Does anyone find taking notes on their review books helpful--or waste of time?

[Tofurkey]

Hello,

I am in a Kaplan class, and I started out taking good notes on the review books. The reason I did that is because that's the way I studied for all my science classes (even physics) and I did well. I thought, why change my study habits now.

However, all this note taking is taking forever (i.e. 3 hours per Kaplan chapter) and I'm wondering is it really worth it--or could I retain just as much with no notes or less notes? Alternatively, maybe I could start focusing more on the flash cards they provide and take way fewer notes.

Any advice on this topic?

Thanks,

T

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[ChyLn]

Heya,

Whenever I'm in class, I often have the same problem... the amount of time lost in making those 'awesome' review notes is bewilderingly immense.

I've found that the best thing to do is to kind of 'trust my instincts'... if its something that I know I know... or that I can reason through fairly easily... then I don't write it down... It's only when I encounter something that makes me go "Oh!" or that I know I'll forget within a day or two that I take the time to write it down... this cuts down on review time by a lot yet still allows you to take note on those things that you feel that you have a weakness in.

Hope this helps

ChyLn

 

[JDAD]

I recopied the entire examkrackers set. It took months, (143pages total were copied out in color) and when i came down to taking the test, I didn't know the stuff because I didn'thave time to read through and learn the material.

So, I aborted and I will be taking in Aug. I have a solid background now, (and a test score average ~29) and I will be taking a review course. I am looking to spank this thing. My advice, highlight and underline instead of copying out. I copy out everything for class, but there is just too much volume with this test.

Step 1 - read through the material.
Step 2 - read it again, and highlight/take notes in one color.
Step 3 - read it again and whatever you don't know for sure, highlight in a different color.

That should limit the information to about 1 page or maybe 2 per chapter. Write out the stuff you still don't know and make sure you learn it.


Remember, practice tests are the most effective way to study. Don't spend all your time reading, spend the majority of your time practicing real questions.

 

[Arsenic]

Depends on the person. When I studied for the MCAT, I wrote all over my Kaplan notes. Not only did it force me to ACTIVELY review the material but the stuff always stuck better for me when I had to put the ideas in my own words. Everyone studies differently for the MCAT though so you'll just have to find the right balance that works for you. If making little summaries or notes of the concepts helped you in the past, do the same for the MCAT. GOOD LUCK!

 

[blz]

Just be smart about how you take notes. If it's taking 3hrs to take notes and you're getting like 6pgs per chapter, that is telling you that you are paying too much attention to fine details which are most likely not going to tested on the MCAT. Instead, make sure your notes cover the most important concepts and try to limit it to 1 page front and back. You want your notes to be concise so you can quickly go through them. You do not want to write another text book.