Are making notes a waste of time?

I've been writing notes all day for sociology and I plan to write notes throughout the holidays for english sociology and politics. Is it a waste of time?! I've already started and I dont want to feel like ive wasted precious time
I revise best by memorising things and writing them down
Is this worth it?
what other revision techniques do you guys suggest for a-levels?

Reply 1

Amullai

16

Notes are okay but for some subjects I find they just get chucked with most of the junk. A textbook is better but notes are better than nothing.

Reply 2

S1elyak1

21

You answered the question yourself... if it is how you revise best then no it is not a waste of time

When I have exams I write on sticky notes and leave them around the house and whenever I walk past one I need to answer the question on the note.

Reply 3

Haviland-Tuf

19

Original post by kayleighisonfire

You answered the question yourself... if it is how you revise best then no it is not a waste of time

When I have exams I write on sticky notes and leave them around the house and whenever I walk past one I need to answer the question on the note.

Can you show us a picture?
That sounds like a silly way to revise.

Reply 4

Appazap

16

I usually make notes after the lesson, then when revising I just messily write down notes or write down what I can remember prior to revising. Sometimes I write down what I remember after revising as well.

By making my notes before half terms etc, it stops me wasting time. I tend to revise by reading the text book and then attempting past papers

Reply 5

DeepInTheMeadow

18

Original post by justanotherchica

I've been writing notes all day for sociology and I plan to write notes throughout the holidays for english sociology and politics. Is it a waste of time?! I've already started and I dont want to feel like ive wasted precious time
I revise best by memorising things and writing them down
Is this worth it?
what other revision techniques do you guys suggest for a-levels?

For those subject,s yeah I would find that helpful. But you might not, and therefore try to dwicth it up with practice exam questions, mindmaps, revision cards and short summaries. Are you in your AS or A2 year?

Reply 6

Username987654

6

Original post by justanotherchica

I've been writing notes all day for sociology and I plan to write notes throughout the holidays for english sociology and politics. Is it a waste of time?! I've already started and I dont want to feel like ive wasted precious time
I revise best by memorising things and writing them down
Is this worth it?
what other revision techniques do you guys suggest for a-levels?

Make posters then cut down the information and write it onto flash cards (just make sure you don’t cut out the important parts). Explain everything to yourself as you go along as you’re more likely to learn it rather than memorise it that way. I’m the same as you though, I rely on my photographic memory.

Reply 7

S1elyak1

21

Original post by Haviland-Tuf

Can you show us a picture?
That sounds like a silly way to revise.

All my exams are over with sorry (old person commenting here). Obviously I revised using other techniques but that is just one of the ways that I have revised in the past. I stuck them on the fridge and near the mirror so that I had to correctly answer the question before I could use either.

Reply 8

username3489684

OP

19

Original post by Amullai

Notes are okay but for some subjects I find they just get chucked with most of the junk. A textbook is better but notes are better than nothing.

i have the textbook and im copying notes from it but shortening it because ive tried revising from the textbook right before the exam and its so stressful because I feel like there's a whole load of unnecessary junk in the book that messes with my head.
but... I do feel like my notes are quite long and I just don't want to waste my time.. ive already started though..
whats the difference between notes and revision cards, i thought they're the same thing - info from the texbook that has been shortened.

Reply 9

Amullai

16

Original post by justanotherchica

i have the textbook and im copying notes from it but shortening it because ive tried revising from the textbook right before the exam and its so stressful because I feel like there's a whole load of unnecessary junk in the book that messes with my head.
but... I do feel like my notes are quite long and I just don't want to waste my time.. ive already started though..
whats the difference between notes and revision cards, i thought they're the same thing - info from the texbook that has been shortened.

Notes and revision cards are really different. So a revision card is read out loud and answered out loud notes are just read in your head. This act of reading out loud helps you to remember the information.

Reply 10

Jang Gwangnam

22

Original post by justanotherchica

I've been writing notes all day for sociology and I plan to write notes throughout the holidays for english sociology and politics. Is it a waste of time?! I've already started and I dont want to feel like ive wasted precious time
I revise best by memorising things and writing them down
Is this worth it?
what other revision techniques do you guys suggest for a-levels?

