Making Notes – Most important part of FMGE Preparation

After a relishing journey of MBBS, the major hurdle for candidates is FMGE. The difficulty level of the exam has gone up over the past few years and candidates are often found stating that FMGE is of the ‘post-graduate’ level.

Candidates put in all their efforts in FMGE Preparation but for most candidates, these efforts go in vain since they are not accustomed to making notes.

As advised by every successful senior, taking notes is an essential part of FMGE preparation.

PrepLadder has compiled some excellent note-taking tips through analysis of different note-taking patterns followed by previous FMGE toppers.

Also Read: Documents Required for FMG Examination

Tips to make High Yield Notes

1.Short Summary with Precise Headings

Read the entire topic and summarise only the most important points. This will greatly assist in boosting up the revision and also reduces the need to refer back to voluminous books.

Always try to take the notes in the form of precise and accurate points.

Avoid the habit of copying a mass of information. Take precise and accurate notes which clearly describe the topic.

2.Make a Hot Words Column

You must make a separate column of the keywords or hot words which provide a concise idea of the topic and help in retaining the topic for a longer period.

Develop the habit of finding keywords for each topic.

3.Organising the Notes

You must organise the notes as per your convenience. You must use separate notebooks for each subject or can use file dividers to bifurcate them.

4.Structuring the Notes

Structure the FMGE notes in a way that the keywords column appears on the left and the important points appear on the right side. Make a box for the summary at the bottom.

Frame the summary in your own words. This will boost up your revision and help in retaining the information for a longer duration.

5.Do not Use Skeleton Prose

Do not follow the standard way of using Headings, Sub-headings and Bullets. This method is not preferable since will reduce the overall aim of taking notes.

This method makes it difficult to figure out the important points. Avoid using this method since it will not facilitate quick revision.

6.Use Your Own Words

You must frame the points in your own words. This will assist in active thinking, better comprehension and high retention which are the key drivers for success in FMGE.

Frame the notes in the language and words of your convenience.

7.Use Visual Aids

You must make use of diagrams, tables, graphs and other visual aids.

Visual Aids greatly facilitate faster understanding and revision.

Use the visual aids wherever possible.

8.Use Abbreviations and Symbols

Using abbreviations and symbols will help in keeping the notes brief and precise. Learn more and more abbreviations to reduce the time elapsed in taking notes.

9.Try to Frame Questions

Try to frame questions from each topic.  Then summarise the answers to the questions in your notes. This is the most effective revision method.

This activity will also assist in learning.

10.Revision

This is the sole purpose of taking notes. You must refer to notes frequently and revise all the key topics.

Do not leave the notes for the last moment. Refer  to them periodically as they will greatly help in boosting your score.

Also read: Best Books for FMGE preparation

We hope that these tips will help you revise more effectively for FMGE and will lead to your success.

Best wishes.