further maths SAC and end of year note books

[bradysayer]

does anyone have any notebooks that they have used to take into the end of year exams and sacs throughout the year?

i wont use them, just want an idea of what sort of format i should make mine in, and what stuff to put in.


thanks:)

[ReVeL]

No, I don't have my summary book that I used for the exams last year, however I can offer this advice for making yours.

• Keep it short. It may be tempting, as many people do, to put pretty much the WHOLE course inside your summary book for assurance and confidence. However this is unadvisable, as it is very inefficient in terms of time. You don't want to be flicking through a whole book to find the thing you're looking for, and it will just add to stress/panic.
• Organisation is very important. Divide your book into 4 sections (1 for the core, 3 for the modules). Make sure it's neat and easy to read. If need be, type it up. Also, sticking to a particular format helps. For example, write notes on a particular area, then include a relevant example.
• Content. I believe the most effective way to use this book is to include: rules, things you think you may forget, difficult examples and things you are uncertain of. For example, personally I didn't include things like Pythagoras's Theorem, because I knew it already and it would just be wasting space. Putting things you don't need just makes your book longer and less user-friendly, and serves no benefit. Put breifly, only include what you really need.
• Technology. Make sure you write up a technology page (a good idea is to have it at the back where you can quickly flip to). The calculator is your best friend in the exam and with appropriate programs you can use it to double check your answers which is invaluable. I would think a quick "how to" of each program would be sufficient.
• Work on it throughout the year. Try not to leave it until the holidays before the exam to begin making your book. If you add things throughout the year, the book itself becomes familliar and you don't have to waste time on it when you could be doing practice exams.
• Practice using it. For all your trial exams, make sure you treat them as if it were the final exam. This means when you come to sit the exams you will be 'at home' and comfortable using your book. By this time, you should be very familar with it.

That's all I can think of now. Hope it helped.