How to Use the MF27 Formula Sheet: H2 Math Exam Guide (2026)

By the Math Academy Team — NUS-trained, ex-MOE tutors · Updated June 2026

The mf27 formula sheet is the official list of mathematical formulae and statistical tables supplied to every candidate in the A-Level H2 Mathematics examination. It sits on your desk for both Paper 1 and Paper 2, and knowing exactly what it gives you — and what it deliberately withholds — is one of the cheapest ways to gain marks. Many students treat MF27 as a comfort blanket they barely open. The strongest candidates instead treat it as a working tool: they know which page holds the binomial expansion, which holds the Maclaurin series, and which results they must still memorise because MF27 simply does not list them.

What is the MF27 formula sheet?

MF27 is the formula booklet issued by the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board for the H2 Mathematics A-Level. Every candidate receives an identical clean copy in each paper, so there is nothing to prepare, annotate, or buy in advance. It replaced the older MF26 list when the current H2 syllabus took effect, and it is the version you will sit with in 2026. The booklet is organised into two broad halves: pure mathematics results at the front, and statistics formulae plus distribution tables at the back.

Because the sheet is standardised, examiners assume you can find anything it contains. A question may quote a series “from the List of Formulae (MF27)” and expect you to apply it directly. Treating the booklet as part of the exam toolkit — rather than an afterthought — is therefore the baseline expectation, not an advantage.

What MF27 actually contains

MF27 gives you the standard reference results across the whole H2 syllabus. Knowing the categories means you can locate a formula in seconds rather than flipping pages under pressure.

Pure mathematics

• Series and expansions: the binomial expansion for any rational index, arithmetic and geometric series, and the Maclaurin series for sin x, cos x, e^x, ln(1+x) and (1+x)^n.
• Trigonometry: compound-angle and double-angle formulae, factor (sum-to-product) formulae, and the relationships you would otherwise have to rederive.
• Calculus: a short table of standard integrals — including 1/(a^2+x^2), 1/(x^2−a^2), 1/√(a^2−x^2) and related forms — that lead to inverse trigonometric and logarithmic results.
• Vectors and complex numbers: the vector product, the formula for the perpendicular distance to a plane, and key modulus-argument results.

Statistics

• Summary statistics, the unbiased estimate of population variance, and the formulae for the product-moment correlation coefficient and regression lines.
• Test statistics for hypothesis testing, and the standard error expressions you need for confidence work.
• Distribution tables: the normal distribution function table, plus tabulated values for the binomial, Poisson and other distributions.

This breadth is exactly why disciplined revision matters: if you have never opened the statistics tables before exam day, you will waste time hunting for the normal distribution page when the clock is running. Students working through structured JC H2 Maths tuition are typically drilled to recognise these pages on sight, so locating a result becomes reflexive rather than a search.

What MF27 leaves out (and you must memorise)

Here is the trap: MF27 is a reference list, not a method list. A surprising amount of routine H2 machinery is absent, and the syllabus assumes you carry it in your head.

• Basic derivatives and integrals: d/dx of sin x, cos x, tan x, e^x, ln x and the reverse integrals are NOT given. You differentiate and integrate these from memory.
• Core trigonometric identities: sin²x + cos²x = 1 and its variants are assumed knowledge, not printed.
• Algebraic technique: partial fractions, completing the square, and the quadratic formula are not listed — these are skills, not lookups.
• Differentiation rules: the product, quotient and chain rules must be memorised and applied fluently.
• Solution methods: how to set up a differential equation, integrate by substitution, or structure a proof by induction — MF27 will not walk you through any of it.

This is precisely why so much of the H2 syllabus builds on A Math foundations. A Math, elected at the start of Secondary 3 and not addable later, introduces calculus, logarithms, the binomial theorem, partial fractions and proof — and H2 Math assumes that calculus fluency from the very first lesson of JC1. If those fundamentals are shaky, MF27 cannot rescue you, because the sheet only helps candidates who already know which formula they need.

How to use the MF27 formula sheet in the exam

Use MF27 as a memory check and a time-saver — not as a substitute for understanding. The most effective habits are simple and worth building well before the paper.

• Revise with it open. Keep a copy beside you for every practice paper so the layout becomes second nature. Page-recognition speed is a genuine, trainable skill.
• Map the pages. Memorise roughly where each category lives — series near the front, integrals in the calculus block, the normal table at the back — so you turn to the right page in one move.
• Confirm, don’t depend. Recall a formula yourself first, then glance at MF27 to verify. This keeps your working fast and catches sign errors.
• Quote it correctly. When a method relies on a listed series or standard integral, applying it cleanly shows the examiner you used the right standard result.
• Do not over-search. If something is not on the sheet within a few seconds, it is almost certainly something you are expected to know — stop hunting and recall it.

For a fuller revision framework that puts MF27 in context alongside timed practice and topic mastery, see our guide on how to study H2 Math.

Frequently asked questions

Mastering MF27 is a small but real edge — it converts panic-flipping into calm retrieval. If you want that fluency built systematically alongside the deeper calculus and statistics fundamentals MF27 assumes, structured JC H2 Maths tuition with our NUS-trained, ex-MOE tutors can get you there well before the A-Levels.