Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides for Preliminary HSC? (2 Viewers)

[Doctor Jolly]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

Actually, Excel is really really good for Legal Studies. Probably better than any other Legal textbook out there.

What about Cambridge? My school uses Cambridge for Legal.

 

[lyounamu]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

What about Cambridge? My school uses Cambridge for Legal.

My school does too.

 

[Aerath]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

What about Cambridge? My school uses Cambridge for Legal.

Nah, Cambridge sucks. It's way too brief. To be honest, I reckon it might be more of a study guide than anything else. Of course, that's really just my opinion.

 

[The Kaiser]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

Haha, for Chem it's shit. For Physics...it's pretty good for Yr 11, but Jacaranda still beats it.

Excel is only good for a scaffold and a last minute revision guide to get your basics down. It still beats thosehorrible "two dollar notes" we get at school.

While Jacaranda is a great series of textbooks, I think that Longman (The New 2008 Addition and 2001 Addition) book is better for Physics, Conquering Chem/Problems in Chemistry is also better than Jacaranda for chemistry IMO due to the questions. Jacaranda is the bext textbook for Biology, hands down (though it does teach things outside the syllabus).

Apparantly a friend of mine says there is such thing as "Conquering Physics" published by the same company as "Conquering Chemistry" (McGraw Hill) is that true?

 

[ChockoRepublic]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

Excel is only good for a scaffold and a last minute revision guide to get your basics down. It still beats thosehorrible "two dollar notes" we get at school.

While Jacaranda is a great series of textbooks, I think that Longman (The New 2008 Addition and 2001 Addition) book is better for Physics, Conquering Chem/Problems in Chemistry is also better than Jacaranda for chemistry IMO due to the questions. Jacaranda is the bext textbook for Biology, hands down (though it does teach things outside the syllabus).

Apparantly a friend of mine says there is such thing as "Conquering Physics" published by the same company as "Conquering Chemistry" (McGraw Hill) is that true?

2 dollar notes?

 

[The Kaiser]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

2 dollar notes?

Our school, gets notes from Keep it Simple Science (Biology) and Worksheets for HSC 2003 (Chemistry/Physics) from G.R. Marsden, as a replacement for textbooks. K.I.S.S is terrible all around, while the theory for the Worksheets is rubbish, but does have some good questions.

 

[lyounamu]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

Our school, gets notes from Keep it Simple Science (Biology) and Worksheets for HSC 2003 (Chemistry/Physics) from G.R. Marsden, as a replacement for textbooks. K.I.S.S is terrible all around, while the theory for the Worksheets is rubbish, but does have some good questions.

Ah, I have heard those. I have seen KISS note for chem, it looks like a good revision for questions though.

 

[The Kaiser]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

Ah, I have heard those. I have seen KISS note for chem, it looks like a good revision for questions though.

I didn't know there were K.I.S.S notes for Chem...

Granted, that the end questions are very good for revision and such (but the answers are lacking somewhat)

The bad thing is they really distract you from the theory, because they are trying to appeal to our age group somewhat, but when your notes says stuff like "Cellulose is such a beast, and will not dissolve easily" and " The double bond is not happy Jan!" then you know there is a problem.

 

[the-derivative]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

We get KISS notes for physics, chem and bio.
I don't do chem and bio, but I have KISS notes for physics, and they're pretty good at giving a simple summary and making concepts clearer. However, I wouldn't just depend on KISS for studying - tried that once and I didn't do too well in my topic test. But in saying that - it's got good questions with worked solutions - so that makes everything a lot easier.

 

[electrolysis]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

lol i steal KISS notes from my tution for chem and physics

 

[addikaye03]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

Haha, for Chem it's shit. For Physics...it's pretty good for Yr 11, but Jacaranda still beats it.

Jacaranda in yr 12 is good for diagrams and a few other things but theres some info in it which is ery misleading and some which is technically worng.. not that this isn't uncommon to excel physics. Chem excel is just shit.. Maths Ext.1 excel is good for different applications to each section of theory & worked examples, can't beat J. Coroneas/Cambridge/Fitzpatrick

P.S. My physics teacher had a sick son and when he had to sit by his hospital bed for hours on end he made summaries of the whole physics topic. They are AWESOME.

 

[the-derivative]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

Jacaranda in yr 12 is good for diagrams and a few other things but theres some info in it which is ery misleading and some which is technically worng.. not that this isn't uncommon to excel physics. Chem excel is just shit.. Maths Ext.1 excel is good for different applications to each section of theory & worked examples, can't beat J. Coroneas/Cambridge/Fitzpatrick

P.S. My physics teacher had a sick son and when he had to sit by his hospital bed for hours on end he made summaries of the whole physics topic. They are AWESOME.

You know what would be better... you sending me these summaries =]
Anyway back on topic... I borrowed this Macmillan Year 11 Physics book... its not too bad... easier to understand then Jacaranda

 

[Doctor Jolly]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

My school only has two textbooks available for Physics and that's Jacaranda and Excel. Everyone is given an Excel book as a core study and Jacaranda only if you ask for it. So IMO, Jacaranda is the best textbook for Physics, as I haven't been exposed to any other better ones. I've heard of Spotlight for Physics, how good is that one?

 

[12o9]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

My school only has two textbooks available for Physics and that's Jacaranda and Excel. Everyone is given an Excel book as a core study and Jacaranda only if you ask for it. So IMO, Jacaranda is the best textbook for Physics, as I haven't been exposed to any other better ones. I've heard of Spotlight for Physics, how good is that one?

Apparently for year 12, some concepts explained in jacaranda are misleading. As for Year 12 Spotlight, its information is much more accurate, or so I heard.

 

[Doctor Jolly]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

Apparently for year 12, some concepts explained in jacaranda are misleading. As for Year 12 Spotlight, its information is much more accurate, or so I heard.

My school seems to keep on getting the Physics textbooks wrong then as in Year 12 they provide you with Jacaranda as a core textbook. Argh, I feel screwed for Physics :burn:

 

[12o9]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

My school seems to keep on getting the Physics textbooks wrong then as in Year 12 they provide you with Jacaranda as a core textbook. Argh, I feel screwed for Physics :burn:

Rofl. I wouldn't say that you're school has gotten it wrong, cause they actually know more than I do, I'm still a prelim student after all xD. But even if i am right, they are still providing you with a fairly decent textbook.
On the other hand, the guys at my school are provided with Macmillian books which are absolutely terrible .

 

[Excel1001]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

The library has so many textbooks that i never knew it had :rofl: The only problem i hate about borrowing is re-newing it again and again. That's why I just borrow a book, and return it at the end of the year

LMAO

 

[Aerath]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

Apparently for year 12, some concepts explained in jacaranda are misleading. As for Year 12 Spotlight, its information is much more accurate, or so I heard.

Yeah, the BCS theory.

 

[12o9]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

Yeah, the BCS theory.

Well, my bro agrees with it too x). So yeah.

 

[Doctor Jolly]

Re: Recommended Texbooks/Study Guides?

Yeah, the BCS theory.

BCS?