9 Ingenious Note Taking Tips To Get You Top Rankings in JEE Main 2023

Competitive exams are not easy to crack. Students study day and night to be able to complete the syllabi of the courses and afford some time for making revisions. Note-taking is a very important part of competitive exam preparation. After attending all those lectures and reading the textbooks, you need to have access to all the information you have gained to revise it. Your notes provide that access. 

To reap maximum benefit from the process of note-taking, you must follow certain rules and strategies. Proper notes are the ones that contain all the key points and concepts. This discussion will focus on nine ingenious note-taking tips to help you get top rankings in JEE Main.

There are two parts to the note-taking process, process function, and product function. The process function is the act of taking notes, which enhances your understanding of the topic. It helps retain information even if you do not get time to review those notes later. Product function is the process of having access to the notes for revisions and elaboration. It helps to embed the information even more securely in your brain.

9 Note-taking Tips To Get Top Rankings in JEE Main

1. Read the Topic Well in Advance: 

• Before attending the lecture, please read the topic of discussion thoroughly and survey the questions given at the end to get acquainted with the pattern of questions asked in the exam. It will help you correlate what the teacher is saying with your knowledge, enabling you to gain a more basic knowledge of the concept. 
• This is especially important for a subject like Physics because many students find it difficult to understand. They do not seem to know what the teacher is talking about. Having gone through the topic once opens the doors for a better understanding. Moreover, it will help you not to miss any important information in your notes, as you will have already gone through the list of important questions for the topic during your reading session.

2. Write Your Notes in the Language You are Comfortable With: 

• You do not necessarily need to write your notes in English. The purpose of making notes is to document information and be able to access it whenever you need it. JEE Main is an MCQ-based exam. You do not need to memorise your notes word to word to write those in the exam. You only need to understand the concepts and solve the questions based on that understanding. 
• So, if you think you can understand best if your notes are a mix of Hindi and English, write them that way. Make your own rules if they help you get good grades.

3. Your Notes Should be Organised:

• Even if you put in a lot of effort while taking notes, if the information is not clear and organised, you won’t be able to reap the benefits of the process.
• Before writing the notes, mention the date and subject. With all these details, you will be able to save time when you decide to revisit your notes.
• Use different coloured inks for headings, subheadings, questions, and answers. It will help you quickly sort any information you want to look at during revision sessions. Moreover, you should note your doubts while taking notes to address those later. Write the doubts with a different coloured ink to spot those quickly when you sit with your reference books. 
• Write fact-based topics in bullets or points rather than writing long paragraphs. You will be able to catch the most important information from the points and memorise that effectively. 

4. Do Not Write Everything: 

• When attending lectures or reading reference books, you might come across a lot of information. You do not need to note everything down. Please write only what you think is important and skip the unnecessary details. It will help you conserve time while making them and during revisions.
• Instead of writing full sentences, consider writing abbreviations and short forms. It will save your time and decrease the size of your notes so that you feel more comfortable studying them.

5. Use Images:

• The human brain can understand visual information much more efficiently than written data. Therefore, it is advisable to include images wherever possible. For example, instead of writing a long paragraph on the structure of an atom, its shape, and different parts, you can make a diagram describing the same. All the information can be displayed through it, and you can revise it at a glance. 
• Similarly, you can use flowcharts to simplify complex information. For example, if you are studying the topic of genetics in Biology, you can use flowcharts to describe the processes of mitosis and meiosis. You will be able to understand those better and save time in the process.

6. Highlight the Important Points

• While taking notes, highlight any point you think might be a potential question in the paper, such as examples, exceptions, important terms, statistical figures, dates, and names. 
• Also, highlight fact-based volatile data like formulas and calculations to revise those at the last minute quickly. 

7. Avoid Distractions

• If you allow yourself to get distracted while taking notes, your notes will be filled with errors and miss the main points. Moreover, you won’t be actively learning as you will just be transcribing whatever your teacher is saying or reading without paying attention.
• Set your cell phone to silent setting to eliminate unnecessary distractions.
• Do not discuss or talk with your friends while taking notes to avoid errors and corrections.

8. Review Your Notes

• After the class is over, please go through your notes. It will help you retain more information and strengthen your understanding of the topic.
• If you face any doubts, note those down to address those later.

9. Write Problems in Your Notes

• This point is especially helpful while making notes for Physics and Mathematics. As you are expected to solve numerical-based questions in the exam, writing those down beside the concepts can make great examples you can refer to.

