Worth getting Checkpoints?

[man0005]

Hey guys

Just wondering whether checkpoints are worth getting for spesh, chem or physics.

[lexitu]

No!!! They are just rehashed exam questions plus some other crappy ones they've made themselves. I can't believe they make money from this. Plus, I think doing checkpoints kind of defeats the purpose of having exam practice - specific practice is more useful where you sit the whole unencountered exam at once in mock conditions. That's just my opinion though.

[iNerd]

No!!! They are just rehashed exam questions plus some other crappy ones they've made themselves. I can't believe they make money from this. Plus, I think doing checkpoints kind of defeats the purpose of having exam practice - specific practice is more useful where you sit the whole unencountered exam at once in mock conditions. That's just my opinion though.

Seconded. Didn't buy it for Psych.

[jane1234]

No!!! They are just rehashed exam questions plus some other crappy ones they've made themselves. I can't believe they make money from this. Plus, I think doing checkpoints kind of defeats the purpose of having exam practice - specific practice is more useful where you sit the whole unencountered exam at once in mock conditions. That's just my opinion though.

Seconded. Didn't buy it for Psych.

Thirded (Don't think that's a word but oh well ) Bought it for methods... did the first chapter but then realised that I was just doing all the questions I was going to do in practice exams. Like lexitu said, you're heaps better off doing the practice papers under exam conditions - because that's what you'll be tested on.

[Zien]

I disagree if money isn't the primary issue. I think the best part about Checkpoints is that they organize the questions into the topics they belong. For example, in Physics, there's a chapter on Basic Motion, Forces, Energy, Momentum, Projectiles, Circular Motion, Gravity and your investigation. After covering each topic, you can just sit down and do some questions, whether you do some half an hour a day, two hours a week - it doesn't matter. What matters is that you're doing them and you're familiarizing yourself with the type of questions that are expected to come up. Whereas if you do past papers, you'll either have to know the content already or you'll have to just flick through the paper until you hit a question you know the theory behind it (even then, some questions combine knowledge across a whole range of topics, some of which you haven't learnt yet).

Before the exam you'll want to do past papers since you'll probably know all the theory required so you can become more familiar with the pacing of an exam within the time limit. But Checkpoints is useful for studying throughout the year. Plus, I think that it's more motivating and encouraging to yourself by doing a few questions a day from a topic in Checkpoints than open up a past paper and going through it to see what you can do.

[lexitu]

Before the exam you'll want to do past papers since you'll probably know all the theory required so you can become more familiar with the pacing of an exam within the time limit. But Checkpoints is useful for studying throughout the year. Plus, I think that it's more motivating and encouraging to yourself by doing a few questions a day from a topic in Checkpoints than open up a past paper and going through it to see what you can do.

How are you meant to do past papers within the time limit if you've already done all/most of the questions within them? You'll be finished very early.

Why not do other content-oriented questions from another provider, your textbook, (or make them yourself) rather than rewarding a company with money when most of what they have done has involved simply organising questions into categories.

[man0005]

Thanks for the advice guys

Buy the A+ Notes practice SACs and exams book

i dont think i will get the checkpoints as i have seen that they are quite expensive as well, but i am interested in the other stuff you have mentioned, particularly the A+ notes
I havent been able to find any in the shops though..would you have any idea where to get them?

[iNerd]

Thanks for the advice guys

Buy the A+ Notes practice SACs and exams book

i dont think i will get the checkpoints as i have seen that they are quite expensive as well, but i am interested in the other stuff you have mentioned, particularly the A+ notes
I havent been able to find any in the shops though..would you have any idea where to get them?

SSRC.

[Zien]

How are you meant to do past papers within the time limit if you've already done all/most of the questions within them? You'll be finished very early.

I don't necessarily agree with that. Since you'll want to do Checkpoints throughout the year, some months may have passed before you actually come to a question you did in Checkpoints when doing a past paper. Then it's important to not get overconfident and quickly try and tackle it to move onto the next question. It'll be good to do the questions again with another mindset compared to the time when you first did it. Do it concisely, precisely and deliberately. This applies especially to explanation questions; wording your thoughts onto the paper regardless of whether you've seen the question varies so much.

[xZero]

How are you meant to do past papers within the time limit if you've already done all/most of the questions within them? You'll be finished very early.

I don't necessarily agree with that. Since you'll want to do Checkpoints throughout the year, some months may have passed before you actually come to a question you did in Checkpoints when doing a past paper. Then it's important to not get overconfident and quickly try and tackle it to move onto the next question. It'll be good to do the questions again with another mindset compared to the time when you first did it. Do it concisely, precisely and deliberately. This applies especially to explanation questions; wording your thoughts onto the paper regardless of whether you've seen the question varies so much.

Doesn't work for any maths related subjects, its so damn easy to (vaguely) remember what the answer is (especially if you get that question wrong), even if its been months.

[Russ]

I used checkpoints for chemistry and finished the Unit3 book once and the unit4 book twice as well as doing practice exams.

Didn't feel it was a waste at all (although I was the first year of the new course if that made a difference)

[man0005]

ah thanks for that ATAR
just wondering on what people thought of getting guides related to English
I always thought it was better to come up with your own ideas so that you understand the topic better, but are the guides for Context helpful?

[Russ]

For english/lit, any idea you have is almost certainly not unique so I always used the A+ essay books and the collections of ideas so I could build off them

Don't take the guide and regurgitate it, just use it to base your ideas on and further develop what's in there

[Zien]

Fair enough. I still think that it's still worth pursuing to review your thought process and methodology despite having seen the question before, but if money is an issue then point taken.

[HERculina]

hm well im starting to think that its not worth it -
cause wen i was using it i hadnt started with practice exams and thought it was really good but then wen i got to doing exams some of the q.s i had already seen before in checkpoints.... :/
so im not using the bk anymore, mite as well just do my biozone bk q.s and the exams.
but meh, i got it for free anyway....