Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Written loads of notes, but nothing is sinking in.

Yeah, I've got a Microbiology Exam on Tuesday. I've written about 20 A4 pages of notes, but when I try and do Past Paper Questions, I realise that nothing has sunk in.

My boyfriend says that I should just keep reading over my notes, but I'm worried that won't be enough.

Any tips for getting stuff memorised?

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Reply 1

gunit123

Read your material out loud!

Reply 2

Bill_Gates

have you tried writing it on ice and drinking it?!

Reply 3

Jade4666

make links between everything!..If two microbes have shared features then link them..use the cmap software to make concept maps. practise exam questions. pick a topic and write an essay plan for it then go back to your notes and see how much you covered that you could have done etc.

Reply 4

thisisarcadia

Original post by Jade4666

practise exam questions. pick a topic and write an essay plan for it then go back to your notes and see how much you covered that you could have done etc.

alongside Jade4666's advice, you could record yourself reading the notes out loud and then listening to it when you walk to lectures or in the shower or at the gym etc.

Reply 5

thisisarcadia

Whoever gave me bad rep, let me know why rather than just -ing me :frown:

I'm doing this for my own benefit too to see if there are any better ways of revising. If you have a good idea then why not share it! :smile:

Just re-read it.

Try to get the information into your brain as many different ways as possible. Write notes, write coloured notes, draw diagrams, read you work and play back the recordings when you're out and about, get your friends to test you, make flash cards..

When I was doing my A Levels, my friends and I would create chat show type things out of questions, where we'd pretend to be scientists or something and the others would ask us questions and we could have debates. That was actually the best type of revision I ever did!

Reply 8

joey11223

Know how you feel OP. Exam tomorrow.... hopefully either YHWH, Ganesh, Buddha, Oankar, Shiva or Thor(The holy Avengers..) have my back when it comes to the right questions, which I could answer..coming up.

Btw op I find reading them is okay but not too great by itself, try writing it down again and again, write what you can remember, when you forgot, look at your notes and fill in the gaps, I find it helps me.

Also once you think you know a decent amount, try getting someone to take your notes, then ask you explain to them different sections. I think explaining it to someone else helps you solidify your knowledge.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 9

JKGB

Pick out the most important parts, write them on sticky notes and place them all around the house on things you use often (fridge, toilet etc) so you have to read them, really helped me. But if something's really not sticking in your head it's best to take a break and go back to it later rather than getting frustrated over it.

Reply 10

Ra Ra Ra

I colour-code my notes, or do silly things with it (like with History revision, when remembering what the Puritans wanted to stop in the Millenary Petition, I remember it using the alphabet: Administration of baptism by women, Bowing at the name of Jesus, Conformation, Doing the sign of the cross during baptism, etc.)

I also do powerpoints, and teach the subject to my little sister, as explaining it to her makes everything sink in and realise where my weak areas are. I never went beyond writing out notes when doing my GCSEs, but with A Levels I really have to make sure everything is covered.

Reply 11

F1Addict

When making notes, I've found that most people (that I know anyway.. ), tend to just copy from a text book or worksheets etc. As you're just copying, you're not really thinking fully about the content and trying to understand it - though this might work for some. Imo, the best way to make notes is to read a paragraph or two from a text book or w/e and understand what its telling you. Then once you have an understanding, write down, in your own words/form what the paragraphs are about. This is slower than just looking at a text book and writing down what it tells you, but you should absorb a lot more information.

(I know it may be too late for the OP, but the above is for anyone.. :smile:

)

Reply 12

Tommyjw

Original post by thisisarcadia

Whoever gave me bad rep, let me know why rather than just -ing me :frown:

I'm doing this for my own benefit too to see if there are any better ways of revising. If you have a good idea then why not share it! :smile:

Neg rep?
Dont worry bro, have some +8

Anyway. To the OP
Its old thread and her exam is gone, but this is a copy and paste incase anyone who reads this has an exam too and it may help.

Type your notes, then type them again in a more condensed way. You want to get to a point where you dont need full sentences in order to create links between what you can remember. There are times revising whole paragrahs is not needed as some of the knowledge you basically already know, you just need to create the link.

Example:

Spoiler

With this, it makes things much easier to revise from in general.

Another example in line with this to a slightly larger scale

Spoiler

Tl:dr
Make your notes shorter, sentences arent always needed, and create easy to remember links. Makes much less to remember, focuses on whats needed, and shortens work.
Its amazing how much rambling i see in some of my friends notes that just isnt needed and makes it much harder.

Also
When revising, dont read your notes.
What i mean is; When you read them, remember it, look away and repeat it, dont just stare at it and repeat it, do this until you remember that one part.
I find writing them down whilst doing this also helps.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 13

TyrannosaurusBex

I agree with recording yourself and listening to it on the go. Also utilise mnemonics etc on flashcards and post it notes. I went crazy for those. Best wishes.

Reply 14

username927016

Abduct someone really clever & proceed to perform a brain transplant with them/resort to praying :yy:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 15

thisisarcadia

Original post by Tommyjw

Neg rep?
Dont worry bro, have some +8

Ta duckie!
What you said was really helpful. I'm trying this approach now aha. Fingers crossed.

Reply 16

Artymess

Original post by bammzie

Build a memory palace :holmes:

works for me.

There's plenty of online articles but the principle is to imagine a well known place (mine is my seconday school) then fill each room with obscure, vivid, easy to recall things that represent the facts and figures you're trying to learn.

e.g. in the food/home ec rooms I put all my knowledge on flaviviruses (flavi...flavour, :biggrin:

) so there's a kitchen sink in there full of blood, which pertains to west nile virus. just vivid images that associate with the facts.

Reply 17

Pankeu

Original post by bammzie

Have you tried instrumental music (aka, music without lyrics?)
Whenever I'm doing a past paper or trying to compact all my notes into my mind without blowing a fuse, I always listen to Beethoven or instrumental jazz if you're up for something contemporary.

Or, maybe doodle something relevant to your notes!

My English language teacher is Russian so I mimic her accent when revising because it stays in my head because of how different it is. It's also quite fun!

Reply 18

M4LLY

What i'd do is pick out the key parts and put them on post it note. Place the post it notes on your wall next to your bed or the ceileng above your bed and spend 10 mins per day looking at them. Seemed to work for me

Reply 19

laurentommo

In my text book there is review questions after each chapter which I write down on a revision card, once I have revised the material for that chapter I then write the answer underneath, then I keep referring back to my revision cards until I feel I can do a past paper on it :smile:

.Good Luck, I only found out my way of revising not long ago.