study just for me to fail.”

Another student wrote: “Why couldn’t they have just stuck to the topics?”

Year 12s have taken to TikTok to share their “trauma” from this year’s maths methods SACE exam. Picture: TikTok

Some students said past exams had fooled them as to what to expect this year. Picture: TikTok

Many others questioned the lack of core topics like first principles and logarithms.

“Why was there so much on drawing graphs but nothing on first principles?” one student wrote.

“There was basically nothing on logs, it was all stats, differentiation and integration.”

Some students were so distressed they considered walking out after seeing the second booklet’s content.

Students also expressed their frustration on Reddit, with one student saying the exam left them on the verge of a “nervous breakdown”.

The second book of the exam was a particular sore point. Picture: TikTok

TikTok was abuzz with posts about the maths methods SACE exam. Picture: TikTok

“I don’t think any amount of preparation would’ve improved my performance in booklet two,” they wrote.

“Not once was hyperbolic trigonometry even partially mentioned this year, how could they expect us to do (this).

“Some of these questions felt like I was reading ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.”

Another student said they were left in hysterics: “Cried, died. Tears stained the paper. Trip to the counsellor’s (office) 0.2 seconds after leaving the exam room. Average is ruined.”

Social posts have generated plenty of comments. Picture: TikTok

The concerns come as Year 12 exam processes face scrutiny nationally.

In Queensland, Year 12 students at nine schools were taught the wrong topic for an entire year ahead of their ancient history exam.

These students were taught about Roman emperor Augustus when they should have been learning about his predecessor Julius Caesar, with Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek ordering an investigation into the major bungle.

Main Year 12 exams in SA kicked off this week. Picture: TikTok

This round of SACE exams began last month, with Monday’s timetable including mathematical methods, general mathematics, French (beginners) and Italian (beginners). Twenty-six exams are still to take place, with the final two scheduled for Friday, 14 November.

A spokesperson for the SACE Board said that topics in this year’s mathematical methods exam “reflected the subject outline, and curriculum that is taught throughout the year”.

Year 12s across the country are in the midst of exam season. Picture: Rohan Kelly

“While content remains consistent, it is common practice to use different contexts in exam questions, ensuring that there is enough variance from one year to the next to maintain integrity of the exam,” they said.

“SACE Board staff and current subject teachers use a robust and rigorous process to develop exams, including an analysis of previous years’ exams.

“Each exam is also cross-checked and mapped against the learning requirements of the subject.

“While we understand that exams can cause some stress and anxiety for students, it is important to note that they count for 30 per cent of the final grade for the subject and are not the sole indicator of academic performance.”

Originally published as South Australian Year 12 students take to social media to share trauma from maths SACE exam