When you are appearing for a competitive exam, you have to think every bit about your preparation strategically. Whether it is your daily routine, weekly mock test drills, or revision, a well-planned strategy is something that will bring the best outcome for you. But, one of the biggest mountains on this terrain is the VAST SYLLABUS. You have to cover multiple subjects in a limited time, including revisions of the same. While studying, you may be active, grasping everything like a fast learner, but there’s something that can help you with your last-minute preparation.
The habit of making notes is a sort of art, and the best thing is anyone can master this art with a set of techniques. Strategies of note-making involve practices that make the syllabus simple, lucid, and handy for you. Before hopping on to the efficient note-making methods, let us take you through some basic exercises, or we can say Warm-Ups.
First of all, to make notes, you have to be attentive. If you are studying in a classroom, you have to be present mentally, too. Note the important points the professor explains in your own words. And, if you are studying at your home, first understand what you are reading, and jot down the topics in bullet points as per your own understanding. Remember, be limited with your words. Making notes means making a shorter version of the topic that can be referred to while revisions.
While in the classroom, don’t hesitate to ask questions. Clear every silly doubt, so that it doesn’t create a puzzle-like confusion afterward. You can also talk to your seniors and get your doubts cleared.
Feel free to get creative with your note-making practices. This way, you can make your chapters and studying more fun and exciting. Keep all the required stationery handy, such as sticky notes, highlighters, bookmarks, etc. Preparing for a competitive exam can be stressful at times. So, don’t miss any opportunity to make studying fun and more productive.
Lastly, keep limited but ample study materials with you during your exam preparation. Ensure that whatever books you are referring to cover the syllabus and provide you with all the required knowledge for your exam. You can ask your teachers and seniors about the best books to refer to for your competitive exam.
Done with the Warm-Up? GREAT!
Now, let’s go through some techniques that will level up your note-making practices.
- Start with “ONLY” Reading
Don’t make notes just for the sake of making notes. While starting a new chapter, just read the chapter carefully, and patiently, and understand all the topics. You can highlight important points from the chapter. In this way, you’ll get a gist of the chapter on the first reading itself.
- Don’t just “Copy-Paste”
Your notes should be your “own” little version of the particular chapter. While preparing for a chapter, make notes as per your own understanding. Don’t just replicate what’s written in the book. Understand the topic, and then write your notes based on what you’ve understood. In this way, you’ll understand the chapter with more clarity.
- Highlight what’s “IMPORTANT”
Highlighting important points means highlighting those points that can act as keywords for a particular topic. During revision, you can refer to these highlighted points, as they will act like pieces of the puzzle, and the moment you read them, the puzzle will start to get solved in your mind. You can use different colours to highlight different points. Like Red for the bullet points. Green for definitions, purple for formulas, and so on.
- “DRAW” if necessary
The syllabus for competitive exams is extremely vast. So, candidates must be organized with their study materials. Create tree diagrams and flow charts when it comes to studying a specific process, hierarchy, etc. Drawing diagrams is also a crucial part of making notes. The sole purpose of the note-making exercise is to make the topic easy to understand and revise. So, do what keeps your needle moving. Also, diagrams are easy to remember, so it would be wise if you can turn lengthy and difficult topics into simple diagrams.
- Make Your Notes “DIGITALLY” Handy
Don’t limit yourself to the papers while making notes. Make learning available anywhere and anytime for yourself. Several apps like Google Notes, ColorNote, and in-built note-making apps on smartphones exist. You can note down important points on your mobile as well, which you can refer to while attending a “BORING” function, traveling, or waiting for your coffee. Also, you can take images of various diagrams. In this way, you can utilize every second of your time to get the best results. Go digital with your exam preparation.
Pro Tip: Turn off the push notifications, if you are studying or making notes on your mobile to avoid distractions.
- Be Systematic
While making notes, be systematic and disciplined with what you note and how you note. Preparing and appearing for a competitive exam is about your performance. You have to be wise while making notes on a topic. You should know how to make the topic easier to understand. Also, don’t go for writing a novel. Keep your notes segregated subject-wise, so that you don’t get confused during your revisions. When you make notes for a topic, be clear, but at the same time, don’t be wordy. Write in a way that you remember the topic at the very first glance of your notes.
- Remember Why You Started “THIS”
Many candidates flaunt that they make notes. But, to be honest, it’s not a fashion. Yes, every candidate must do it, but to get the best outcome of this habit. Be focused while preparing for the exam. Take it like this: Consider every word of your notes as your destiny. In short, you are writing your own destiny for your competitive exam. Remind yourself why you are making notes and what the aim behind the notes is. At last, it’s only you who can make things easier for yourself.
There are numerous advantages of note-making. It’s a kind of practice that can make your exam preparation fun, and exciting, and bring enthusiasm for learning within you. Along with note-making, several things prepare you for a competitive exam mentally and academically. You can read more blogs that will help you in your exam preparation on Exam101, the best competitive exam preparation website in India. We, your exam prep partner, provide you with everything that you need to achieve the best for yourself.
