Thanks for the help, just two more questions, if i were to use normal exercise books however i had to use more than one, what would be the best way to bound them together. My brother said he was able to do it with tape before his exam.
Also, if i were too write notes during the week at my maths classes and then shorten them at the end of each week, would that be a good way to do it or should i be shortening them while i write them?
Sorry for all the questions, as you can see i'm not prepared at all.
Hi there Isabellaafferi,
I believe it is
not worth the risk to bind two books together. And I am going to strongly recommend that you don't use more than one book anyway. The key to a successful bound reference book is that they provide short and succinct reminders of what you already know, in case you forget something in the exam. Think about it, if you were to forget something really important in the exam, you do not want to be searching through hundreds of pages to find it.
My favourite principle when it comes to bound reference books is the KISS principal. Keep it Simple and Stupid. Use as little space to write notes on the most relevant content which make sense to you. Only include example questions if they are ones which you have done really poorly in the past. One recommendation here is that you use the left side of the page for notes and summaries and then the right side for examples. This will help you enormously in the exam if you needed to go through to look at example, as you will know that it is on the right side of the page. Likewise, if you are looking for some content or formulas which you have forgotten, you know it will be on the left side. It is a huge time saver.
You will find that the more you practise, the less you will need your bound reference book. This is why it is essential to continually review what you have written and assess is this really going to help me, or is it just filling up space on the paper which is going to waste my time on the exam? Trust me when I say this, that time means everything when it comes to SAC's and exams, you definitely do not want to waste it searching for something in your bound reference book that takes longer than needed to find. So I'd recommend updating your bound book weekly, as this will allow you to revise the content as well as sharpening the quality and readiness of your bound reference book for the next upcoming assessment at the same time.
I want you to back yourself and not overthink things. I have tutored some students in the past who have focused too heavily on making their bound reference look pretty and over analysing topics which strip them of their confidence because they feel like they are getting nowhere. Do your best to move on, come back later and refine your skills on that certain topic via other means like through practise questions.
I hope this has helped you.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me with as many questions as you like, it doesn't bother me, I'd love to help. Pm me through ATAR Notes, via mobile phone or email.
Thanks,
Seth.