Bound reference

[keilor24]

Any advice?

[Hodgeyhodgey]

Whatever you do, don't just copy/photocopy your textbook. This wouldn't be all that effective because sure, you're learning the material but it's from someone else's view, not yours. So make sure you look at a variety of textbooks or summary books if they're available so you can get a range of views on the coursework and summarise it in your own words. I cannot stress that enough.
Another tip would be to include examples and/or calculator steps for some of the more difficult questions, just in case you get stuck.

[abeybaby]

take all your notes from the year, staple them to your text book, then run duct tape down the side so its one spine.

[paulsterio]

take all your notes from the year, staple them to your text book, then run duct tape down the side so its one spine.

do you say this everywhere you see the word "bound reference"?

[Readinya]

Whatever you do, don't just copy/photocopy your textbook. This wouldn't be all that effective because sure, you're learning the material but it's from someone else's view, not yours. So make sure you look at a variety of textbooks or summary books if they're available so you can get a range of views on the coursework and summarise it in your own words. I cannot stress that enough.
Another tip would be to include examples and/or calculator steps for some of the more difficult questions, just in case you get stuck.

Although in theory this is a very good approach of making notes, you have to consider the fact that there's not really that much time left to start making notes from scratch. In order to fully benefit from the bound reference, the notes should have been written CONSISTENTLY throughout the year. However, because there is now a month and a bit until your exams, i think the best way of doing prepping the bound reference is:

a) looking through commercial notes in other books - A+ Further Notes (which are pretty good), textbook summaries, Itute, notes from class - and deciding which ones explain it the best and most concisely. What you're aiming for is a REFERNCE book, not a book to re-learn the whole concept within the duration of a 1.5 hour exam. So, good, concise notes/summaries.

b) If you come across notes with hard concepts, chuck in a few examples you've done before. This should be happening as you do prac exams. But you don't need examples for every concept. For example, if you confidently know how to find the IQR of a boxplot, just write down the rule but don't worry about drawing up 50+ boxplots as an example.

c) Do prac exams. Use your notebook when you need to. This year's further class at our school has a "star chart" for how many prac exams they've worked through. Sounds kiddish, but you will not believe how motivating it is get a golden star for every exam you've done. It's passive bragging - everyone asks: "Who's that person who's done 20 exams already?!" We have one for spesh too.

d) As you work through the prac exams and use your notebook consistently, you'll realise that there are areas in the notes that you can expand on, or condense, in order to access the relevant info quickly and accurately. So prac exams are a must.

[abeybaby]

take all your notes from the year, staple them to your text book, then run duct tape down the side so its one spine.

do you say this everywhere you see the word "bound reference"?

hey it works okay! my spesh book still has staples in it

[paulsterio]

hey it works okay! my spesh book still has staples in it

not bad ;P i guess the staples are durable

[mikail596]

Or take all your notes to officeworks and get them bound into a nice professional looking book. Really though, you wont have time to be fumbling around in the exam with your notes. You'd really only use them a little with CORE and then maybe alot with trigonometry.

[ech_93]

Is a spiral notebook okay to take in?

[Comatose]

i dont think a spiral notebook is acceptable to bring into an exam

[funkyducky]

What I did for methods last year and hope to do for spesh this year:
Start at topic 1. Painstakingly read through your notes and ensure that you understand everything AND I MEAN EVERYTHING. If you find gaps in your knowledge, consult your textbook, a friend, teacher, stranger on the internet, etc. and do increasingly difficult problems until you have a lightbulb moment. You may now write your topic 1 notes into an A4 book. After topic 1, leave some blank pages just in case. Lather, rinse, repeat.

In order to fully benefit from the bound reference, the notes should have been written CONSISTENTLY throughout the year.

I disagree. The whole point of creating your bound reference now is to revise and pinpoint areas of difficulty. I use it as a way to kickstart revision, last year it meant that I started doing practice exams with complete confidence that I knew what I was doing

[stonecold]

I fucking <3 lightbulb moments. 

[BlueSky_3]

@Funkyducky: when did you start making your bound reference for methods last year?

[funkyducky]

@Funkyducky: when did you start making your bound reference for methods last year?

Around this time, school holidays.

Edit: the way I see it, if you've prepared your bound reference well, you won't need to touch it st all during your exam or even practice exams. If you find yourself referring to notes during practice exams, that's a sign you need to revisit the concepts.

[jane1234]

take all your notes from the year, staple them to your text book, then run duct tape down the side so its one spine.

I agree with this, sometimes you won't even need the other notes stapled. I know writing it is good for revision, but I think practice exams are a much better use of time rather than rewriting notes. I took my textbook in for methods last year, opened it to the front cover where I'd written "READ THE QUESTION!" and a bunch of other abusive messages, and didn't move it from that page the whole time.
Seriously, if you know the course well enough (which you should after doing heaps of exams) then you won't even need to use it, aside from looking up random formulas etc... but this is just my opinion, I know a lot of people think that writing a bound reference is good for revision. If it works for you then go for it.