1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
Out of interest and curiosity, I signed up for the math competition held at PanAsia. I had rarely been to any competition outside of school and so I was very eager to go because it was a rare opportunity for me and because learning math was something I was passionate about.
The competition consisted of two rounds; the online round and the final round. Even though I was in the first round, the test was already difficult. Me and other team members tried studying for it but we ended up seeing questions we never did before. The questions were still in the range of algebra and geometry, but they required a lot of critical thinking and I don't think I got enough practice to be able to do it. Still, I barely passed and went to the round in PanAsia. To be honest, I didn't know how to solve many of the questions and got scared. I was also slow at thinking and did not finish a portion of the test.
All in all, even though I did poorly, I don't think it was a waste. The experience exposed me to more math than I saw at school and inspired me to do further exploration. It humbled me and made me realise I had a long way to go regarding my critical thinking and problem solving.
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