Maths Textbook Conundrum

[charmanderp]

I certainly don't recommend doing all the questions from either MQ or essentials. Look at a question, if you can map out in your head exactly hat you SHOULD do to get the answer, then don't bother with the question. If you have even the most minor difficulty with planning out the question in your head, then do the question. That's how I approached it and it worked very well for me.

What practice materials do you recommend outside of the textbook and trials?

more trials? that worked best for me, some prefer revision lectures, writing notes (i HATE writing notes!!!), etc. they didnt work for me, but thats not to say that it wont work for you.

I reallllyyyy dislike the idea of checkpoints - because when you come to do the vcaa exams, and take them as if theyre your REAL exam, you can already remember some questions so its like cheating yourself. i avoided checkpoints even against direct instruction from my teachers

Depends when you do them though. I did a few relevant Checkpoints questions for each of Methods and Chem before SACs. Come exam time I couldn't remember having seen any of them before for Methods. Chem, a few but largely not.

[abeybaby]

I certainly don't recommend doing all the questions from either MQ or essentials. Look at a question, if you can map out in your head exactly hat you SHOULD do to get the answer, then don't bother with the question. If you have even the most minor difficulty with planning out the question in your head, then do the question. That's how I approached it and it worked very well for me.

What practice materials do you recommend outside of the textbook and trials?

more trials? that worked best for me, some prefer revision lectures, writing notes (i HATE writing notes!!!), etc. they didnt work for me, but thats not to say that it wont work for you.

I reallllyyyy dislike the idea of checkpoints - because when you come to do the vcaa exams, and take them as if theyre your REAL exam, you can already remember some questions so its like cheating yourself. i avoided checkpoints even against direct instruction from my teachers

Depends when you do them though. I did a few relevant Checkpoints questions for each of Methods and Chem before SACs. Come exam time I couldn't remember having seen any of them before for Methods. Chem, a few but largely not.

i still remember questions from years ago... even if i dont remember the answers, i remember the general gist and i feel like im cheating myself into thinking im smarter than i really am

[PsychoM]

that's exactly what happened to me when doing one of the VCAA papers after attmepting most of the checkpoints questions.I ended up circling most of the answers without even reading the questions because I still had the answers in my mind. So I got 25/25 but that wasn't the actual me doing it since I know I am a careless person, so in reality i might get 3-4 wrong. Any advice to avoid this situation while still able to do questions from every topic?

[abeybaby]

that's exactly what happened to me when doing one of the VCAA papers after attmepting most of the checkpoints questions.I ended up circling most of the answers without even reading the questions because I still had the answers in my mind. So I got 25/25 but that wasn't the actual me doing it since I know I am a careless person, so in reality i might get 3-4 wrong. Any advice to avoid this situation while still able to do questions from every topic?

that's what trials papers are for! You get lots and lots of practice at TONNES of questions. That's why I just kept doing as many trial papers as I could

[Nobby]

What about during the year, when you haven't gotten to the level of doing trials or haven finished the course?

[charmanderp]

A+ Notes and NEAP StudySmart or SmartStudy or whatever it is. And the ATARNotes Methods book should be out by then.

[Biceps]

A+ notes are the best for biology if you plan on doing it.
For maths the Derrick Ha books are freaking awesome!

[abeybaby]

i just used the textbook throughout the year and made sure my theory was spot on