Any tips in producing a bound reference? What would you put in the bound reference and what can you put into a bound reference?
(bringing a textbook is kinda stupid since it is not compiled or condensed)
My favourite principle when it comes to bound reference books is the KISS principle. 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 an examples, 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.
To be honest, I don't even think you will need to add anything in regards to CAS functions. By the time you reach SAC's and exams, you would have used your CAS calculator so much in practice, provided that you have put the time in which I'm sure you will, that using your CAS will just become second nature. In doing so, this will shorten the length of your bound book even more.
So in summary,
- include all relevant content in as little words as possible
- only include examples from exam questions which you really struggle with
- separate examples from content to make it easy to find
- review it regularly to make it as short and succinct as possible.
- I would not recommend including CAS calculator functions, particularly when you should already know them really well.
- make it work for you! It only has to make sense to you!
I hope this has helped you.
Thanks,
Seth.