Notemaking and Exam Technique (1 Viewer)

[amaccas]

I feel like I struggle with making good/great notes to take into exams. I don't seem to have things ordered logically enough on paper and often get flummoxed when hit with exam questions. I know this is a broad question, but any tips?

I work my ass off too, so I have no trouble with 'applying myself' to a task. I just feel like I don't have the right methodology for making great sets of notes. It's like I can't see the 'bigger picture'. Anyway, back to the books!

 

[melsc]

This sort of thing takes time. only you can know what type of notes help you. For me, I am really verbose so making myself cram only the important stuff in 1-2 pages is a good way then put page references to the tb.

 

[amaccas]

so a layered system, with the shell of what you need to know, then links to other more in depth notes?

 

[jackmurray1989]

Bring your text book along with you, and then after each section of notes write the page number where it is in the text so that if your note aren't detailed enough for the specific question you can access the text easily.

 

[47.46.45]

Bring your text book along with you, and then after each section of notes write the page number where it is in the text so that if your note aren't detailed enough for the specific question you can access the text easily.

Every legal textbook I've had is about as useful as a chocolate kettle. They're never in any order and there's huge chunks of irrelevant crap. The only exception was my primary crim text, which was the Crimes Act
Pretty much, I need my notes for exams. Because the texts are horribly crap.

 

[MichaelJackson2]

the readings may seem mammoth but there are only a few principles which are covered every week. i don't bother with notes anymore, just do the readings and underline/highlight stuff that's important. then during exam revision go back to the prescribed readings, and the stuff that you've underlined are your 'notes' and if you don't know why you understood them just read paragraphs above and below! good notes take too long to do, and for my i just don't think they're too useful - follow your learning guide - why do notes when you've been given a skeletal outline of the course?

 

[hfis]

Heading
Principle
	Case name
	Further commentary if applicable
	Page reference for the above if applicable

(example)

Joint Tenancy
In a joint tenancy each tenant owns the entire interest, subject only to the rights of all other tenants.
(Wright v Gibbons (1949) 78 CLR 313)
For example, if joint tenant X was to sell their property to joint tenant Y they do not transfer any property, rather they release Y from any right which they might otherwise have exercised.


Make sure you order your headings and principles logically, and have a summary at the beginning. So for a contract law exam, your notes will logically progress through offer, acceptance etc, all the way through to damages (and the steps that should go under each of those headings). Doing this creates an easy 'map' to follow for most problem questions.

 

[Marmalade.]

the readings may seem mammoth but there are only a few principles which are covered every week. i don't bother with notes anymore, just do the readings and underline/highlight stuff that's important. then during exam revision go back to the prescribed readings, and the stuff that you've underlined are your 'notes' and if you don't know why you understood them just read paragraphs above and below! good notes take too long to do, and for my i just don't think they're too useful - follow your learning guide - why do notes when you've been given a skeletal outline of the course?

How is that working for you?

 

[mitsui]

mine is a table.

 

[Strawbaby]

I tend to have the long notes I take in class in a folder, with page numbers, colour coding and section divides, then 1-2 separate pages of basic principles to mainly refer to, and a few pages of summarised case facts to jog my memory about which case was which. The principles and case facts sheets both refer to the page numbers in the long notes if I'm confused about something.
The textbook is there but not once have I ever gone back to it.

 

[aileenli]

Is there ever enough time to look for things in the textbook in an exam?