Road Scholar B

[Jim_R]

Discussion for Road Scholar B.

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[ILoveEgretsClub]

So what did everyone think about the Nats test?

[silentsage]

Not so bad, had a nice range of questions, but I would have liked to have seen more UTMs and less lat/lon. "Dobby" was also spelled wrong, and I don't want to talk about the storyline.

[havenbro]

So what did everyone think about the Nats test?

There was one question asking the price of a ferry trip to the Dry Tortugas islands. I ended up taking that trip last summer. Other than that..... I liked it.

[PicturePerfect]

How exactly can you study for Roads? :\

[EastStroudsburg13]

Probably the best way to prepare for Road Scholar is to practice a lot. Whether that's taking tests or just looking at maps, you've got to get a feel for everything: where the legend is what what info is on it, what different lines and symbols mean, using the scale, navigation, insets, etc. A lot of this can just be improved by looking at highway and topos. In my opinion, highway maps are easier since they're more readily available, less detailed, and the legend for symbols is printed right on the map, but this strategy works for topos too.

RS is one of those events where the rules are pretty clear, so go through the rules and see what topics you know, what you kind of know, and what you really need to work on. Then, you can look up the stuff you need to work on and study them. The official Science O website has some good links, and you should see if your coach has that Road Scholar Training Manual, which is also very helpful. And, as always, the Road Scholar Wiki is a fantastic place to start.

Again, a lot of Road Scholar is just practice and getting a feel for where everything is. There are lots of practice tests out there, so find one you want to do, ask your coach to get the maps for the test, and then off you go. For me, looking at maps was always a hobby of mine, so when I got to Road Scholar some things just came naturally, and that's the point where you're trying to get.

Good luck, and if you have any additional, more specific questions, feel free to ask!

[da_narwhals]

It's our first time at Road Scholar, so we pretty much have no idea what to do. I've read the wiki and put all that info into tutorials for teammates and such, including map symbols, but is there anything specifically that I should put in my binder?
Also, it's really hard to find maps that I can download or buy. Any links?

[EastStroudsburg13]

On the USGS website, there is a map locator and downloader you can use. The cookie settings are a little bit funky, so you might have to play with your browser's settings a little bit, but one that's set up, you can mark where you want to have your topo. Then, when you're finished marking, you can go back to Navigate (you'll see what I mean once you get the site working), and then when you click on the marker they'll give you an option to download or buy that quadrangle.

As for your binder, put anything that you think will be helpful. That could be past tests, print-outs, personal notes, anything you want really. Of course, you also need the symbol sheet and any instruments you're using, but my philosophy is, if you think it could be helpful, put it in. You might not use it every time, but it's there just in case. Most of the time, if you're pretty good, you won't be depending on your binder too much anyway.

[da_narwhals]

On the USGS website, there is a map locator and downloader you can use. The cookie settings are a little bit funky, so you might have to play with your browser's settings a little bit, but one that's set up, you can mark where you want to have your topo. Then, when you're finished marking, you can go back to Navigate (you'll see what I mean once you get the site working), and then when you click on the marker they'll give you an option to download or buy that quadrangle.

As for your binder, put anything that you think will be helpful. That could be past tests, print-outs, personal notes, anything you want really. Of course, you also need the symbol sheet and any instruments you're using, but my philosophy is, if you think it could be helpful, put it in. You might not use it every time, but it's there just in case. Most of the time, if you're pretty good, you won't be depending on your binder too much anyway.

Thank you so much! I had some trouble with that website before, and didn't know how to fix the cookies.

EDIT
Do you have to put markings around where you want it to be?

[Beastybob12345]

On the USGS website, there is a map locator and downloader you can use. The cookie settings are a little bit funky, so you might have to play with your browser's settings a little bit, but one that's set up, you can mark where you want to have your topo. Then, when you're finished marking, you can go back to Navigate (you'll see what I mean once you get the site working), and then when you click on the marker they'll give you an option to download or buy that quadrangle.

As for your binder, put anything that you think will be helpful. That could be past tests, print-outs, personal notes, anything you want really. Of course, you also need the symbol sheet and any instruments you're using, but my philosophy is, if you think it could be helpful, put it in. You might not use it every time, but it's there just in case. Most of the time, if you're pretty good, you won't be depending on your binder too much anyway.

Thank you so much! I had some trouble with that website before, and didn't know how to fix the cookies.

EDIT
Do you have to put markings around where you want it to be?

You can also bring books.
EDIT
Or can you? I didn't bring any.