How to study without taking notes? - im stressing plz help (1 Viewer)

[jane1820]

Basically what the title says bc i find taking notes so time consuming n in the end i wont rlly benefit from them unless i have an exam or something

this is specifically for science subjects (chemistry, physics and biology)
im done w chapter 1 and half of chapter 2 of module 1 for chemistry (there are 5 chapters in total) n i havent started studying for my other subjects

i decided to neglect taking notes n solely use KISS to study but idk i kinda feel its useless? Unless its good i just need to practise my learning

please im starting to stress that i wont be able to effectively study/balance when yr 11 starts since im just now teaching myself how to manage time n it might take me some getting used to

thank you (im like rlly in need of help please)

 

[raardo]

I can speak for physics having excelled in the course, it is helpful to have some detailed notes while answering short/long answer responses, although these do not have to be written by you - they can be notes from KISS or from your teacher (my teacher loaded us with A LOT of great digital notes he hand crafted). For questions which involve a lot of mathematics - you can just do past papers or textbook questions and mark your answers.

The more difficult part (and where most students lose marks) is on the longer response type questions - here you need to write, and write a lot with as much detail as possible, including diagrams and whatever is needed to really show you understand the content. Preferably, these would also be marked by your teacher as you reach year 12. These just take practice, consistency and discipline, but you'll eventually master it!

 

[rh_06]

lol I keep coming across your posts...
First of all, I strongly suggest u to take notes as they will be beneficial for pretty much everything. Memory. Revision. Quizzing.
If not, just spam past papers for all your subjects. U can go on THSC or studocu to find some. Make sure you ask your teacher to mark/for feedback as well. I can only speak for Bio, one way to study is to analyse diagrams and understand the textbook, which means re-reading and explaining it to either yourself or to a peer- like tutoring your peers. This helps/tests your understanding since bio is all about understanding the concepts e.g. Why does meiosis occur/differ to mitosis? That way, you'll be able to answer any question so long as you understand the root of the concept in the question.

 

[Hehehe22]

I don't take notes for maths and just spam textbook questions and later past papers. It works fine for me because I naturally get very familiar with the concepts and question types this way, without taking notes. You also memorise formulas after using them many times and those that you can't memorise will probably be on the NESA reference sheet.

For content-heavy subjects though (such as eco and bio for myself), you definitely need notes. You can take more detailed but less organised notes during class time - I like to do so by hand in an exercise book, but of course, this isn't always sustainable so typed is fine too. Nearing exams, I retype a summary of these notes in a doc and make sure I understand every single concept that I write down. It's a grind, but it helps you gain a solid grasp of all the content. Alternatively, if you feel like there's no need to spend so much time writing notes, just read through KISS notes and make sure you already know everything on there in detail. Only then can you confidently spam past paper questions.

For English in particular, you should keep track of any quotes, themes and ideas that come to you while studying your text during the term. A quote table is really helpful for this, and you can sort your quotes based on theme. When you write practice essays in the future, you can refer back to the table instead of scouring the text again, which can be finicky. I'm not that great at English, though, so I doubt I'm qualified to say much more.

 

[jane1820]

I don't take notes for maths and just spam textbook questions and later past papers. It works fine for me because I naturally get very familiar with the concepts and question types this way, without taking notes. You also memorise formulas after using them many times and those that you can't memorise will probably be on the NESA reference sheet.

For content-heavy subjects though (such as eco and bio for myself), you definitely need notes. You can take more detailed but less organised notes during class time - I like to do so by hand in an exercise book, but of course, this isn't always sustainable so typed is fine too. Nearing exams, I retype a summary of these notes in a doc and make sure I understand every single concept that I write down. It's a grind, but it helps you gain a solid grasp of all the content. Alternatively, if you feel like there's no need to spend so much time writing notes, just read through KISS notes and make sure you already know everything on there in detail. Only then can you confidently spam past paper questions.

For English in particular, you should keep track of any quotes, themes and ideas that come to you while studying your text during the term. A quote table is really helpful for this, and you can sort your quotes based on theme. When you write practice essays in the future, you can refer back to the table instead of scouring the text again, which can be finicky. I'm not that great at English, though, so I doubt I'm qualified to say much more.

Do they have to be detailed? Can i just write the main points down? (specifically for bio)

 

[Study to success]

Do they have to be detailed? Can i just write the main points down? (specifically for bio)

I mean having detail is kinda important for bio to do well but u can also try drawing diagrams, flowcharts, etc to make it easier for u to remember and connect different concepts together

 

[jane1820]

I mean having detail is kinda important for bio to do well but u can also try drawing diagrams, flowcharts, etc to make it easier for u to remember and connect different concepts together

I get what you mean its just that im not done w module 1 chem (mind u i spend 4hrs roughly everyday on it) n i wanna start bio but i dont think i have what it takes to be able to balance module 1 bio with module 1 chem
i also need to start on physics just in case i take it next yr (if i move schools im not doing physics but if im not moving i am)
then theres math: not worried abt it that much bc math doesnt need notes, watch yt find examples n be able to solve
eng: im not gonna start writing notes on it yet but maybe ill start writing essays for feedback as soon as school starts
eco/business/geo: (if i move im doing bus n geo if not im doing eco) im not rlly worried abt them

see? Im super stressed rn bc i wont be able to balance in the holidays imagine during school? so i was thinking of just skipping writing notes n just start studying/practising immediately

 

[Study to success]

I get what you mean its just that im not done w module 1 chem (mind u i spend 4hrs roughly everyday on it) n i wanna start bio but i dont think i have what it takes to be able to balance module 1 bio with module 1 chem
i also need to start on physics just in case i take it next yr (if i move schools im not doing physics but if im not moving i am)
then theres math: not worried abt it that much bc math doesnt need notes, watch yt find examples n be able to solve
eng: im not gonna start writing notes on it yet but maybe ill start writing essays for feedback as soon as school starts
eco/business/geo: (if i move im doing bus n geo if not im doing eco) im not rlly worried abt them

see? Im super stressed rn bc i wont be able to balance in the holidays imagine during school? so i was thinking of just skipping writing notes n just start studying/practising immediately

Maybe just take the main points for now and then when school starts and u make class notes find some time at the end of the week and combine ur notes to make summary notes. So instead of doing it all at once u can spread it out throughout the term. Then during the weekdays and before exams u can do the actual study and questions. Also try typing ur summary notes for eco, bio and english cause it will save u a lot of time

 

[Hehehe22]

Do they have to be detailed? Can i just write the main points down? (specifically for bio)

For subjects with SAQs and extended responses/essays, you do need the detail if you want to do well. If you don't know how much detail is required, have a look at past papers on THSC or whatever you're given at school

 

[spiderfan44]

I get what you mean its just that im not done w module 1 chem (mind u i spend 4hrs roughly everyday on it) n i wanna start bio but i dont think i have what it takes to be able to balance module 1 bio with module 1 chem
i also need to start on physics just in case i take it next yr (if i move schools im not doing physics but if im not moving i am)
then theres math: not worried abt it that much bc math doesnt need notes, watch yt find examples n be able to solve
eng: im not gonna start writing notes on it yet but maybe ill start writing essays for feedback as soon as school starts
eco/business/geo: (if i move im doing bus n geo if not im doing eco) im not rlly worried abt them

see? Im super stressed rn bc i wont be able to balance in the holidays imagine during school? so i was thinking of just skipping writing notes n just start studying/practising immediately

some teachers i had let me write notes in class instead of doing the assigned classwork (was writing w pen and paper so they knew i wasnt dicking around online)