PAU Applied Mathematics for Social Sciences II (Cantabria) exam-day guide
PAU Applied Mathematics for Social Sciences II (Cantabria) · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Official photo ID (DNI, passport, or equivalent)
Bring the original document, not a photocopy. Confirm with the provider which forms of ID are accepted and whether the document must be unexpired on exam day.
Exam admission/signature sheet or registration confirmation
If your call letter or registration receipt names a specific classroom, building, or seat, print it and keep it with your ID. Confirm with the provider whether any printed document is required beyond identification.
Blue or black ballpoint pens (at least two)
Written mathematics is normally answered in ink. Bring spares; a second pen costs nothing and avoids borrowing during the exam.
Pencil, eraser, and sharpener
Useful for rough work, sketching graphs, and shading regions in linear-programming or probability problems before committing the final answer in ink.
Approved calculator
Check the current PAU rules for the Cantabria session: which models are permitted, whether graphing or programmable calculators are excluded, and whether memory must be cleared. Confirm with the provider before relying on any specific model.
Ruler or set square
Helpful for axes, feasible regions, and reading values off a graph. Keep it simple and unmarked with notes.
Analogue watch
Classrooms may lack a visible clock, and phones are usually not allowed on the desk. A plain watch lets you pace the paper.
Clear water bottle with labels removed
Hydration matters on a long exam. Confirm with the provider whether bottles are allowed and whether labels must be removed.
Transparent pencil case or pouch
Many venues require materials to be visible. A clear pouch speeds up the desk check.
No notes, formulas, or annotated material on the desk
Formula sheets are normally not provided for this subject and personal notes are not permitted. Memorise the standard formulas you rely on.
Know your arrival time and venue
Reconfirm the building, room, and reporting time the day before. Aim to arrive well before the doors close; confirm with the provider what happens to late arrivals.
Plan for phone storage and travel
Phones are usually switched off and stored away from the desk. Plan transport and a meeting point in case you finish early or need to leave your bag outside the room.
Plan the day
Do a full timed mock under exam conditions: 90 minutes, no notes, approved calculator only, writing final answers in ink on the answer sheet. Mark it strictly and list the three topics that cost you the most marks. Spend the remaining days only on those three, not on new material.
Rebuild your one-page formula memory list from scratch without looking: derivatives and integrals of standard functions, logarithm and exponential rules, binomial and normal distribution formulas with standardisation, confidence-interval expressions, matrix determinant and inverse for 2x2 and 3x3, and the equations of a line and a plane. If you cannot reproduce an item, that is your revision priority.
Practise the standard block structures you will reuse: a full discussion of a function (domain, symmetry, asymptotes, monotonicity, curvature, extrema, graph), a linear-programming problem (constraints, feasible region, vertices, objective evaluation, interpretation), and a normal-distribution probability problem with standardisation and a sketch.
Rehearse calculator use on the exact operations you will need: solving a 3x3 system, inverting a matrix, evaluating combinations and permutations, and computing normal probabilities from a z-value. Confirm with the provider which functions your model may perform during the exam.
Re-read the official instructions for the session: paper structure, choice between options if the exam offers one, duration, and any calculator restrictions. Confirm with the provider anything ambiguous rather than guessing on the day.
Pack the checklist items in one bag. Lay out ID, pens, pencil, eraser, ruler, calculator, and watch together. Check the calculator has working batteries and that its memory is cleared if required.
Do light revision only: reread your formula list and the three weak topics. Stop studying in the evening, eat a normal meal, and sleep at your usual time. Do not start a new topic the night before.
Eat breakfast, take the packed bag, and leave with a buffer for transport. Arrive at the venue early, locate the room, and check the seating list if one is posted.
Once seated, switch off your phone and stow it as instructed. Put ID on the desk, lay out pens and calculator, and read the cover of the paper carefully before writing.
Read the whole paper. Note the marks per question and the choice, if any. Choose which questions you will answer and write a rough time budget per question, leaving about 10 minutes at the end for checking.
Work in order of confidence first, then return to harder questions. Show method clearly: state the function, the derivative, the sign analysis, and the conclusion. In linear programming, draw and label the feasible region and list the vertices you evaluate. In probability, write the standardisation step explicitly.
Check that every chosen question is attempted, that units and rounding are as requested, that graphs are labelled, and that no answer is left only in pencil. Verify arithmetic on the calculator for at least the highest-mark question.
Do not rework answers with classmates immediately; it raises doubt without changing the result. Note which topics felt weak while memory is fresh, in case a resit or the next phase of study is relevant.
Rules to check
Bring and display the original photo ID required by the session; confirm with the provider which documents are accepted, and do not rely on a photocopy or a digital copy.
Electronic devices, including phones and smart watches, are normally switched off and kept away from the desk; confirm with the provider where they must be stored and what happens if one is found on you.
Use only the writing instruments and calculator permitted by the current session rules; confirm with the provider the exact list of allowed calculator models and whether memory must be cleared.
No notes, formula sheets, textbooks, or annotated material may be used unless the paper itself supplies them; formula recall is part of the assessment.
Raise your hand and wait for an invigilator if you need to leave the room, need materials, or believe there is an error in the paper; do not communicate with other candidates during the exam.
Answer in the format the paper requires: show working, label graphs, and give final answers clearly. Marks are typically awarded for method as well as result, so an unsupported answer may lose credit even if correct.
Follow the invigilator's instructions on timing and on stopping writing when time is called; continuing to write after the call can be treated as misconduct.
Scoring and any penalties for misconduct are set by the official session rules; confirm with the provider rather than assuming how a specific incident will be handled.