Note-Taking Methods

Certain note-taking methods have proved to be helpful for a large number of students worldwide. You can use these methods to take notes while preparing for the JEE Main exam effectively. 

1. The Cornell Method of Note-Taking

•  It was introduced in the 1950s by Professor Walter Pauk from Cornell University. It has been scientifically proven to be very effective. 
• This method directs students to divide the paper into two columns. A row should be added to the bottom of the paper. The left column should be used to write the questions and the doubts. The right column should be used to write the theory part. The row at the bottom should be used to summarise the whole topic for quick revisions.
• While revising, you can place your hand on the right-hand side, read the questions, and try to answer those in your thoughts from your memory. Attached is an illustration of taking notes by this method.

2. The Outline Method of Note-Taking

• Write the topic’s name first, and if you think there are supporting ideas related to the topic, write those next. If you want to add more details, write those next. This method will enable you to make organised and precise notes. Following is an illustration of taking notes using this method.

3. Using Visual Aids for Taking Notes

• Infographics are a great way of shrinking a lot of information into the form of a diagram. It takes you only five to ten minutes to form an average-sized image, which saves you the time it takes to write long paragraphs. 
• A visual image is presented by writing the topic of discussion in the centre of the pages. Add relevant information and details in the form of branches that arise from the main point.
• While making an infographic make sure to keep your paper horizontal. That way, you can accommodate a lot of information without it being messy. Following is an example of how to make a diagram.

Conclusion

After going through the discussion, you now know your mistakes while taking notes and will be able to rectify those. You will also be acquainted with novel methods of taking notes effectively while saving time and energy. Study hard; you can do it!

FAQs

1. Why do we need to make notes?

• Your notes summarise all the information you need to study for the exam. Having it all in a single place is helpful as it facilitates quick revisions.
• Taking notes demands your attention and concentration and promotes active learning. You try to grab every word that the teacher is saying or that you are reading. This helps you understand the concepts more closely, and you tend to retain them more efficiently. 

2. What mistakes need to be avoided while taking notes?

• Transcribing the teacher’s words: Many students take notes for formality. They just write down whatever the teacher is saying without trying to understand it. You should ensure that you pay attention to the discussion and your brain is processing the information while you are writing it
• Most students do not revise their notes at the end of the class. As a result, they forget the information very quickly. To create a strong memory of the concepts, it is important to quickly go through your notes as soon as the class is over
• Even if you are in a hurry, write in an organised way. Otherwise, you won’t be able to decipher information from what you have written later. If your notes are incomprehensible, there is a very good chance you won’t revisit those later. 

3. What are some other tips for scoring high marks in the JEE Main Exam?

• Start the preparation early. The goal is to finish the syllabus on time and have time left for revisions. All the toppers have one thing in common. Having mastered the art of time management, they start studying long before average students do so.
• Read Class 11 and Class 12 textbooks for all the subjects thoroughly. 90% of questions in the JEE Main Exam come directly from there or are based on the concepts discussed therein.
• Pay attention in class. If you do not make an effort to understand subjects like Physics and Maths in the class, you will have a hard time trying to figure out the concepts later. Please understand that Physics and Maths can’t be memorised like English and or History. You need to thoroughly understand the concepts to solve numerical-type questions based on them.
• Solve previous years’ question papers to familiarise yourself with the exam pattern. If you don’t know where to find them, here is a direct link to the JEE Main Previous Year Question Papers.
• Attend as many mock tests as possible. You will be able to gain lots of practice in solving JEE Exam Pattern based questions and learn time management skills. If you don’t have access to mock tests, please check this link JEE Main Mock Tests.
• Learn the formulas by heart. You will be able to solve the questions swiftly and confidently in the exam as most of the Maths and Physics questions are formula-based
• Finally, be confident. Confidence and belief in yourself are very important for cracking competitive exams. How can you expect to compete with them if you indulge in self-doubt and consider yourself inferior to other students?

4. Why do students study hard in competitive exams?

Competitive exams give students a chance to get themselves admitted to one of the best professional colleges of the country. The seats for these courses are very limited, and the students apply for these exams in lakhs. Therefore, they need to go through tough competition and be better prepared than the other candidates to succeed. While they sleep, other students might be studying and they might lose the race. So, they give their best effort and study hard day and night to succeed in these exams. 

5. What is the best strategy for JEE mains?

Also Read:

How to Prepare for JEE Main? Top 5 Tips to Crack the exam

How to Prepare Seriously for the IIT JEE Exam?