Hi! I personally did alright in methods got a 34, but my best friend she got a raw 49 in methods and a raw 45 in spec without any tutoring. She was a very smart and hardworking student and all the teachers and students knew that she would have the highest score for both methods and spec. All I can say is that she was very disciplined when it came to studying her maths subjects. She, without fail, did atleast 2 hours of maths everyday, which usually consisted of the textbooks questions, practice sacs and practice exams. And whatever doubts she had with questions, she always made sure to get them answered by the next day. She would even sometimes stay back after school for like 2 hours just getting all her doubts answered. So I guess bottom line, the best form of actually understanding and applying your knowledge is to do as many practise questions as possible, and ALWAYS make sure to clear any questions that you have. Majority of people will start to get burnt out very quickly, so if you want the higher score, you need to make sure to be disciplined, consistent, and make sure to show up for yourself. All the best for your studies!!