Some feelings about postgraduate entrance examination
From March last year to now, I haven't updated my blog. That's because I have focused on one thing during this time-the postgraduate entrance examination. To this day, the long journey has finally come to an end. I also hope to write a blog to record my experiences and feelings this year, share with you my experience in postgraduate entrance examinations, and reopen my blog writing by the way!
I. Introduction
Let me introduce my own situation first. I am a student of a 985 university in Beijing. I will enter the Tsinghua Electronics Department in 2021. I have a preliminary score of 421, ranking first. Yesterday, I received the admission notice from the Tsinghua Department of Electronics. My scores in various subjects are: politics 75, English one 75, mathematics one 148, professional courses (957) 123. I was really lucky. After the exam, I estimated that my score was 390 at most. I didn't expect it to be so high in the end.
Mathematics this year is relatively simple, political English should be normal, the signal part of 957 is relatively basic, the electromagnetic field part has a new type of multiple-choice questions, and there are one or two super-level questions (which are also quite speechless). The last big question is the original question from last year (unfortunately I didn't finish it, the lesson of blood). Overall, the difficulty of this year's 957 should be higher than last year (after all, this year's 957 single-subject score line has also dropped by 10 points), but it should be relatively easy to cross the line.
Until today, the long journey of postgraduate entrance examination is finally coming to an end. I also have a lot of thoughts and hopes to share with you. If you can harvest something useful to you, I will be extremely happy. Below I will share some of my experience with you from the overall exam preparation arrangement and the review methods of each subject.
2. Overall arrangement
- Mental preparation
First of all, the first question, why do you want to take the postgraduate entrance examination? I think that only by really thinking about what I am doing for the postgraduate entrance examination can I have the courage and motivation to stick to it. For example, I knew that I probably did not have the qualifications for postgraduate admission, so I thought about preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination, but I have been busy at school and didn't make any preparations for the postgraduate entrance examination at all. It wasn't until the epidemic was home that I had time to calm down and think about my future choices, and then I began to make up my mind to prepare for the exam. It can be said that the epidemic situation at home is a good opportunity for me, and it also gives me a lot of time to focus on review.
- Choosing a school
I suggest that the sooner you choose a school for the postgraduate entrance examination, the better. Make a choice as soon as possible. Having a goal can not only serve as a motivation for your study, but also make it easier for you to have a deeper understanding of the school, major, and seniors. And if you feel that your review process is not going well, you can make the choice to change the target college as soon as possible in the later stage, so as not to be confused about this before you sign up. In short, I think this is an important beginning. After I decided to take the postgraduate entrance examination, I thought about the entrance to Tsinghua University. Then I hoped to stay in Beijing. I checked last year's professional catalogue on the Tsinghua Research Institute and consulted some seniors. After the elder sister, I finally chose to apply for the Master of Electronic Information (Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project) of the Department of Electronics of Tsinghua University.
- Review plan
I think planning is a very efficient way. I can have a good grasp of how many tasks I have completed and control the progress of the whole review. At that time, I made an overall time plan for each subject, divided by month. For example, the review plan of mathematics is shown in the figure (you can adjust and refine it while reviewing):
It happened to be online at home and I had plenty of time, so I started reviewing it in March. In fact, whether you can learn well is not necessarily related to when you start preparing for the exam. It only depends on your learning efficiency and good execution ability. Some people may spend ten times less time than others to understand knowledge. . But if it is the same learning situation, one more time, one more proficiency. You can decide your own test preparation time plan. There are no hard and fast requirements, as long as you can ensure that all review tasks are completed within a limited time.
After the overall arrangement is in place, it needs to be refined to every day of the week. This is more flexible, and you can just think about the plan in your mind. I made a daily schedule. For example, in the later period, I usually have math in the morning, professional classes in the afternoon, and political English in the evening, and the next day I will be political in the morning, English in the afternoon, and math professional classes in the evening. This is only a two-day cycle. For reference! But you must be clear about what tasks you are going to accomplish during the review period of each module, instead of trying to fool yourself by fishing.
The overall plan is probably like this. Everyone needs to make reasonable arrangements by themselves. I will elaborate on the review suggestions for each subject later.
