Many students begin their exam preparation after a lecture or seminar without a clear structure because they string together course unit after course unit without knowing how the individual topics are related to one another. Such students therefore do not have the “big picture” or “global picture” in front of them and make it difficult for their brain to memorize the individual topics because the different topics are not connected to each other. What does the definition from Chapter 1 have to do with the formula from Chapter 2 and the paragraph from Chapter 2?
However, if it is clear how the individual parts of the learning material interact and how the topics relate to each other, it is easier to create a knowledge network. Therefore, when learning, one should put the individual contents into a superordinate context: How are the topics linked to each other? Which contents build on each other? What is the structure of the entire lecture? The best way to do this is to draw a mind map and visualize the structure or agenda of the lecture. If you have the examiner’s global picture in mind, you will not only understand the overall idea better, you will also be able to remember details more easily because they now have their fixed place.