Well my revision style sticks to the type of person i am; Slothful/Lazy asf

- I only make notes in class - most of the time i don't go over those notes unless a big test is nearby.
- What i mainly do is read through the revision guide and answer the questions along the way.
- After i've done that once, i start doing past papers and learn most of the mark schemes off by heart - till i get A/A* constantly for the papers
- If there's certain topics i don't get, i make flash cards on them and watch youtube videos related to them (i'm introvert, so i'll never ask a teacher)

Reply 11

Keslo

11

I recommend doing that but in 30 minute segments with a 5 minute break in between, sounds silly but it helps you retain so much more information. I believe its called the Pomodoro technique. Also make sure you do plenty of test papers as that tests if you can actually apply the information you have learnt.

Reply 12

showaeski

14

Depends. If exams are a while away then it's good to have strong set of notes with all the relevant info from lessons/textbooks/handouts etc all in one place and all in the correct order. This kind of note taking is best done throughout the term after each set of lessons. When you've only got a few weeks though, it can be a bit of as waste of time writing everything out plus also quite exhausting. You just end up copying out the textbook and then it's basically no different or any more useful. See if you can get an understanding of what is in the textbook and make concise notes on a single piece of A4 for each topic, perhaps as a mind map or flowchart. That way you can piece together all the relevant info you need for each topic/potential essay. You're better off spending two weeks trying to learn, understand, memorise and also answer practice questions than trying to write everything out in neatly colour-coordinated notes.

Reply 13

username3489684

OP

19

Original post by showaeski

Depends. If exams are a while away then it's good to have strong set of notes with all the relevant info from lessons/textbooks/handouts etc all in one place and all in the correct order. This kind of note taking is best done throughout the term after each set of lessons. When you've only got a few weeks though, it can be a bit of as waste of time writing everything out plus also quite exhausting. You just end up copying out the textbook and then it's basically no different or any more useful. See if you can get an understanding of what is in the textbook and make concise notes on a single piece of A4 for each topic, perhaps as a mind map or flowchart. That way you can piece together all the relevant info you need for each topic/potential essay. You're better off spending two weeks trying to learn, understand, memorise and also answer practice questions than trying to write everything out in neatly colour-coordinated notes.

well I'm not just copying the book... im reading it and then rewording it trying to condense the info into short sentences so that way it sticks in my memory more. Do you think thats still useful?
also its not very neat, just convenient. I'm not really the type to make pretty notes.

Reply 14

showaeski

14

Original post by justanotherchica

well I'm not just copying the book... im reading it and then rewording it trying to condense the info into short sentences so that way it sticks in my memory more. Do you think thats still useful?
also its not very neat, just convenient. I'm not really the type to make pretty notes.

Only you can answer that question. Are you able to retain the info and answer questions? If you're able to remember the info after a few days then keep going with this method.

Reply 15

Anonymous1502

20

Original post by justanotherchica

I've been writing notes all day for sociology and I plan to write notes throughout the holidays for english sociology and politics. Is it a waste of time?! I've already started and I dont want to feel like ive wasted precious time
I revise best by memorising things and writing them down
Is this worth it?
what other revision techniques do you guys suggest for a-levels?

My favourite revision method is to make notes based on specification than practice exam papers on the topic I just made notes on then write corrections.So before hand you have the information to be abel to tackle the questions and then you see the various types of questions so you know how the questions can be asked so you don't get caught out because the question is worded funny.

Reply 16

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper

22

Original post by justanotherchica

I've been writing notes all day for sociology and I plan to write notes throughout the holidays for english sociology and politics. Is it a waste of time?! I've already started and I dont want to feel like ive wasted precious time
I revise best by memorising things and writing them down
Is this worth it?
what other revision techniques do you guys suggest for a-levels?

To explain terms in short sentences with your own words, It may a proper method to revise. To explain the complexity of lessons and linked coherences and backgrounds, a mind map is better to use and more effective.

Are making notes a waste of time?

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