- other suggestion
The postgraduate entrance examination is definitely not a single-soldier battle, and a large part of it is information warfare. When you prepare in the early stage, you have relatively rich time. You can collect more relevant information about the postgraduate entrance examination of the target colleges and universities. You can learn from platforms such as Zhihu and Station B. Or join the relevant postgraduate entrance examination group;
Knowing some senior elder sisters who took the postgraduate entrance examination last year is really helpful. After all, senior elder sisters have experienced it and can give you a lot of useful advice. Last year I added a senior who just came ashore, he can say that he helped me a lot during the whole process;
During the review process, you can arrange some time for entertainment and relaxation, such as half a day off every week, listening to music and watching movies, which will also help relieve stress and ensure that you can stick to it smoothly. However, it is recommended not to choose entertainment forms such as playing games and chasing dramas, which are easily addictive;
Try to maintain the continuity of the review process, do not be disturbed by other things, from the beginning of the review to the first test, you need to keep learning every day. I have been using the Pomodoro software to assist my study, which can guarantee not to be disturbed by mobile phone messages, and can also be used as a daily study timer (I even have a member hahaha).
Three, mathematics
I really did a lot of questions in mathematics. Maybe I have more time. Doing more questions can really improve my proficiency, but it must be based on a good understanding of knowledge. It is very important to lay a good foundation at the beginning. Please don't be stingy to spend time on mastering the basic knowledge, unless you already have a good mathematical foundation. My college mathematics score is relatively low, and my mathematics before exam preparation is almost at zero foundation, so I spent more than two months concentrating on reviewing the high mathematics textbook, and at the same time listening to Zhang Yu’s basic 30 lectures video, and many things that Brother Yu said. It is still very enlightening to me, especially in the understanding and application of certain knowledge. However, watching online classes is really procrastinating. It is only suitable for the early stage to help you get into the learning state. In the later stage of strengthening, I will directly use 36 lectures instead of watching the 36 lecture videos. Let’s talk about my entire math review process, you can refer to it:
I finished reading the high mathematics textbook in March, and memorized the knowledge points in the notebook while reading it. This is a learning method I am more accustomed to. I always feel that writing can deepen my impression, maybe in the process of writing. The brain is also understanding knowledge points.
In April, I mainly went through the 30 lectures with Zhang Yu’s basic 30 lectures video. At this time, the general knowledge framework has been established, but I am still not familiar with some details and can only solve some routine problems.
These two parts are still quite time-consuming, don't even think that I only spent two months, that is because during this time I only reviewed maths and insisted on memorizing words every day. The speed is actually quite slow, but in the basic stage, always pay attention to quality, not time. In terms of learning efficiency, I always think that quality is the first, and we must not simply pursue speed. Even if we spend more time to understand knowledge, it will be twice the result with half the effort.
I started to study the questions in May. First, I brushed the basics of Tang Jiafeng's 1800 questions. I feel that the difficulty is not bad. When I encounter unfamiliar knowledge points, I will re-consolidate the corresponding parts of the basic 30 lectures. Then, from June to September, my math review schedule is mainly to brush 1,800 questions, combined with 36 lectures and 1000 questions. Basically, I will have at least 3 hours of math review time every day. By the way, the puzzles presented by Zhang Yu are actually quite different from the real ones, but you can try it. Maybe it will be helpful to inspire ideas. Anyway, I only did a little bit. I didn’t do the line generation and probability part of the 1000 questions. I just used it. I finished 1800 questions, but the amount of questions I brushed must have achieved the purpose of building a solid foundation.
The later stage is the real focus, but this is indeed based on the early-stage effort. I started to study the real questions in October, and it took me more than a month to finish the real questions from 00-17 (the real questions from 18-20 are reserved for pre-test simulations). Basically, the regularity of one set every two days is maintained. The real questions are in general except for individual years. It is still relatively easy, and can often achieve more than 140 points in the later stage. I have been writing simulation questions since then. I think Li Lin's style of simulation questions is closer to the real question style. I highly recommend Li Lin 6+4. Zhang Yu's 8 sets of rolls and 4 sets of rolls can be bought to open your eyes and use as a reminder. Don't be overwhelmed by yourself. I don't know the other teachers very well. Before the exam, I also bought Li Yongle’s mock questions, which were dedicated to the line generation part. It still feels normal, not very subtle. In short, keep a set of papers for two days, and it is best to finish with a pinch (almost every set of test papers I write is a formal simulation), and you will definitely feel handy when you take the final exam. A few days before the exam, I didn’t write any more questions. Instead, I read all the papers I had written to find out the knowledge points that are easy to make mistakes. Then I summarized all these knowledge points with a white paper, which is considered to be the last one. Small loopholes, then you can confidently take the exam.
