5 Common BECE Mathematics Topics That Students Struggle With (And How to Fix It)

Every year, there are BECE Mathematics Topics that Students Struggle with as they prepare for their final examination. Knowing how to fix the challenges can go a long way to help students. This is why this post has been published.

Even the most prepared students have that one topic that makes their heart sink. In BECE Mathematics, these hurdles can feel like major roadblocks to success. But what if you could turn your weakest areas into your strongest? The good news is, you can. After analyzing years of exam results and student feedback, we’ve identified the five BECE topics that consistently cause trouble.

This guide doesn’t just list them; it provides clear, step-by-step fixes to help you conquer them for good.

BECE Maths Topics That Students Struggle With (And How to Fix It)

 

1. Translating Word Problems into Equations

 

This is the number one challenge for most students. It’s not the math that’s hard; it’s converting the English sentences into a mathematical equation you can actually solve.

• The Struggle: Reading a paragraph and not knowing where to start or what to label as ‘x’.
• The Fix: Use a simple three-step translation method.
  1. Identify: Read the problem and pull out three things: the numbers, the unknown value (this will be your variable, e.g., ‘x’), and the key action words (like “sum of,” “more than,” “times,” “less than”).
  2. Translate: Build your equation piece by piece based on the action words. For example, “Kofi is 5 years older than Ama” translates to K = A + 5.
  3. Solve & Check: Solve the equation. Once you have your answer, put it back into the original sentences to see if it makes logical sense.

Example: “The sum of two numbers is 30. One number is 4 more than the other. Find the numbers.”

• Identify: Unknowns are the two numbers. Let the smaller number be ‘x’. The key phrases are “sum is 30” and “4 more than.”
• Translate: If the smaller number is ‘x’, the larger number is x + 4. Their sum is 30, so: x + (x + 4) = 30.
• Solve: 2x + 4 = 30 -> 2x = 26 -> x = 13. The numbers are 13 and 17.

 

2. Mastering Mensuration and Combined Shapes

 

Finding the area or volume of a simple square is easy. But what happens when WAEC gives you a shape made of a rectangle with a semi-circle on top?

• The Struggle: Remembering the right formulas and figuring out how to handle shapes made of two or more parts.
• The Fix: Break the complex shape down into simple, familiar pieces.
  1. Isolate: Look at the combined shape and identify the basic shapes you know (e.g., “This is a rectangle and a semi-circle”).
  2. Formula: Write down the formula for each individual shape’s area or volume.
  3. Calculate & Combine: Calculate the value for each part separately and then add them together for the total.

 

3. Making Sense of Statistics

 

Calculating the mean, median, and mode can be confusing, especially when the data is presented in a frequency table.

• The Struggle: Mixing up the “three M’s” and getting lost in the columns of a frequency table.
• The Fix: Remember these simple definitions.
  • Mean: The average. For a frequency table, the formula is Total of (Frequency × Score) divided by Total Frequency (Σfx / Σf).
  • Median: The middle value after you’ve arranged all the numbers in order.
  • Mode: The number that appears most often (the one with the highest frequency).

 

4. Simplifying and Factorizing Algebraic Expressions

 

Seeing a mix of letters, numbers, and powers can be intimidating. Factorization, in particular, requires you to “think in reverse.”

• The Struggle: Knowing what to pull out of an expression when asked to factorize.
• The Fix: Look for the greatest common factor (GCF) for both the numbers and the variables.

Example: Factorize 6x² + 12xy.

• Numbers: The biggest number that divides both 6 and 12 is 6.
• Variables: The variables are x² (which is x*x) and xy. The common variable part is x.
• Combine: The GCF is 6x. Now, divide each original part by 6x:
  • 6x² / 6x = x
  • 12xy / 6x = 2y
• Final Answer: 6x(x + 2y)

 

5. Grasping the Basics of Probability

 

Probability questions are some of the easiest marks you can get in the BECE, but many students panic and skip them.

• The Struggle: Not knowing what numbers to use for the calculation.
• The Fix: Memorize and apply one simple formula:
  • Probability = (Number of Favourable Outcomes) / (Total Number of Possible Outcomes)

Example: “A bag contains 5 red balls and 3 blue balls. What is the probability of picking a blue ball?”

• Favourable Outcomes: You want a blue ball, and there are 3 of them.
• Total Outcomes: There are 5 + 3 = 8 balls in total.
• Probability: 3 / 8.

READ: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Mathematics for 2026 BECE

Practice Makes Perfect

 

These five BECE topics might seem tough, but they are all based on rules and patterns. By breaking them down into simple steps and practicing them consistently, you can turn areas of weakness into sources of guaranteed marks. Don’t avoid them; face them with these new strategies.

Feeling more confident? The next step is organizing your study time. Watch our next video on creating the perfect study plan!

Now let us look at some FAQs on BECE Maths Topics That Students Struggle With.

READ: Basic Schools Reopen Tomorrow for 2025/2026 Academic Year

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

1. How do I find the median from a frequency table? To find the median, first find the total frequency. The median position is (Total Frequency + 1) / 2. Then, add up the frequencies from the top of the table until you find which score lies in that median position.

2. What’s the difference between perimeter and area in mensuration? Perimeter is the total distance around the outside of a shape (like a fence around a field), measured in units like cm or m. Area is the total space inside a 2D shape (like the grass inside the fence), measured in cm² or m².

3. Are word problems always in Section B of the BECE Maths paper? Word problems can appear in both Section A (as multiple-choice questions) and Section B (as theory questions requiring you to show your work). However, the more complex, multi-step word problems are typically found in Section B.

4. Is it better to learn many topics superficially or a few topics deeply for BECE Maths? For BECE, it’s crucial to have a deep understanding of the core, high-yield topics (like Algebra, Mensuration, Statistics). A strong foundation in these key areas will earn you more marks than a superficial knowledge of every single topic.

5. What’s the fastest way to improve in these difficult BECE topics? The fastest way is focused practice. Spend 30 minutes each day working only on problems from one of these five areas. Use past questions and review the solutions carefully to understand the method, not just the answer.

You can check out these common errors in BECE Maths and help yourself as well.