WhatScience? wrote:Don't use private resources...
there is 1 public potions test
the other events maybe but potions...no way
And that's where learning more basics outside of the endless practice tests can also kick in
But seriously tho... Although I never did Potions and Poisons bc 1) I was never in Div B and 2) it became an official event after I started college, I might still have some advice for that event anyways. And although what I'm about to say probably pertains more to the actual P&P thread rather than this one, based on what I understand about the event, knowing how to take tests (or whatever tests may exist for P&P since it's such a new event) is only one part, knowing a significant amount of fundamentals in chemistry/biology is what may seal the deal (like they always say, memorizing how to solve a problem is one thing, but if you know the fundamentals, then you can solve it anyways). Just as one example, you can only learn so much the fattail scorpion (or any of the other toxins/toxic living organisms for that matter, but let's just use that as an example for now) by taking practice tests, and for that matter, not every practice test may cover the fattail scorpion because not every test writer may choose to ask about it. So...if you can't get all you need to know from all the practice tests out there, where will you get the info from? Honestly, Wikipedia would probably even be a better resource for learning about it/those than a bunch of practice tests (I love it as much as teachers hate it). And even so, there are also lab practicals that you would need to know how to do that may not be fully covered by all existing practice tests either.
But bottom line about this is, you need a lot more than tests to succeed.
Also, you might wanna not trash talk your team/tell them how disappointed you are in them, and you might wanna delete the contents pertaining to that or, if you really think you need to, beg a mod to take the post down. You can feel frustration all you want, but that doesn't mean you should actually say it to them or, possibly even worse, publish it on the Internet. Based on what you said, I don't think you carefully considered how they might feel or react to what you said. You can imagine what outcome you hope to happen, but it doesn't matter what's in your head on that. It matters what the rest of your team may think about that, and I am certain they will not appreciate the things you said about them, and I also think it will not motivate them to do better. On the contrary, it might make them more frustrated and maybe even rebellious to you. By telling the entire Internet how you (supposedly) "carried the team" AND how disappointed you were in the rest of your teammates, it shows that you have a big ego and quite a bit of arrogance and selfishness, since you come off as only caring about yourself and not about them, and that's not something that others are gonna look up to - they'll see you more as trying to boss them around rather than trying to help them. (see
here) And you might know the feeling of being bossed around - nobody likes that, I'm certain that you don't either. Good leadership has a steep learning curve, and by the looks of it, you've got a long way to go.
Don't despair too much tho - there's always next season, and more opportunities to learn how to get better at SciOly in general. Although I'm not from Jersey, I hope you heed the advice of myself anyways as well as that of many others on this site who have also given you some and use that to improve. (I'll be at Princeton, actually...just a fun fact)
A team that is able to cover 11 regular events + 2 trials well might be spread thin with 23 regular events + 2 trials.