My review process is probably like this. In general, there are several suggestions: pay attention to the basics; pay attention to the quality of learning (understanding knowledge instead of rote memorization); have enough to brush questions; keep brushing Question status. I believe everyone can learn well!
Four, professional courses 957
Tsinghua’s 957 examines two professional courses, signal and electromagnetic fields. Generally speaking, they should be considered as the most difficult of the same type of professional courses in China, because the scope of the investigation is wide and the topics are not simple. The signal part of this year's questions are still relatively basic. I thoroughly understand Zheng Junli's signal book, and then brush the real questions twice in the past 20 years. It should be not a big problem. There is a signal boss in the postgraduate entrance examination group I added, who is responsible for answering everyone's questions. Many of his ideas inspired me very much. I really didn't expect that signal knowledge could be used in this way. I haven't studied electromagnetic field before undergraduate, so I need to study a professional course by myself. The difficulty is still quite large. Fortunately, I still have plenty of time and I have time to slowly understand the textbook knowledge. Let's talk about my preparation process in detail:
I started reviewing professional courses in May, and the preliminary progress is indeed very slow, because the knowledge points of professional courses are still relatively difficult, and it takes a lot of time to understand thoroughly. I read Zheng Junli's signal book in May and June, summarized half of the signal notes, and went through all the knowledge required by the exam syllabus (the 957 exam syllabus can be found on the official website of the Department of Electronics), and I probably formed my own knowledge framework.
I started to study electromagnetic fields in July. The electromagnetic field textbook uses Guo Shuohong's electrodynamics. This is closer to the Tsinghua exam questions. Tsinghua Wang Qian's electromagnetic field theory foundation can also be used as a supplementary book. The most important learning materials for electromagnetic fields are the Tsinghua courseware and past papers. I bought them from the senior I met last year. The senior compiled a complete set of materials last year. It is very essential. It can be said to be for your welfare. If you are interested, You can know that the search user "Sesame Research Path" can also directly join the postgraduate entrance examination group: 1076865856 (QQ group number). I spent a lot of time deriving formulas and understanding the knowledge points. Although I feel that the exam is mainly a back-to-back test, it is still very important to pay attention to understanding the knowledge points. For example, this year’s new multiple-choice question type examines the level of mastery of basic knowledge. It took me more than two months to read the electromagnetic field. I remember that the notes were thicker than the signal. After all, it was the first time to learn. There are too many things I don't understand.
In September, I wrote all the signal after-school questions, and I should be more proficient in the basic knowledge. Then I also brushed some of Guo Shuohong's after-school questions on electrodynamics. It felt very difficult for me as a beginner, but I gradually got used to it. It is a very important link to master the knowledge points by brushing the questions, such as the separation of variables method. To use it, I have mastered it only by doing after-school questions.
I started to review the real questions in October. To be honest, when I first started writing, there were almost no questions I could do, and it collapsed. But don't give up. Everyone comes here like this. Tsinghua's real questions are really difficult. Do a few more sets and get the answers thoroughly. If you write the questions later, you will be more comfortable with the style of the real questions. It took me a month and a half to go through all the real questions. The signal has nearly 20 years of real questions, so you just need to brush it by year. After you finish reading it, your understanding of the signal will go to a higher level. In the case of electromagnetic fields, the recurrence rate of the original questions is relatively high. It is strongly recommended to follow the senior’s electromagnetic real-test data. The seniors summarize the previous real problems in each chapter, and also make some summaries and extensions, which will save you a lot. Of review time.
In December, I brushed the real questions again. At this time, it was easier to do signal questions, and I also summarized some common knowledge points. For the electromagnetic field, I also did it a few times. Note that you must fully understand the answer when you do it for the first time. When you do it later, you can try to write aside the answer by yourself. This is also a very important part of remembering the answer to the real question. I have a bitter lesson. The last big question of electromagnetics this year was the original question of last year, but I didn’t memorize the answer, but calculated it myself. It was very time-consuming, and I didn’t have time to finish it in the end, so it’s better to memorize the answer to compare the real question. Good, otherwise the amount of calculation for electromagnetic problems is still relatively large.
In general, I have two experiences in reviewing 957: one is that I am willing to spend time to understand the formulas and principles, so that I will not be afraid no matter how I take the test (but I should not understand it deeply enough); the other is that I need to take the time to understand the formulas and principles thoroughly. Finding good real test materials, it can be said that 80% of the score of professional courses depends on your mastery of the real test questions over the years.
