UPSC CSE – How to make notes effectively
We all know how important it is to make notes for
exam preparation. We all do it and have been doing it for years. However, you
might not be able to reap the maximum benefits out of it. Here, we bring to you
tips on how to make notes effectively. This post is brought to you by Oliveboard, an online exam preparation platform for
government and banking jobs.
Understand the purpose – Why make notes?
· While understanding
a topic is easy, remembering it is difficult. Hence it is important to make
notes of important topics so that you can glance through whenever you want to
revise. Well-made notes save you the trouble of revisiting the voluminous study
material.
· Writing down points
helps you to remember it better. Note that while you’re writing, you’re also
thinking about it, which helps your mind engage more actively with the
information and thus store it better.
How to make notes?
1. Linear Notes
Linear notes method is in which you condense the
material you have read using headings and subheadings. This is the best method
for making notes while reading a book, newspaper or a magazine.
·
Avoid getting
carried away and copying a lot of material.
·
A good way is to
keep loose sheets of paper handy and to jot down important points about a given
topic.
·
Usecolors, block
letters, boxes, and highlighters to immediately draw your attention to the
critical points and would aid in a quick
recall.
2. Pattern Notes
In this method, one writes the main idea at the
center of the page and each line radiating from it represents a branch of that
idea. Each point is written as briefly as possible. (Think of flowcharts and
mindmaps.) Advantage is one can see the entire information without turning the
page and disadvantage is there are chances of missing out on information. Using keywords can remind of basic ideas but
when it comes to remembering details it is sometimes inefficient.
What does a good set of notes have
·
Topic outline, key
points, advantages and disadvantages and finally the conclusion
·
Well labeled
diagrams, tables, graphs or sketch maps wherever necessary
Tips to make Notes
·
Use loose sheets as
they help in organizing and adding content relatedat a later time
· Include information
in points and do not write long paragraphs. That would defeat the purpose of
making notes. The idea is to keep it crisp, concise and focused on the main
idea
· Try to use
different colored pens for headings, sub-headings etc.
· Maintain separate
folders/files for each subject. You could also use sticky notes to demarcate
one section from the other
· Keep revising the
notes every once in a while.
Now, that you know how to make notes, make the most
out of it during your preparation. You can also use Oliveboard’s Mocks to improve your UPSC CSE exam preparation.
Hope this helps.All the best.
