How To Organise Your Revision Notes Properly?
If you have ever appeared for any exam, you are well aware of the importance of revision. It does not matter how many times you studied a chapter previously if you fail to revise it the night before a big exam. Different students make use of different strategies when it comes to revision. Some people prefer to brush up on past concepts daily but this can prove to be a very tedious method that can leave you drained out in the long run. In contrast to this, some people prefer to revise two or three difficult subjects weekly.
Revising concepts every fortnight or every 15 days also works equally well for some people. However, it is best to stick to a method that suits you and has been effectively tried and tested. Irrespective of which revision strategy catered to your habits you finally decide to use, revision itself has a bunch of advantages. These have been scientifically proven and tested by students globally. We constantly evolve and learn from our mistakes but it can save us a lot of time and energy if we learn from the mistakes of others. This is why we have come up with a reliable method of organising your revision notes properly so that you can reap the maximum benefits of your hard work.
The Best Way To Organise Revision Notes
Use highlighters and different coloured pens – Reading for long hours can become very monotonous if you do not find what you are studying interesting. However, in most cases, students do not have the liberty of being able to pick and choose between chapters that they like and that they don’t like. From the examination point of view, each chapter has to be studied carefully. This is where using highlighters and different coloured pens can help you. You can use these to highlight important points in your notes and in your textbook that you might have skipped otherwise. Moreover, these stationery items help in making your notes look more attractive, thereby breaking the monotony of studying. You will find yourself actually excited to be studying and reading more if you make use of this technique. Make sure to not let your work get too cluttered.
Write neatly – Nobody likes to bear witness to an untidy paper presentation. Often, when we are in a hurry, we do not concentrate on our handwriting and end up writing sloppily. You will never want to read what you have written if it is not presentable. You can do a little experiment to check the validity of the above statement. Make articulate notes in bad handwriting and make less detailed notes in good handwriting. You will automatically find yourself being able to retain the information you wrote yourself in good handwriting better. Thus, always write neatly, no matter how much time it takes you. If you do not do this, the whole purpose of making notes will be in sheer vain.
Divide your notes into sections – Always highlight the sub-topics of a chapter. Do not make notes that continue on for pages with no breaks, gaps, or sectioning. This will again psychologically prevent you from retaining the information presented to you. Our human brains need to divide content into sections to be able to properly process it. If you make long notes with no headings or sub-titles, you will never read them again and will be left in a frenzied panic before the day of the exam. This is why you must put in effort from the very beginning to divide your notes into appropriate sections.
Make separate notebooks for separate subjects – This is another essential tip when it comes to note taking and note organising. Do not scribble all your notes in one common notebook. Just like you were advised to divide your notes into sections, you should also maintain different notebooks for different subjects. In this manner, all the data relevant to a specific subject will be compiled in a particular notebook. You will not have to go hunting for the notes of each subject individually by ruffling through the pages of the common notebook you made the mistake of using. These little tips can make a huge difference at the end of the day and boost your productivity immensely, yielding better results in exams in addition to boosting your confidence and improving your time management skills.
Do not delve into details – Remember, you are taking notes. You are not supposed to just copy and paste all the information present in the textbook. You have to first read the chapter you are going to make notes for properly and then select the relevant points that need to be remembered. You should only jot down these relevant points instead of simply replicating your entire textbook-like some students. The very point of note-taking and note organising is to increase your efficiency and productivity. Thus, always refrain from going into details. Keep your notes concise and to the point. This will also help you frame your answers in various examinations as you will know which points need to be highlighted and mentioned.
Avoid using ink that will blotch – One should always be equipped to deal with any unfortunate mishaps or accidents that may occur. These small accidents that we never think about can affect students academically. Suppose, you were having breakfast one morning while flipping through the pages of your notebook. You accidentally knocked over your coffee mug and ended up spilling coffee all over the notes you had made so meticulously. If you had thought practically, you would have used only ball pens to take notes. However, if you made the mistake of using gel pens or ink that would blotch, all your hard work has gone down the drain now. This is why you should use waterproof stationery items when making notes or when you are sitting for an exam. Be practical and rational in your approach to help yourself organise your notes better.
