Whether you are looking at entrepreneurship, management, or accounting, there are a huge range of career options that open up to you if you have the right subjects. This is why you should take NCEA maths if you’re aiming to earn your MBA or have dreams of conquering the business world. The best thing about going the maths path is that you are opening doors well beyond the business world as well.
Discover where NCEA Maths will take you.
When thinking about careers with a strong interest in maths, we often think of accounting careers or university mathematicians, but there are so many other options where passing your NCEA maths exams will become valuable.
From the book “Understanding NCEA: A Relatively Short and Very Useful Guide for Secondary School Students and Their Parents” by Irena Madjar and Elizabeth McKinley, some of the other career areas they suggest can be started by having strong NCEA maths credits include:
- Advertising and marketing
- Business information systems
- Business management
- Commercial law
- Economics
- Financial planning
- Human resource management
- International trade
- Market research
- Property development, management or valuation
- Public relations
- Taxation
Why is Maths compulsory?
Most kiwi high schools make you take some maths and English subjects. Part of this reason is that you need to pass a number of NCEA numeracy and literacy credits under the New Zealand curriculum. The logic is sound. It would help if you had at least basic maths and reading skills to thrive out in the real world.
From being able to estimate how much you are spending at the grocery store to make sure you stay within budget, to being able to read your payslip to make sure you are getting paid properly (including having super paid at the right rate!), through to being able to read financial statements to make better investments. But you could take this essential requirement and take some very exciting subjects!
Business-focused topics aren’t the only area of maths topics; your NCEA maths revision could take you in a range of areas, including:
| Media Studies | Demonstrate understanding of how individuals interact with the media |
|---|---|
| Design and Visual Communication | Produce instrumental paraline drawings to communicate design ideas |
| Biology | Carry out a practical investigation in a biology context |
| Agricultural and Horticultural Science | Carry out an investigation into an aspect of a New Zealand primary product or its production |
| Te Reo Rangatira | Te whakarite i te whaituhi roa mō te takenga o te reo Māori |
Requirements to go to University
While the number of credits you need will depend on which university undergraduate degree you are applying for, there is a base requirement for entrance. The minimum requirement is NCEA is to pass three subjects at NCEA Level (14 credits each), as well as 10 literacy credits and 10 numeracy credits.
While these will provide you with “university entrance”, this doesn’t guarantee you a place in any undergraduate degree. Many courses such as Architectural Studies, Medicine, Law or Engineering are notoriously competitive, meaning that you will need higher grades if you are hoping to get into a high demand course.
Demographics by University (2019)
According to “Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara”, there are between 130,000 - 200,000 students attend one of the eight New Zealand universities each year (bearing in mind that Lincoln University is a specialist program).
Discover how you can get a complete guide to NCEA maths here.
| University | Number Students |
|---|---|
| University of Auckland | 34,200 |
| Auckland University of Technology (AUT) | 20,270 |
| University of Waikato | 10,610 |
| Massey University | 18,830 |
| Victoria University of Wellington | 17,790 |
| University of Canterbury | 14,890 |
| Lincoln University | 2,520 |
| University of Otago | 18,900 |
| Total | 138,010 |
Do I really need NCEA maths to go to University?
While you need to obtain NCEA Numeracy credits in order to get your NCEA Level 3, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to take maths subjects. However, this will depend on the degree you want to take. While most people start high school without really knowing what they will want to do with their lives, if you have an idea, make sure you have researched into the requirements for the course so that you can give yourself as many options as possible.
At Massey University, for example, Maths subjects (usually Statistics) are strongly recommended subjects if you want to get into:
- Bachelor of Agricultural Science
- Bachelor of Construction
- Bachelor of Information Sciences
Obviously, this is just an indicator of the range of degrees where NCEA maths would be highly beneficial.
NCEA Maths Exam Revision Time to Get That Excellence Grade
Earning strong NCEA credits not only provides you entrance into New Zealand universities, but NZQA can also translate NCEA credits into the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) if you are looking to apply to Australian universities. However, as with competitive kiwi courses, you will need to be studying the appropriate subjects at NCEA Level 3, and the higher grade you achieve, the better your chances of gaining entrance.
| NCEA level | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | 80 credits at any level (level 1, 2 or 3) |
| Level 2 | 60 credits at level 2 or above + 20 credits from any level |
| Level 3 | 60 credits at level 3 or above + 20 credits from level 2 or above |
In addition to achieving your NCEA levels, you can also have your course “endorsed”. For competitive degree programs earning an endorsement can provide you with a higher likelihood of being accepted into your preferred program at the University of your choice. The four endorsements are:
- Excellence (earn 14 or more credits with Excellence in the course).
- Merit (earn 14 or more credits with Merit or Excellence in the course).
- Achieved (earn 14 or more credits with Achieved or Merit or Excellence in the course.
The NZQA provides past NCEA Maths Exams on their website and a lot of learning resources to help you pass your maths subjects. Talking to teachers can help ensure that you know what you should focus your revision on; most teachers will also help you set up mock exams if you are worried about maths exam nerves.
Of course, preparation is always a key part of passing, so hiring a tutor to provide one on one help can be the best way to get yourself up to Excellence level in the shortest space of time. Sites like Superprof make it easy to find a tutor that knows the subject you want to learn, and references and clear rate cards are much easier than having to trawl through endless messages on Facebook.
University Isn’t The Only Path For Maths
While University is often the most talked-about pathway to follow on from NCEA Level 3, it is certainly not your only option – and whether you go to University, Wānanga or Polytech (or even another trade school), will depend on where you think you might want to end up working.
However, taking NCEA maths will provide you with great options for tech courses. For example, with Otago Polytech, some of the courses that recommend you have completed your NCEA maths include:
- Bicycle Mechanics
- Electrical and Mechanical Trades
- Farming
- Hairdressing
- Plumbing
- Veterinary Nursing/Animal Health
Which NCEA Maths Subjects Should I Take?
You don’t have to take subjects you will loathe – but don’t take subjects just because you think they’ll be an easy pass. A great way to choose NCEA Level 1 subjects is to look at the NCEA Level 3 subjects that you think are really interesting, then follow the pathway to get to them. Trying to take topics that will be exciting to you makes it easier to study.
When you’re looking at your maths subjects, there is a range of different areas, so spending a little time investigating what the achievement standards for each one are will give you a better understanding of what will be required. Of course, don’t worry if you’re confused; the unit standards are about what you will know at the end of the year, not when you’re first starting! Currently at Level 1 for NCEA Maths, the subjects are:
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Mathematical Processes
- Mathematical Studies
- Mathematics
- Measurement
- Number
- Probability
- Statistics
- Trigonometry
Are you taking NCEA maths yet?
The number one reason students tend to steer away from maths subjects is fear. But with so many benefits to fully embracing NCEA maths, it is worth taking a better look. Hire a tutor as soon as you can to make sure that you stay up to date – this will make end-of-year maths exam revision significantly easier.
Avoiding maths is hard to do – maths is everywhere in our world. So, taking a range of NCEA maths subjects is going to be one of the best ways to keep as many doors open for your future as possible. It is easy to become overwhelmed with the number of subjects and pathways possible, so aim for a balance of topics, but remember that with NCEA you can take subjects at multiple levels.
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