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March 29, 2024, 02:06:01 am

Author Topic: Study Guides and Notes for Biology  (Read 1895 times)  Share 

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0bMcG

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Study Guides and Notes for Biology
« on: April 02, 2018, 04:57:48 pm »
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Hey all,
Because it's year 12 this year I thought that I would dish out a bit of money on resources, the problem is I dont know where to best spend my money!
I'm tossing up between whether course notes/summaries like the connect, Atar notes or A+ notes would be the most useful, or whether my money would be better spent on checkpoints, practise exams and Atar notes study guides. If so which companies in particular offer the best bang for buck!

Thanks I appreciate the help! :P

Sine

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Re: Study Guides and Notes for Biology
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2018, 05:06:16 pm »
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Hey all,
Because it's year 12 this year I thought that I would dish out a bit of money on resources, the problem is I dont know where to best spend my money!
I'm tossing up between whether course notes/summaries like the connect, Atar notes or A+ notes would be the most useful, or whether my money would be better spent on checkpoints, practise exams and Atar notes study guides. If so which companies in particular offer the best bang for buck!

Thanks I appreciate the help! :P
both notes summaries are really great as well as practice exams so knowing the type of person you are and how you learn would be required to know which one would be better for you.

Having said that if you were going for notes I'd get connect education they are probably the best summary for studying for tests since they have no unecessary extraneous information and also heaps of study tips. Also "ATAR Notes" notes are good but they are more for someone who is working from the ground up.

As for practice exams I'd try not to buy them since they are generally avaliable if you look in the right places. e.g. asking your teacher or any other students who have completed bio before.

lazaward

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Re: Study Guides and Notes for Biology
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2018, 06:25:38 pm »
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Hey,
I’m doing year 12 bio at the moment as well. Personally, reading other people’s notes have never really benefitted me at all. Summarising it properly myself has been my best option. Having said that, bio can be a very content heavy subject and tricky to get your head around at times, if that’s the case for you, notes will be really helpful. A+ notes was recommended to me by my teacher, I haven’t bought it personally but my friends have found it worth the money.
I’ve bought both checkpoints and NEAP studyguide questions. Checkpoints has been the most useful revision tool and has helped me gain more confidence in answering exam style questions. NEAP studysmart questions are useful summary questions but aren’t really at a complex level so it’s just to re-consolidate preexisting knowledge rather than apply it.
My teacher has provided me with biozone, NEAP diagnostic tests and TSFX tests. Biozone is good as it has a quick summary and questions. NEAP diagnostic tests are really good practice as well as TSFX.
Out of everything I really recommend checkpoints, despite the “it spoils practice exams” argument, at the end of the day your final exam will have questions most similar to checkpoints and it gets you into a good habit early on. Hope this helps!

0bMcG

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Re: Study Guides and Notes for Biology
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2018, 07:33:08 pm »
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Thanks guys!
The main problem I feel like I will have is making sure I have all the material down in my notes to start with, as our teacher often misses notes from the study design that we have to go back over to make sure we've covered everything. But then again i've also found that in the past when doing practise questions if you come across something you haven't covered you will naturally  go off and learn about it anyway, and so it may be more beneficial to just buy checkpoints and what not and learn material that way?

Jackie Chan

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Re: Study Guides and Notes for Biology
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2018, 08:39:02 pm »
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Hey all,
Because it's year 12 this year I thought that I would dish out a bit of money on resources, the problem is I dont know where to best spend my money!
I'm tossing up between whether course notes/summaries like the connect, Atar notes or A+ notes would be the most useful, or whether my money would be better spent on checkpoints, practise exams and Atar notes study guides. If so which companies in particular offer the best bang for buck!

Thanks I appreciate the help! :P

Hello :)

I did 3/4 biology last year and achieved a study score in the 40s but take what I say with a grain of salt as every student is different!
 
I highly recommend making your own detailed notes using the textbook initially and then learning the content from those. As for additional course notes, I used the ATARNotes one for a different perspective on each of the topics and for brief revision because the notes were concise which I really liked! I'm actually a huge fan of Checkpoints and because I bought it midyear, I wasn't able to complete the questions as we covered the topics in class. However, I still managed to complete every question in it prior to practice exam season and I honestly found that it was the best resource that I had used. I also had the NEAP SmartStudy questions which I exhausted but Checkpoints was still my favourite! If you decide to get Checkpoints, try to complete the relevant questions as you cover it in class! (fyi they're sorted out by topic)

Also, I agree with Sine; your teacher should provide you with practice exams, there are past ones on the VCAA website and if you ask past biology students, I'm sure they are happy to share them with you.

Anyways, I believe it would be beneficial to buy practice question type resources over summary note resources! (but that's just me :) )

EDIT:
Thanks guys!
The main problem I feel like I will have is making sure I have all the material down in my notes to start with, as our teacher often misses notes from the study design that we have to go back over to make sure we've covered everything. But then again i've also found that in the past when doing practise questions if you come across something you haven't covered you will naturally  go off and learn about it anyway, and so it may be more beneficial to just buy checkpoints and what not and learn material that way?
I had a separate book I used for when I got questions wrong - I would copy out the question and write the correct answer to it. Normally, I would understand what I got wrong from looking at the answer but if I'm still unable to comprehend it, I'd make a diagram or seek clarification from my teacher! Also, that's a reason why I like making my own notes -  because I know I've triple checked the study design to make sure I've covered all the relevant content!
« Last Edit: April 02, 2018, 08:44:44 pm by Jackie Chan »