How to Make Notes? Ultimate Exam Cracking Guide

Generally every aspirant who dreams of getting a good rank in any competitive exam follows a lot of strategies. Some of these are, following the toppers strategies, making notes, revising multiple times, attempting mock tests, etc. In all of the above-mentioned points, making handwritten notes is the most important and most common trait of all the toppers. This is even true for aspirants who are preparing for technical exams like ESE and GATE.

MADE EASY is an unparalleled name in the field of GATE and ESE coaching, and this is not mere exaggeration; the past results of MADE EASY students are proof of it. One of the most important things that MADE EASY teaches to its students, apart from technical and non-technical subjects, is how to make notes, and that is the reason why MADE EASY notes are highly popular among GATE and ESE aspirants. In this blog post, we will see how to make notes and how good notes can be the ultimate exam-cracking guide.

Why notes are the backbone of exam preparation

Handwritten notes are very useful in any competitive exam preparation. This is because they help the aspirants to consolidate all the important concepts in one place. Aspirants can view the concepts whenever they require. Handwritten notes are also very useful in revision.

Let us have a look at some benefits of note making in detail.

• Note-making helps in preparing for exams: Handwritten notes are one of the most efficient ways of productive study and exam preparation. From a student/aspirant point of view, classroom lectures, books, and the internet, as well as other digital sources, are all sources of knowledge. But to use the knowledge in a fruitful way, aspirants need a condensed version of all the important concepts.
• Help in examination: Note-making helps aspirants to study and absorb important concepts and secure good marks in their examinations.
• Improves memory: Note-making helps in improving memory of aspirants. Although it took a lot of time in note-making, once notes are created, they help a lot in retaining various concepts for a longer period of time.
• Take notes wherever you want: Being a GATE/ESE aspirant, it is not possible to carry heavy books everywhere, and also it is not compulsory that internet connectivity would be the same everywhere. In such cases, handwritten notes become handy for quick revision or for studying any important concept.
• Help in case of missed class: If aspirants ever miss a class, handwritten notes help them to engage with the subject taught in class. This benefits a lot in the long run.
• Engage in active learning: Note-taking is not merely writing down things in a notebook or on electronic gadgets. It requires the aspirant’s attentiveness and active participation. When aspirants actively participate and prepare notes in their own words, they can reinforce their understanding and retain the important concepts.

These are some of the benefits of note-making. This is not the complete list; there are many other benefits also, but we have just listed a few. Note-making is a skill, that can help aspirants to clear any examination. Good note-making habits also make an individual an effective learner. Due to all these above-mentioned benefits, the faculties of MADE EASY encourage aspirants to write down their own notes, and that’s the reason why MADE EASY notes are so popular among GATE and ESE aspirants.

How to make notes

The purpose of note-making is to store information in handwritten form so that aspirants can revise and recap it before the exam, as well as help to store information/concepts at a single place in an easy-to-understand form. All these benefits of note-making have been discussed in the previous section. In this section of the blog, we would see what the important things are that aspirants should keep in mind before note-making and how to make notes.

The art of note making is helpful for every competitive exam aspirant. The importance of notes increases more when the exams are GATE and ESE. In section below, we are providing some tips for GATE 2026 and ESE 2025 aspirants for notes making.

• Listen carefully: The first and most important factor before note-taking is to listen properly. Aspirants preparing for exams like GATE and ESE should first listen to the lecture properly before taking notes.
• Write down important points: The purpose of note-making is to write down the important concepts. However, it is very important for aspirants to figure out what to write and what not to write, as bulky notes make revision tedious; therefore, aspirants should try to note down the important points.
• Use your words: Aspirants should try to make notes in their own words, rather than following bookish language. This will help the aspirants to understand the concepts easily.
• Arrange all the important items: Before starting to prepare notes, it is important to arrange all the important items. This would help to concentrate during note-taking.
• Summarize the notes: After attending class and making notes, aspirants should give some time to revise and summarize their notes in the end. This helps them to note down important details and revision at last moment.
• Use bullets points and colour pens: Using bullet points and colour pens helps to make the content visually appealing and interesting.
• Leave space after each topic: At the end of every topic, leave a few pages so that you can add new concepts and ideas that you come across after solving questions.

These are some general tips for note-taking, aspirants can modify them as per their needs.

Common mistakes to be avoided while note-taking

Some common mistakes which aspirants should avoid while note making are given below:

• Writing a lot of content: Writing a lot of information should be avoided in notes. Notes should be crisp, concise, and easy to understand. Adding irrelevant information would make them look bulky and less preferable during exams and revision.
• Messy and unorganized notes: Messy notes make it difficult for aspirants to find important points at crucial times. Also, most of the candidates find reading unorganized notes frustrating. Aspirants should make their notes organized and clean; they should add proper headings and subheadings and mark important points so that they can spend more time in learning and reviewing rather than deciphering what is written.
• Focussing on cleanliness instead of content: Focusing too much on neatness can interfere with the learning and understanding of concepts. No doubt that clean notes look visually appealing, but focusing merely upon cleanliness and spending extra time in making every line perfect would distract the aspirants from their goal. Therefore, aspirants should make a balance between neatness and quick note-making.
• Not revising notes regularly: Merely making notes is not enough; if aspirants are not revising and reviewing their notes, then there is no point in making notes.

MADE EASY note-making strategy

MADE EASY has a good record of producing toppers in GATE and ESE from more than the last two decades. This is not possible without good note-making. In MADE EASY, faculties explain important points that aspirants note in their notebooks/registers and revise them at regular intervals. Faculties provide enough time in offline/online classes so that students can note down all the relevant concepts. Other than this, a lot of faculties also provide their own handwritten notes so that aspirants can have an idea of how to note down concepts to perform better in the exam.

These notes help aspirants in the last minute revision for GATE, ESE and other engineering related exams.

FAQs

1. Is MADE EASY notes enough for GATE and ESE?

Answer: Yes, MADE EASY classroom notes are enough for GATE and ESE.

2. Is it possible to clear exam without making notes?

Answer: Yes, it is possible to clear exam without notes, however it is very difficult.

3. Is 1 year enough to crack GATE?

Answer: Yes, 1 year is enough to crack GATE.