UPSC CSE – How to make notes effectively

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.
5 Upsc Gyan: UPSC CSE – How to make notes effectively Understand the purpose – Why make notes? ·           While understanding a topic is easy, remembering it is difficult. Hence it is imp...

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