Is it important to make notes for NEET? Are books, video lectures, or study materials provided by coaching institutes insufficient for the NEET exam? Is note-making a waste of time? These are some of the questions that come to a NEET aspirant’s mind.
You do not have to worry; in this article, I will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of making notes for the NEET exam and the pros and cons of studying solely from books, video lectures, or study materials provided by coaching institutes.
Read Also: Which type of notes are best for NEET?
Why is it important to make notes for NEET?
Making notes is a highly effective strategy for a competitive exam like NEET. Let us discuss why making notes is extremely beneficial for the NEET exam.
1. Improved Retention
Note-making involves writing information on a piece of paper. Writing information helps you remember concepts, formulae, etc, effectively.
2. Quick Revision
You don’t have the luxury of revising the entire textbook or watching lengthy video lectures when the NEET exam date draws near. Notes are the best study material for last-minute revisions.
3. Simplifies Complex Topics
Note-making allows you to break down complex topics into simple, easy-to-understand, digestible language.
4. Active engagement with study material
The process of note-making involves summarizing topics from study materials like books, which makes you actively engage with the study materials at a deeper level. Thus, you get a deep understanding of the subject.
Read Also: How to make notes from NCERT for NEET?
Drawbacks of making notes for NEET
Note-making is a highly effective strategy for NEET. It offers several advantages, but note-making also has several drawbacks. Let us explore some of the drawbacks of making notes for NEET.
1. Time-consuming
The process of note-making takes a lot of time. This time it takes to prepare notes could be better spent studying books or solving problems.
2. Potential for messy handwriting
There is a chance of messy handwriting while writing notes, especially when you write notes quickly. These notes, consisting of messy handwriting, will be difficult to read and understand.
3. It may only cover some topics
You may need to quickly catch certain details while writing notes. You may end up with incomplete notes; your notes will miss certain topics.
4. Over-dependence on notes
Studying from notes is an amazing preparation strategy. However, students may become overly dependent on notes.
The NEET exam requires a deep understanding of the subject; studying solely from notes may not give you a deep understanding of the subject; you also need to study from books in addition to notes.
Is studying solely from books a good idea for NEET?
Studying solely from books can be a good idea for some aspirants. This approach has several benefits as well as limitations.
Check whether this approach suits you; this approach depends on your learning style, study habits, and preferences. Now let us discuss some of the advantages and drawbacks of this approach.
Advantages
1. Comprehensive Coverage
Books offer comprehensive coverage of the NEET syllabus. All the topics are covered in detail, which makes books a great resource for NEET preparation.
2. Less Distraction
When you study from digital study materials like video lectures, digital notes, blog posts, etc., there is a high chance that you get easily distracted by notifications, messages, emails, etc. In the case of books, there is much less distraction as you can study offline with full concentration.
3. Time Saver
Writing notes takes a lot of time. With books, you can quickly highlight important points with markers, pencils, etc. You can efficiently revise these highlighted points.
Disadvantages
1. Difficult to understand
There are some topics which you cannot understand by only reading books. These complex topics can be understood with the help of a teacher or by watching video lectures.
2. Bad for visual learners
If you are a visual learner, studying solely from books is a bad idea for NEET. You should opt for video lectures, flashcards, mind maps, etc. if you are a visual learner.
Read Also: How to make short notes for NEET Physics?
Is studying solely from coaching study materials enough for NEET?
Studying solely from coaching study materials can be an effective strategy for the NEET exam preparation. But this approach also has several advantages as well as disadvantages. Now, let us discuss the pros and cons of this approach.
Advantages
1. Structured Study Material
One of the main benefits of coaching study materials is that the contents are structured and organized according to the NEET syllabus.
2. Expert Faculty Guidance
Coaching institutes have highly experienced faculty. These faculty prepare these study materials according to the NEET syllabus.
3. Relevant Topics
Books may contain some topics not included in the NEET syllabus. However, the coaching study materials generally contain only the topics that are relevant to the NEET exam.
4. Practice Problems
Most coaching study materials come up with good-quality practice problems. Solving practice problems ensures success in the NEET exam.
Disadvantages
1. Lack of depth of understanding
Coaching study materials may lack depth of understanding as compared to textbooks.
2. May contain errors
Many coaching study materials contain incorrect answers to the questions.
3. Bad printing quality
The printing quality of the study materials provided by some of the coaching institutes is not good.
Is studying solely from video lectures enough for NEET ?
Studying solely from video lectures can be a good NEET exam preparation strategy. But this strategy has several benefits as well as drawbacks. Let us go through the advantages and disadvantages of this preparation strategy.
Advantages
1. Expert Teacher Guidance
Video lectures for NEET are mostly conducted by highly experienced teachers who are experts in their subjects.
2. Easy to understand
Video lectures are generally very easy to understand.
3. Learn at your own pace
Video lectures allow you to pause, rewind, or increase video speed. These features allow you to learn at your own pace
Disadvantages
1. Time-consuming
Watching video lectures consumes much time compared to reading books, notes, coaching study materials, or any other study material.
2. High self-motivation
Watching video lectures requires high self-motivation. Many students lose motivation after watching a few videos.
3. High chance of distraction
There is a high chance of you getting distracted from notifications, emails, messages, etc. while watching a video lecture.
Conclusion
Students who successfully crack the NEET exam generally make good-quality notes. I have discussed the benefits and limitations of making notes. However, it is your decision whether you want to make notes.
However, it is also possible to succeed in the NEET exam without making notes. You should check the benefits and drawbacks of the NEET exam preparation strategy, like studying solely from books, coaching study materials, or watching lectures.
I suggest making notes and supplementing notes with books, coaching study materials, or video lectures instead of relying only on notes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Is it okay to not make notes for NEET?
It is better to make notes for NEET rather than not make it. Notes are extremely beneficial for the last-minute revisions.
Q2. Can notes help improve retention and understanding for NEET?
Notes help you to break down complex concepts into simple understandable language. Note-making involves writing down information, writing helps you to remember concepts much longer
Q3. Is note making necessary for NEET Biology?
Preparing for Biology is crucial for NEET aspirants. It is highly recommended to make comprehensive notes for Biology.
Q4. Is it important to make notes for NEET physics?
If you want to crack the NEET exam you should not ignore Physics. Making notes for Physics is highly recommended.
Q5. Which institute has the best notes for NEET?
There is no best institute which provides the best notes for NEET. But institutes like Allen, Aakash, Motion Education, etc provide some of the best notes for NEET.