[My Tip] Why & How to make Notes?

[mrunal]

most new people excessively depend on the ready made material of coaching classes,
hence this article I wrote to enlighten them
why note makig is important and
How should they make notes?

REVISION AND CIVIL SERVICES EXAM

No matter how tasty the Sambhar is, you'll not enjoy it unless its hot.
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...07/11/idli.jpgRevision is same like Heating the Sambhar,
No matter how many thick books you've read through out the year, you'll not be able to
recall much from it during the Exam unless you've done frequent revision.

That's where the Role of Note making comes.

WHY SHOULD YOU MAKE NOTES?

for 2 reasons
1. Quick revision
you can't revision 15-20 Thick books on the night before exams,
http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:...book_stack.jpg but you can revise your 50 Pages note.
2. Remembering the tough to remember things.
by making charts, diagrams, tables etc.

HOW TO MAKE NOTES?

Note making DOESN't mean writing down everything from the reference book.
(that's same like Xeroxing)
Note making means - you write down some specific sentence / keywords that'll enable you
to recall that entire 1 page big topic.
its an ART of converting 1 Paragraph into 1 Sentence.

lets take an example.

you've to prepare Freedom Struggle Movement for G.S. history
now you can read multiple books, they'll have written many paragraphs on
the Characteristic of Early phase of Freedom Movement from 1857- 1905.

but you can summerize all of it into just 3 lines

• Done by posh people.
• reforms via Peaceful means
• had faith in the British Justice.

those 3 lines explain everything in disguise that,
Why did British introduced Reforms?
- To keep the mods away from Extremists’ influence.
- Prevent a situation like 1857 (not written in the note cause its obvious)
why no fruitful results / What are the limitation ?
(only Posh people involved, didnot have popular big base of poor farmers), so the reforms were only piecemeal – namesake only.


How Extremists were different from Moderate?
(Mods. wanted reforms via Peaceful means + did not want British to Leave India (had faith in ...) )
Why Surat Split? :
No fruitful result + Extr vs Mods difference.
Why Gandhi was successful?
cause he expanded the Base of people. (Posh People + Poor people.)
He had hinted about it during his BHU Opening Ceremony Speach.

3 lines and you'll be able to recall everything, with out having to read that big paragraph/ Chapter again.
BUT the pre-requisite is that you've read that reference book first.
A note / Coaching Class material is by no means a complete substitute of a standard reference book, but only a tool for quick revision and remembering.
(for Facts and Dates you'll have to make Table etc.)

that's the use of Notes.
Its an Art of converting a paragraph into a sentence
you convert a 500 page big book into a 15 pages small note.
and then you never have to touch that big book again
and keep revising that note until you know it like the back of your hand.

WHY NOT USE COACHING CLASSES NOTES THEN?

cause what you think as imp. they might not consider it as IMP.
UPSC makes sure that no questions are asked from big coaching classes' study materials (Vajiram, Brilliant, Rao etc)
you can remember more if you've written it in your own words, instead of their ornamental langauge.
e.g. the word i used there 'Posh People' to save time and energy while making note.
but the same thing in these Coaching Classes material will be written as

"Western Educated Upper Middle Class consisting of Lawyers and Zamindaars."

another example - economy topic in some magazine / Coaching Class Material.
what they've written?

when expenditure is more than income, government has to borrow to finance the deficit from banks and people.
that is called Deficit Financing.

what i write in the note?

Deficit Finance = Govt. borrows from people + Bank.

compare their 23 words with my 7 words.
even their 'so called Last minute Revision Note' is longer than my own note.

you don't have to write down "when Expenditure is more than income.." cause its obvious
that you don't borrow unless you're out of money and you're not out of money unless you spend more than what you earn.

see? you've to waste more time revising that long line + pain on brain to remember it.
but it'd not be the same thing if you had your Own note.

so don't even waste a single more word in your note than what's enough to remember and understand.
you write the note for your own convenience, not to impress some Girl or Professor or Earn Ph.D.
Note is for quick revision and remembering - it has to be Short and sweet.
+ it gives you writing practice that helps you in mains.
it has to be your own note, not even note of some other person/Topper.
http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:...19e4db611f.jpgbecause he would n't have written things that he could remember with out writing.
he might not have written things that he didnot consider imp during the UPSC trend of his time.
and you can never know as much as he understood from his note. (because he made the note ONLY AFTER reading the Reference Book.)
e.g. see above 3 lines note, if you had not read the original reference book, then you'd not see a complete
connection of those question answers with those 3 lines.
if reading someone else notes was going to help, then why not everyone who reads Mr XYZ Topper's notes is not getting
as high marks as he did?

