There aren’t many of us who look back on our school days with fond memories of sitting in an exam hall, protractor and calculator in hand, ready to put our maths skills to the test.
Those with a natural flair for the subject may well have enjoyed the challenge, but for many it brings back feelings of dread.
The step up from GCSE to A-level maths is significant, with pupils expected to take complex topics like algebra, calculus, trigonometry and logarithms over the course of two years.
Those with a real passion for the topic can also opt to take on further maths alongside this, an even more advanced and rigorous qualification.
This week, thousands of A-level maths students have complained that this year’s Edexcel paper was “significantly more challenging” than past exams, with a petition to review the questions reaching over 15,000 signatures.
The situation has left many current and former students reflecting on their own experience of studying both GCSE and A-level maths at school, and wondering how difficult the topic really is.
To help these people find out, The Independent has created a challenging maths test, taking real past questions from both GCSE and A-level papers.
Take the test below to find out your score.
Amid the outcry over the Edexcel paper, England’s exam regulator Ofqual has said it is “closely monitoring” its marking, to ensure students’ grades “are a reliable indication of what they know”.
The petition, which was created on Wednesday, said grade boundaries should reflect the difficulty of the exam.
It said that “students deserve confidence that their grades will reflect their mathematical ability rather than the unusual difficulty of a single examination paper.”
One student, who said they are working to an A or A* level in maths and further maths, said on social media that they were “in awe” of the questions on the paper. Both of the further papers were “much easier” they added.
A spokesperson for Pearson Edexcel said: “We know this is an intense time for students and are committed to ensuring a fair exam experience for all candidates.
“If a paper is found to be more difficult than previous years, grade boundaries will be set to reflect that,” they added.