Atarnotes vs Checkpoints vs A+ Notes

[Arthurmorgan]

Which one of the following do you guys think is the most beneficial content and value for money wise for the following subjects: Methods, further and physics.

Did using these books help you?

This may be the wrong forum to ask but worth a shot.

[Arthurmorgan]

Which one of the following do you guys think is the most beneficial content and value for money wise for the following subjects: Methods, further and physics.

Did using these books help you?

This may be the wrong forum to ask but worth a shot.

Bump, also looking at neap smartstudy

[S200]

Which one of the following do you guys think is the most beneficial content and value for money wise for the following subjects: Methods, further and physics.

Did using these books help you?

This may be the wrong forum to ask but worth a shot.

I didn't use all of these brands, but I can vouch for some!

So, I used ATARNotes' Maths Methods 3/4 complete course notes, and they were really handy. I actually ended up using them as my summary book for the exam.

I also used Checkpoints for Physics. I think the resource is overpriced for what it gives, but if you are diligent in doing the chapter work when you learn it, you will reap the benefits...

[anon101]

Bump!
I'm also interested in this for Methods and Physics.
But for Methods, I believe ExamPro is better than any of the other companies stuff.
Also, BTW I've heard (from quite a few people), that Checkpoints is pretty shitty for Methods and Physics and AtarNotes's & ExamPro's topic tests are way more "exam styled", with good worked solutions.
I'd be interested though in what other previous students have to say about this.

[Arthurmorgan]

Bump!
I'm also interested in this for Methods and Physics.
But for Methods, I believe ExamPro is better than any of the other companies stuff.
Also, BTW I've heard (from quite a few people), that Checkpoints is pretty shitty for Methods and Physics and AtarNotes's & ExamPro's topic tests are way more "exam styled", with good worked solutions.
I'd be interested though in what other previous students have to say about this.

Hmm, hadn't heard about exampro up until now. Would you guys say it's worth the $50 price tag?

[anon101]

Hmm, hadn't heard about exampro up until now. Would you guys say it's worth the $50 price tag?

That's why I'm holding off for now. But they claim to be the only ones to have worked solutions to explain how to not only answer a question, however also explain the problem solving, showing how they got to that point.
So, personally, I think it's most likely going to be worth it, however maybe just go and have a look yourself at a shop like Link Education, then tell us what you feel!

[Lear]

Don’t waste your money on checkpoints, they’re rubbish. You can access past exams online for free. 

I can’t say I’ve used Exampro methods, but I’ve used their chemistry book and it’s bloody amazing. It’s very very high quality and I wouldn’t be surprised is Methods is the same.

ETA: Just had a look at their sample test online, it already looks 100x better than checkpoints.

[anon101]

Don’t waste your money on checkpoints, they’re rubbish. You can access past exams online for free. 

I can’t say I’ve used Exampro methods, but I’ve used their chemistry book and it’s bloody amazing. It’s very very high quality and I wouldn’t be surprised is Methods is the same.

ETA: Just had a look at their sample test online, it already looks 100x better than checkpoints.

Yeah, so I definitely think I'm going for their Methods book. Would you (or anybody else) have tried/looked at the AtarNotes Topic Test one's, to compare/review or give any feedback or anything? Because those are the two I'm leaning towards,

[anon101]

Would anyone be able to tell me whether A+ notes and tests are any good, because they seem interesting, but I'm not sure whether I should or should not get them.

[Arthurmorgan]

Would anyone be able to tell me whether A+ notes and tests are any good, because they seem interesting, but I'm not sure whether I should or should not get them.

Sent an email to exampro a couple days ago and still haven't gotten a response. Either they aren't operating anymore or they don't reply to emails that often.

[anon101]

Sent an email to exampro a couple days ago and still haven't gotten a response. Either they aren't operating anymore or they don't reply to emails that often.

I sent an email to them a while ago. It took like 2 weeks to get a response, which was just to email someone else. Then I emailed him and he told me basically that each topic test has half a number of questions that the real exams have. And that they go on for half as long.
I think that's too much for one test. So, I just went ahead and got the AtarNotes Topic Test and Notes. I think they're better for the price. And they also have the application styled questions and stuff!
Hope this helps you 

[matthewmwps]

Never used Atarnotes stuff, did use checkpoints and A+ note exam booklets tho. So here's what i think of them:

The checkpoints books i actually used provided good, tough questions. My only issue is that some of those 'tough' questions were from past exams, which impacted my exam prep. This was only because i remembered most of the answers to the more time consuming ones which made me finish earlier. (I had to give up on the 2012 Methods CAS exam half way in because 3 of the 4 questions in section B i did in the checkpoints book.)

A+ notes are useful cause their regular practice exams, and in some cases have practice tests for specific areas of study (which is useful for preparing for SACs) but i myself didn't use them as much as i probably should've.

Another thing to beware of is that these books won't be counterproductive. I gave up with the Physics checkpoints book and the Chemistry A+ book because their questions and explanations were so awkward for me that they ended up stressing me out. If you know a mate who is buying one of these i'd suggest borrowing it from them and doing some question first before buying anything.

Honestly, they both helped me fine, but i personally preferred the A+ books. To be fair, i only started to actually use any of them about a month or so before my exams, rather than consistently throughout the year.