Studying, in general, is not fun for most people. Convincing yourself to study every day, especially when you’re preparing for a competitive exam like JEE, is another task on its own. It is why most people skip studying daily and start referring to JEE solutions a week before their exam date. Most of the time, we don’t remember anything we read, simply because we are only reading it. However, reading is different from studying.
While studying, you must prepare notes for yourself. These notes become your study material the week before your exam because you do not have to flip through the entire textbook and read every page to understand a topic. You can even use a scan and solve maths or biology app to help you. There are various homework apps and doubt apps that help you prepare your notes. Here are some tips that you should keep in mind when studying and creating notes:
- Take notes as you read: When you read your chapter, you should take notes as you go. It will help you keep track of what you have studied in the day and remember everything you read. Taking notes as you read through the chapter will help you learn the concepts and grasp every detail better. Every time you do not understand something, use a doubt app. Writing things down is a better way to commit them to memory as opposed to simply reading them.
- Add side-notes: When you prepare your study material, it is a good idea to add side-notes in one corner of your page. These notes will help you remember your written material better as they will give you hints on how to answer each question. Further, they could also include tips and tricks to recognise each concept. They will become an image in your memory, and you can later recollect them to write your answers.
- Create summaries and conclusions: For every chapter that you study, make a summary at the end of your notes. That will be your guide through the chapter when you are running out of time to revise the entire chapter. An outline or summary of the chapter is of great help when you only want to skim through the book without wasting your time. A conclusion does a similar job except; you can create a conclusion for every topic instead of every chapter.
- Rinse and Repeat: While studying and creating notes, it is important to remember that practising is what will help you remember and retain information. Every single topic should be revised and worked on over and over again. You cannot afford to only study it once and let it go if you want to score well in the exam. Read over your notes multiple times and keep in mind that you will only be able to study well if you use a method that suits you best.
- Use diagrams and mind-maps: Diagrams and mind-maps are much easier to remember as compared to written material. The reason for that is when you try to recollect information; you tend to remember pictures over words that jumble up in your mind and become complex to remember.
