How to make quality notes from ICSE books

Preparing the right kind of personalized study notes from ICSE books is an important step towards obtaining a great score in the final ICSE exams. Quality notes from ICSE books not only promote effective understanding of all concepts but often re-kindle students’ interest in subjects they usually consider difficult. Therefore, while preparing notes from the ICSE books it is important for students to keep a few essential points in mind that will help make these notes effective and relevant for the final ICSE examinations.

To help all students studying under ICSE board prepare quality notes, here are a few important pointers on how to go about preparing such notes.

• Before starting to prepare notes from ICSE books, it is important for students to first go through the chapter and highlight all the important concepts, assess their understanding for all the highlighted concepts and then identify the learning gaps. Customizing study notes as per the current level of understanding will help students emphasize on areas/topics that require more attention. Such an exercise will eventually result in a thorough understanding of all concepts.
• While preparing study notes, students should make sure that it is not a word-to-word replication of what is actually given in the ICSE book. Students should try to prepare notes that are crisp and in their own language. This will facilitate a quick understanding and easy recall of all the concepts during the revision sessions. Such an exercise will also help students to optimize benefits from such an extensive note-making exercise.
• Student should also ensure that their ICSE book notes are complete. Students should practice caution that they do not miss out on any important concept/topic in the chapter while preparing such notes. Such comprehensive notes can aid as a ready-to-use booklet for anytime reference.
• While preparing notes from ICSE book, students should structure the notes as per their unique learning styles. For example, if a student is a visual learner and understands concepts faster through visual learning aids, he/she should try to include as many diagrams, illustrations, mind maps etc in his/her notes. He/she can also use colour highlighters to stress on important points in the notes. Notes that are customized as per the preferred learning styles helps students with an accelerated pace of learning.
• If students are not interested in performing such an elaborate activity to prepare notes and want some readymade curriculum-aligned study material/notes, they can seek help from websites that provide such online learning resources. ICSE study material for Maths & Science available at such websites are prepared by a team of highly qualified educationists. These notes are in easy-to-understand language supported with high quality, value adding graphics for a quick understanding. Along with the study material, students can also try their hands at curriculum-aligned interactive puzzles, tests, revision notes etc. to solidify their understanding in weak areas. 2D/ 3D/ real-life videos help students understand concepts much faster and ensure that their learning is permament.

If all you students out there preparing for ICSE exams keep all these essential points in your minds, the notes made from ICSE books will not only make learning fun and effortless but will also make scoring good marks easy.

CBSE India introduces a common syllabus for Maths & Science!

The Union Ministry of Human Resource and CBSE India are leaving no stone unturned to make lives easy for school students across the various boards in India! The latest stride towards this endeavor is the introduction of a common syllabus for Maths and Science for the students of classes XI and XII across all the educational boards. Therefore, from the academic year starting 2011-12, students from all the boards in the country can look forward to a uniform syllabus!

An initiative like this by CBSE India will ensure a level playing field for all the students while they prepare for their engineering and medical entrance examinations. Hence, while all you students studying in classes XI & XII, preparing for your national level engineering and medical entrance exams from the year 2012, need no longer worry about the extensive syllabi covered by your friend in CBSE or other national/ state board.

A common syllabus is just the first step by the Human Resource Ministry and CBSE India towards a flexible pattern of education that is comparable to the education systems existing in the West. CBSE India also has plans in the pipeline to conduct a common entrance exam for Medical and Engineering courses in India by 2013. If such a plan by CBSE India gains acceptance from all the academic corners in the country, life after class XII is only set to get easier for students.

However, implementation of a common syllabus by CBSE India has also garnered a lot of criticism by NCERT. NCERT is of the view that Council of School Board of Education (COBSE) has no right to push the common syllabus agenda. NCERT believes that the decision to undertake any curriculum revision exercise should rightfully rest with itself as NCERT has been instrumental in all such changes over the past years. It also believes that COBSE is just a coordinating body between the various school boards in the country.

Amidst all this controversy, major stakes are now on successful implementation of this common syllabus scheme for Maths and Science. Success of a common syllabus like this could also spread cheer in the lives of students studying in the Commerce and Humanities streams. Talks are around for a uniform syllabus for various subjects in these streams as well. What more could have students asked for to ensure a smooth and stress-free studying experience!

There are various websites that provide CBSE-aligned learning resources for students studying in classes V-XII. A common syllabus for Maths and Science will also ensure that more students can now seek help from such websites and reap benefits of quality and extensive learning resources.

All students studying under CBSE India can expect a lot of good news in the near future as well.

All the best for the future!

How to prepare for ICSE Board Papers

ICSE Board papers are considered to be difficult papers in comparison to the papers set by the other board papers across India. The ICSE Board offers students an extensive variety of subjects to choose from. More emphasis is on literature than any other aspect of learning in ICSE Board curriculum. The ICSE Board is also the generally preferred board by students who wish to pursue their undergrad studies from foreign countries. One of the major reasons for the same is that the curriculum for ICSE Board Papers is more compatible with the syllabus of other Common Wealth countries.

If you are a student of ICSE Board and you are nervous about your Board Papers after reading the above mentioned facts, you don’t need to worry! Here are some snap tips on how to manage your time and excel in your ICSE Board Papers.

• The first and most important step for any student of class X intending to appear for ICSE Board Papers is to choose their elective subjects wisely. The subjects chosen by the student should be aligned with the individual career choice and as per the individual caliber. Students should not choose subjects under peer, school or parental pressure. Once subjects are chosen, try sticking to it.
• The next important step is to prepare a customized time schedule. The schedule should be such that it clearly lists down all the activities you perform in a day against the time available. Try to include some variety, as it will help keep away monotony. It is important to clearly demarcate your personal study hours in a day from the time allocated for completing your homework.
• Build in flexibility into your time schedule. Try to adjust your missed study hours during the weekend as a fresh mind allows learning to be fast and effective. 
• Prepare a fresh time schedule for exam time. Schedule the difficult subjects first and the easy ones for a later. Schedule your time in such a manner that you complete the syllabus before the exam commences and are able to judiciously use the time available in between the exams for revision.
• While revising, try your hand at ICSE Sample Papers. It provides students appearing for ICSE Board Papers with an idea of the question pattern, instructions, marking scheme etc. In the process these ICSE sample papers equip students with the confidence that is required to perform well in these exams.

In addition to your external assessment exams take your internal assessment seriously, as it carries a twenty percent weightage. A good performance in the internal exams is the key to a good overall score.