Making notes on a revision guide is a highly inefficient revision process. As human beings, we have a tendency to imitate what others around us are doing. For example, if we see somebody else making notes, we believe its the ‘right’ thing to do. However, in my experience of taking exams, I’ve found that taking notes is one of the most unproductive things to do and here’s why…
Firstly, making notes does not necessarily mean the content will stick into your long term memory. If you read my previous post, you would’ve found that one of the key factors of exam success is long term memory. You’ve most likely experienced this yourself. Have you made notes on a certain chapter in a revision guide and in a couple of days time forgotten about the key concepts of that particular topic? and then have no choice but to return to that chapter and make additional notes? Then, it makes a vicious circle. This happens because the material is unlikely to store into your mind on the first occasion. It’s only when you read up on it a second or third time i.e. repetition it begins to stick.
Secondly, there is a danger that you can end up writing detailed notes. I used to do this myself. You feel as though everything in the revision guide is important and therefore, you have to jot it down. When you’ve finished the chapter, you take a look at your notes and realise that you’ve just made a duplicate of the text. What is the point of having two pieces of the same text? Again, highly inefficient.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that you don’t read through the material at all. If you do this, you are bound to fail but how you should approach it is, note-taking should be minimal at first; jot down a key phrase or formula. Most revision guides these days highlight the key concepts and contain summary sections. This is all you need as part of your note-taking in the beginning. Your most effective note-taking comes after completing the practice papers…
One of my favourite quotes of all time is from Bruce Lee; a martial arts instructor, philosopher and actor. He said: ‘Knowing is not enough. We must apply’. This can relate to anything in life, including taking exams. What he means is it doesn’t matter how much knowledge you possess. If you cannot apply this knowledge in the right way, you will not be successful. This is the main reason why so many intelligent students achieve average grades in the end – they cannot apply their knowledge effectively. They don’t know how to take the theory from the textbook and apply it in an exam context, which agrees with the mark scheme.
Believe it or not, when I was revising for my A-level maths exams, I did not go through all of the material in the textbooks. I knew the questions in the textbook were not a true reflection of what would appear in the exam so that’s why I didn’t spend hours and hours on going through the textbooks. Instead, I had a look at all the worked examples, made a note of any key formulas/methods and went straight for the exam papers. From the past papers, I could see the kind of questions that would come up, whether I could spot any patterns, how I would be graded and what specifically the examiners were looking for etc. In the end, I achieved over 90% in my A-level maths…
Ultimately, you’ll be graded on how you relay the information from the textbook to your exam paper and not how much you know. That’s why you should spend the majority of your time on practice papers and the mark schemes. I can go on and on about this but I would recommend that you download my ‘GCSE Revision Tips’ guide. In there, you’ll find the most critical areas you should focus on during revision. I also provide a revision schedule, built around your school timetable, so you can achieve top grades in your exams whilst having the time to do other things as well. To download this guide, visit: www.gcserevisiontips.co.uk.