General Mathematics: should I choose it?

What will I learn?

How will I be assessed?

Progression and companion subjects

No complete companion or exclusion review is attached to this profile. Check the official course-entry conditions, language eligibility and your school’s sequence before enrolling. Links between resource hubs show related learning; they do not establish a compulsory prerequisite.

Will I find it hard?

Difficulty depends on your experience, interests, teaching and assessment. These are our reflection prompts, not an official difficulty rating.

• How do you feel about explaining a method and working through unfamiliar multi-step problems?
• Try the sample without looking at a worked answer, then check the steps you need to practise.

Does it scale up or down?

Use applicable SATAC evidence. Vocational certificate credit is not automatically an ATAR input.

Scaling is not a measure of difficulty or a guaranteed bonus. Prioritise content you can engage with and required subjects for courses you are considering.

Try a little of the subject

Investing and borrowing

An investment places money into a product in the hope of receiving income or growth. A bank savings account, a credit union term deposit and company shares have different conditions. Compare financial institutions using the same starting amount, time interval and access requirements. Record the advertised rate, whether it can change, the interest calculation method, account fees, withdrawal restrictions and any introductory conditions. A higher advertised rate does not necessarily produce a higher usable balance. A term deposit may offer a fixed rate but restrict early access; a savings account may allow withdrawals but require regular deposits to earn a bonus rate. Simple interest is calculated only on the original principal. Let P be principal, r the annual rate written as a decimal and t the duration in years. Interest is I = Prt and total return, meaning the final accumulated amount here, is A = P + I. Distinguish that amount from the gain I. A monthly duration must be divided by twelve when the rate is annual. Rearranging gives P = I/(rt), r = I/(Pt) and t = I/(Pr). Check that the result has the requested unit and convert decimal rates back to percentages. Worked example. A fictional credit union offers 4.5% per annum simple interest on $4000 for 18 months, with a $15 closing fee. The time is 1.5 years. Interest is 4000 × 0.045 × 1.5 = $270, so the gross final amount is $4270 and the amount after the fee is $4255. A fictional bank offers 4.4% simple interest with no fee. Its interest is 4000 × 0.044 × 1.5 = $264 and its final amount is $4264. Despite its lower rate, the bank returns $9 more over this interval. Both calculations assume no deposits or withdrawals. Reverse calculations answer different questions from forward calculations. If $270 interest is earned at

Original practice question: A $4000 deposit earns 4.5% simple interest for 18 months. What is its interest before fees?

This is ATARMAxxing’s original sample learning material. It is not an official assessment task or a prediction of your school’s workload.

Explore the resources

Open the General Mathematics subject hub and free preview (opens in a new tab)

• General Mathematics — SACE Stage 2 (opens in a new tab)

Core subject information and planning are free. Full study resources are optional.