First, confirm whether you can choose the English paper
If you plan to take the CSCA Math exam in English, the first step is to confirm that the English paper is actually available to you.
According to the official website, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry can each be taken in either Chinese or English, chosen separately; "Professional Chinese" is offered only as a Chinese paper. In other words, you can take Mathematics in English, but the "Professional Chinese" subject can only be taken in Chinese.
The official website also states that the exam language is subject to the requirements of the institution you are applying to; if the institution has no explicit requirement, candidates may choose for themselves. So before you decide on a language, check clearly whether your target institution has an explicit requirement.
The Math exam lasts 60 minutes and contains 48 multiple-choice questions, which works out at about 75 seconds per question. If you read a question even slightly slowly, you lose time you need for answering, so terminology has to be fluent. Practice common terms until you understand them at a glance, and you will save time on reading questions.
The English names of the four modules (official English syllabus)
In the official English syllabus, the four modules of Mathematics are:
- Sets and Inequalities
- Functions
- Geometry and Algebra
- Probability and Statistics
When you sit the English paper, make sure first of all that you recognize these four module names; this will help you judge quickly which area of knowledge a question is testing.
Keywords in the syllabus
The following words all appear in the syllabus; it is recommended that you memorize them module by module.
- Function basics: 定义域 domain, 值域 range, 单调性 monotonicity, 奇偶性 parity
- Common functions: 幂函数 power function, 指数函数 exponential function, 对数函数 logarithmic function, 三角函数 trigonometric function
- Sequences: 数列 sequence, 等差数列 arithmetic sequence, 等比数列 geometric sequence, 通项公式 general term formula, 求和 summation
- Derivatives: 导数 derivative
- Plane analytic geometry: 直线 line, 圆 circle, 椭圆 ellipse, 双曲线 hyperbola, 抛物线 parabola
- Vectors and complex numbers: 向量 vector, 复数 complex number
- Space: 空间几何 solid geometry, 空间直角坐标系 rectangular coordinate system in space
- Probability and statistics: 古典概型 classical probability model, 均值 mean, 方差 variance, 正态分布 normal distribution
- Inequalities: 一元二次不等式 quadratic inequality, 分式不等式 rational inequality
Common words in questions
Besides keywords, the following words also appear repeatedly in question stems. They are not necessarily difficult, but they come up often, and the faster you recognize them, the faster you can read the questions.
- Sets: 交集 intersection, 并集 union, 补集 complement, 子集 subset, 空集 empty set, 元素 element
- Functions: 反函数 inverse function, 奇函数 odd function, 偶函数 even function, 增函数 increasing function, 减函数 decreasing function, 最大值 maximum, 最小值 minimum
- Trigonometry: 正弦 sine, 余弦 cosine, 正切 tangent, 弧度 radian, 周期 period
- Sequences: 公差 common difference, 公比 common ratio, 第 n 项 the nth term, 前 n 项和 the sum of the first n terms
- Analytic geometry: 斜率 slope, 截距 intercept, 焦点 focus, 离心率 eccentricity, 渐近线 asymptote, 切线 tangent line, 原点 origin
- Complex numbers and vectors: 实部 real part, 虚部 imaginary part, 共轭复数 conjugate, 模 modulus, 数量积 dot product, 垂直 perpendicular, 平行 parallel
- Common in question stems: 下列哪个 which of the following, 满足 satisfy, 取值范围 the range of values, 实数 real number, 整数 integer, 正数 positive, 负数 negative
How to Use This Table
A terminology list is not something to memorize once and then set aside; it should be used while you are working through questions.
- For students choosing the English paper: when you practice, read English questions directly. Do not translate them into Chinese in your head first. Every translation costs extra time, and in the exam you have only about 75 seconds per question.
- If you have not yet decided which language to choose: do one set of questions in each language and compare your reading speed and accuracy. Choose whichever language you read faster in and make fewer mistakes in.
Next Steps
CSCA.PRO's math lessons are available in both Chinese and English. You can start with the 15-minute diagnostic, then go to the Learning Center to study by knowledge point.