It was really only yesterday when the calendar ticked over into October that I began to think I was on the home straight with this course that has absorbed so much of my spare time since January. Many people say that they suffer from withdrawal symptoms once the exam is over with and that was certainly my experience for a few days after completing DSE212 a couple of years ago. But at least I have DD303 to look forward to in January!
One thing I’ve been trying to do (and failing dismally at) is to create mind maps of the chapters I’m revising. I know this technique works well for many people, but it just doesn’t seem to work for me. I do, however, need some shorter summaries of my notes to help me test myself and I’ve found Arnold’s last two posts on his blog really useful. So far he’s tackled early cognitive development and temperament and development, both of which are chapters I’m going to be revising.
As I can’t seem to get mind maps right, I think I might try another tack by creating single page summaries of the chapter structure, key concepts and theories and the major pieces of evidence. That way I should have something that will prompt me into remembering the various sections better, as well as a way of testing to see if I can regurgitate (it’s the wrong word, but it’s too early in the morning to think of the right one) the material on demand.
Right, time to go and get a train (for the fourth time this week) down to London. Still, that gives me a couple of hours that I might usefully use for revision on my way back home tonight – if I can get a seat!
[...] I was thinking about the overall revision strategy for the coming weeks. As Tim implies, this is the time to be condensing the notes and this series of notes is all about condensing the [...]
Hi
Thanks for your great notes
Found your note really useful so I converted back to word
I have put them in a five colume table with Major point (ie section header) in one column, secondary point in another, author in the third, major points in the fourth and then the detail in the last column. I have addeds oen points from Ericsa notes which I scaned and converted into word.
It provides the structure without mindmaps which have never worked for me either.
I tried them for one exam once and i failed
s miserably – the only exams I ever failed.