avoid shortcut ways, it takes a lil time and effort to make a note but its worth it, having your own note.
+ in mains exam you'll have to write a lot, so the
habit of writing notes keeps your hand in tone. other wise you won't be able to complete your mains paper in 3 hours.
http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:...2520Center.jpg

Imagine Dhoni going to T20 with out holding the bat even once through out the year.)
http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:...g.372116_t.jpg

by using a readymade note, you're depriving your hand from the practice of writing. and that's going to hurt you in Mains Exam.


DON'T LISTEN TO RUMORS
http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:...gend-rumor.jpgyou'll come accross many friends who'll say that

XYZ Topper in some year got the rank despite making any note.
so you don't have to make notes to get selected in UPSC.

they'll quote some interview of him, posted in Wizard / Chronicle /CST.
BUT you ask yourself,

do you've computer like brain to remember everything you read for single time
can you recall everything on the day of exam with out revising?

you don't have to burn down your hut cause someone got a big bunglow.
just because some one cracked the exam with out making notes doesn't mean you too should step into
his shoes with out measuring your own foot (brain) size number.



DON'T MAKE THE NOTE IN A NOTE,
http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:...9,282d51d8.jpgMake your notes in loose papers and file them.
Advantage = when you come across some new important things related to that topic- you can add a new
paper in between those pages in the file.
(if you use a traditional notebook / full scape note then it'd be difficult to add something new in between the pages afterwards.)

USE THE HIGHLIGHTER
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...lo/0070271.jpgwhile reading a book, always keep a highlighter with out and mark down the important lines
and then once you are done reading, start making the notes, by converting those imp lines in your own words.
break down the long ornamental sentences into small words. - then only you can remember it for a long time.

e.g. refer that Deficit financing example again.

NEVER Write what you can remember with out writing

e.g.

"we got independence on 15th August , 1947"
"Tiger is our national Animal."

ok that's all from my side,
this isn't your college exam,
you can't score huge using a ready made material.
if you want to be an IAS then you need to be in at least first 30-50 in this whole country (or in around first 270-400 if you are SC/ST) ,
and do you think they'll give you that big marks,
when you write the same thing what 10000 other people are also writing (from those ready made notes?)
this exam is not about cramming (those ready made notes/material) but about understanding and revising.
more suggestions are welcome.

those of you who're preparing for 2010
you've 11 Months in your hands,
(Prelim of 2010 will be taken in May 2010)
so don't give the time limit as an excuse- if you want to succeed then you've endure the suffering and pain (of making notes)
and its not That time consuming- you're converting 1 paragraph in 1 line. its an art and you can master it only by practice.

Ref
Why & How to make Notes for UPSC Civil Service IAS,IPS Exam- Study Tips:Mrunal

[satish]

Thank you Mrunal, you are doing great work at IO.

[arpitha]

Gr8 Job Mrunal !!

[big rudra]

good work mrunal.very nice and encouraging tooooo.....lots of thanks .u rock

[mrunal]

Thanks a Lot Satish, Arpitha, Rudra for you support,
Big thanks to Big Rudra for nominating the post for award.

one more thing I wanted to add is
While making notes , make as many charts, tables and diagrams as you can.

Examples -click following links

• [Mrunal's Notes] Public Adminstration : Learn with Diagrams
• [Chart] Parliament's control over Executive

[saifnaik]

Excellent work... one other thing i read is memory maps way of making notes... google it its a little difficult to explain it here, it does require some practice though but it is very efficient at the end of the day

[sunil_ias]

Great work mrunal
what i will suggest and what i feel it is very difficult to convert 1 para to 1 line unless and untill you have read it not less than thrice
During reading highlight it at the first reading u will see that u have highlighted almost everything
with each subsequent reading your highlighted portion will reduce and finally you will able to convert 1 para to 1 line

[rudraphysio]

hay i found this interesting video of how to make mind maps... really very helpful in note making

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5FES...layer_embedded

[ajana]

Good job Mrunal.....you are doing something great than ordinary....keep performing man...
Thanks a lot .... thats very useful...the way you added those apt pictures are worth for the article...
Thank you......

[chahal.ritu]

keep it up...... keep doing this good work.