OSC IB or IB Prepared Revision Guides?

[XyflywnnZKnoxx]

I've noticed that these are the two main providers of revision guides for the IB and I was wondering which one is preferred or better value? Any other providers i've missed out on would be great too!

[Kat_K]

I don't own a copy by either, but I have planning on ordering the OSC guides since I attended one of their courses and got a look at the guides – they're great! Very informative and have diagrams etc to help explain things

For chemistry, I have an Oxford IB Study Guide, which has proven to be quite good. All the information is very condensed (although sometimes I have to refer to the textbook since it skips some things) and it has IB questions and worked examples which are all very useful.

This also seems to be quite a useful website: ibguides.com

Oh and check out this thread --> http://www.ibsurvival.com/topic/20370-has-anybody-bought-the-revision-books-from-wwwosc-ibcom-or-somewhere-else-and-found-them-useful/

Edited August 7, 2013 by Kat_K

[Sandwich]

If you do either Biology or Chemistry, definitely get the Study Guide textbook like this one:

http://www.alibris.co.uk/search/books/isbn/9780199151431&cm_mmc=shopcompare-_-paid-_-Google-_-books?ci_src=18615224&ci_sku=17519429&gclid=COiXvcS_67gCFfLHtAod1DoAuA

There's one by the same people for Chemistry and they're brilliant. I also think there's a very good Physics one. Also, just having a good original textbook, considering you spend 2 years studying it, is actually enough in a way. The thing about revision guides is that they'll help you with the memorising part but not so much with the understanding part - you need it fully explained for that, I think, rather than in short snippets. At the end of the day, you can do the memorisation part equally well from the syllabus or your own notes, and it's really the understanding bit which you need! At least that's how I learn.

I bought the English Lit A1, Biology, Chemistry and Maths study guides from the OSC and found them confusingly laid out and not helpful for my revision. Essentially I bought them and binned them (massively regret wasting the money but we had nothing in the school library to look at before I bought them...) based on the fact I panicked and thought I needed a revision guide. They were the only ones out there so I figured I had to buy them. The only OSC one I found useful was the Maths Calculator guide because there's no specific guide anywhere else on how to use the scientific calculator and it was relatively easy to follow.

If you can borrow some guides or preview them somehow, that's really what I'd recommend. Then you know whether it'll be a waste of money for you or you might find them useful.