Content Review: Do you Read and take notes or Just Read?

[WhizoMD]

I've been reading and taking very detailed notes (bio, and g chem), but it takes a lot of time (like 7 hours to complete a ~35 page chapter). I'm beginnig to wonder if it's worth the time, since the passages give you everything you need for the most part. I'm thinking of making the leap to minimal/no note taking but, I wanted some opinions first.

Note takers: do you think taking notes was/is crucial to your understanding/retention?
Non Note-Takers: have you had trouble recalling concepts during passages?


(World Cup starts Friday, so I need to become more efficient XD )

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[Total180]

For what it's worth, the first time I took it, I didn't take very detailed notes except for Bio. I got a 26O (PS 6!! VR11, BS9) I am taking it again June 17, and I have taken meticulous notes on BR Physics and Gen Chem and have increased my PS practice scores to a 10 avg. However, I think it all depends on how well you learned the material in your classes....especially for the PS. Apparently I slept through my physics and gen chem classes because I remembered hardly anything. If you have a good Bio background I think you could definitely get away with taking less detailed notes because the passages do give you most of the information. It really all depends on how much you already know about the subjects....

I've been reading and taking very detailed notes (bio, and g chem), but it takes a lot of time (like 7 hours to complete a ~35 page chapter). I'm beginnig to wonder if it's worth the time, since the passages give you everything you need for the most part. I'm thinking of making the leap to minimal/no note taking but, I wanted some opinions first.

Note takers: do you think taking notes was/is crucial to your understanding/retention?
Non Note-Takers: have you had trouble recalling concepts during passages?


(World Cup starts Friday, so I need to become more efficient XD )

 

[suitup]

I very rarely take notes mainly because I think i'm lazy, but I don't move on until I understand something. I feel like taking notes takes away from the understanding (in terms of time spent on it perspective) and mainly helps when you reread the notes. So what I have incorporated is note taking of vocabulary that I don't know, or just noting terms in paragraphs that I don't understand. Just my 2 cents

 

[Don Draper]

I definitely use notes. They help me write down things I don't know already (so I don't take notes on what I have down), and also they help in staying focused and finding the key points on a page.

Plus, you can review a 2-4 hr chapter in 5-10 minutes. That is huge.

I think notes are critical, BUT you need to make sure you are making notes quickly and efficiently as the time management is a more critical factor than notes.

 

[SN2ed]

It's best to stick with what works for you. If you need detailed notes to recall the material, write them up. If you don't, then it's not necessary. Even though others can get by without notes, if you can't, there's no point in trying to emulate them.

 

[freothalaf]

I personally take notes just to cement the things I just studied. Sometimes I never have to look at the notes again but just writing them out does something to make them stick. I also agree with SN2ed it really depends what works for you. I understand about the world cup though man it's going to be rough to get my studying done with such greatness on TV. At least in my time zone games will be over by 2 pm so I'll still have some time to study.

 

[NickNaylor]

I highlighted and jotted minimal notes in my manual when I would read through it. It wasn't anything extensive, but the manual did a good job with explaining everything pretty well.

 

[kehlsh]

I am not a big fan of taking notes. I just read through everything twice, making highlights the first time and focusing on important stuff the second time. Then I do massive amounts of problems to make all the concepts a second nature to me.

 

[Sailor Senshi Dermystify]

I take notes sometimes depending on the subject but i take notes in my book like the book I am reviewing from and plus alot of ppl on SDN had already written down most of the key points in certain chapters, so i look at that as well and what LIS put down mcat-review.org for more notes

 

[Excelsius]

I think notes are very important since some of the subjects, especially bio, have a lot of content. It's just like taking a demanding course:

1.Very detailed notes (~40 pages, ~100% self-sufficient) --> 2. Condensed notes (~10 pages, emphases, difficult concepts, keywords to act as "flashcard simulators") --> 3. Supercondensation (~1 page, connects the material together, includes only the most difficult but key concepts).

I am not great memorizer but detailed notes not only help to review any material I want, the but the process of note taking and condensation itself is very useful to understand and memorize. By the time you reach stage 3 and can understand an entire structure of information by just looking at a single keyword, you have mastered a subject. After graduating law school, my gf took some vague notes, prepared briefly, and did not pass the bar exam. On the second try, she spent months studying and took detailed notes. By the time she was done, those volumes of information fitted on just a single page of notes! That was amazing. Of course, she passed.

In the end, you have to do what works best for you. You might be better off using whatever techniques that work for your schoolwork.