<p>Do you use it? How accurate do you think it is for tests? Are the guides and summaries helpful? Is it cheating? Lets see your opinion, CC'ers!</p>
<p>I’ve had teachers say that it is a good tool to study for tests, and in those classes, I will use it. Presumably, those teachers make their tests to require a higher level of thinking than Sparknotes gives. I think that is an ideal situation.</p>
<p>I like Cliff’s Notes a little more since they usually are a little more in depth than Sparknotes. Nevertheless, their analysis is pretty useful for class discussions. I always used Spark/Cliff’s Notes to sum up what I just read.</p>
<p>Excellent review tool, terrible if used as a replacement for the actual text.</p>
<p>^ Yes exactly, I’m reading Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man and it definitely requires some review. Sparknotes is really helpful. But it isn’t that specific so I wouldn’t use it to replace the book.</p>
<p>My teachers actuallly check sparknotes to build their exams around topics not covered in sparknotes. If used in the right way, though, any sort of help can be, well, helpful.</p>
<p>I like to use sparknotes for a quick review but I usually don’t bother. I actually had a teacher last year who used the sparknotes quiz for the book as the test for the book. That aggrivated me. Those of us who didn’t use it did worse than those who did.</p>
<p>I really hate when people don’t actually read the book and then just use sparknotes, though, and they’re in honors or AP. That’s annoying.</p>
<p>Spark Notes is strictly not allowed at my school within the English department. It is considered cheating.</p>
<p>It’s perfectly fine for other subjects like history, though… even encouraged.</p>
<p>I think its a useful tool. Its helped me a lot personally. I would never use it to replace the text, but I think it really helps sum things up. I like to read it right after, or even right before, I read the actual thing. It makes it easier.</p>
<p>^^Whoa, that’s harsh.</p>
<p>I am pretty bad at comprehending a bunch of pages and tying everything together so I use Spark Notes to help me tie everything together and think of ideas for an in class essay.</p>
<p>I would hate it if Spark Notes were banned. Granted, how can they tell what you do online at home? I would probably break that rule…</p>
<p>Unless your plagiarizing, I don’t see how it’s cheating. My Dad used Cliff Notes when he was in high school and he said it was a useful learning aide.</p>
<p>Most teachers make tests that are exactly what’s not on Sparknotes, but like Shewas one of my earlier teachers did all the tests based on sparknotes, and also used it for the lesson. It was her first year and she didn’t realize that everyone looked at Sparknotes before the next day.</p>
<p>To prepare for reading tests, don’t rely on 1 source. </p>
<p>First, actually read the book.</p>
<p>If you have reading comprehension difficulties like me for long fiction novels, use this:
Read Sparknotes
Read Cliff Notes
Read Wikisummaries
Read any other online summaries.</p>
<p>It’ll give you a very well rounded look on the book.</p>
<p>I use Sparknotes to clarify the text for me. I usually read the original text then read Sparknotes and, sometimes, it informs me things that I was unable to catch.</p>
<p>As for tests, I, myself, wouldn’t use it for AP preparation due to some inaccurate information I caught with my teacher.</p>