5. English
To tell the truth, I was quite poor in English. I took the 6th grade several times and the results were terrible. I also know that English is my weakness, so I started to memorize vocabulary in March. I started by buying a book of Lian Lian Youqi and memorizing a unit every day. I mainly used copying and dictation methods (because my ability to memorize things is too great. It’s bad, I only deepen the impression by moving the pen), it probably took more than two months. Later I felt that this method was too inefficient. I just insisted on using the scallop vocabulary app to memorize the vocabulary for postgraduate entrance examinations every day. I also insisted on this since March. There will be no new words until June, and then I keep reviewing and memorizing vocabulary. , Insisted until the exam. I have no good way to memorize things like words. I can only memorize it every day. It doesn't matter what method I use, I will remember it after a long time.
It must be guaranteed to memorize the words, and the second is to brush the real questions. I started reading the real questions in June. I read two articles a day. At the beginning, it was really uncomfortable. I didn't know many words. After swiping it again, I stopped for a while, and then swiped it again. At this time, I didn’t have a deep impression of reading the answer. Then I might learn the words more proficiently. When I swipe again, I suddenly feel that I can read the answer. After I understood it, I was very happy, and I have maintained this state since then. In October, I started to scan the entire set of papers, except for the other types of essays. It was equivalent to reading the third time. It was a bit difficult at first. Later, I gradually got used to the rhythm of the exam, and the mock exams were also easy to deal with. For the composition, I started to prepare in November, using teacher Pan Yun’s nine-square-ge writing essay. According to her method, I summarized a template by myself, which can be applied almost universally. In the end, the English score of 75 is not very high, but it has met my expectations.
6. Politics
Politics is the easiest course for me to learn. I started watching a little Xu Tao's video at noon every day in September. It is really wonderful. The lectures are very interesting. Of course, double speed is essential. As for the time for the review of politics, I don’t think this is very important. If you start early, you only spend a little time watching the video happily every day. It’s comfortable and won’t take up a lot of review time for other courses; it’s late to start. If you do, you can review politics every day, and you should still be able to finish your studies. It depends mainly on personal time allocation.
Watching the video is mainly to have an understanding of general knowledge, if you can remember it, it is pretty good. The main homework is still more than a month before the exam. I read Xu Tao's little yellow book several times and brushed 1000 questions from Teacher Xiao (I was watching a chapter of Xu Tao's video and brushing a chapter of 1000 questions). The most important thing is Xiao Si Xiao Ba. Xiao Ba only brushes multiple choice questions, one set per day; Xiao Si first brushes multiple choice questions, there should be analysis questions on the Internet within two weeks before the test, and find a copy that you are satisfied with every day. That's it, Teacher Xiao's arbitration is quite accurate, and this year is a hot topic again, no problem. Other political materials can be used easily by yourself. This subject should be considered the easiest. Don't take it lightly and you should be able to get 70.
7. Summary of reference materials
The following are all the materials I used to prepare for the exam, for your reference only:
- mathematics
Advanced mathematics textbooks, 30 lectures and videos of Zhang Yu's basics, 36 lectures by Zhang Yu, 1800 questions from Tang Jiafeng, 1000 questions from Zhang Yu, real questions over the years, Li Lin 6+4, eight sets of Zhang Yu, four sets of Zhang Yu, Li Yongle 6 sets of rolls
- Professional Course 957
Zheng Junli signal and system textbook, Gu Yuantao signal exercises analysis, Guo Shuohong's electrodynamics textbook and exercises analysis, Wang Qiang's electromagnetic field theory foundation, Zhima research road 957 real question materials, senior Q&A group guidance
- English
Lian Lian You Ci Green Paper, Scallop Word APP, Past Years' Zhenti, Pan Yun Jiugongge Composition, Tang Chi San Xiaomen
- political
Xu Tao core test case, Xu Tao intensive class video, Xu Tao sprint memorization notes small yellow book, Xiao 1000 questions, Xiao Ba, Xiao Si
The public class materials can be found online. Just pay attention to the publication time of the books for each stage. For example, Xiao Si usually won't be listed until more than two weeks before the exam, and you need to make reasonable arrangements by yourself. As for the materials for professional courses, you can find suitable real-test materials on the Internet (generally, you need to spend money to buy real-test materials, and it is not easy for others to organize the materials), or ask the seniors who went ashore last year to recommend them.
Finally, I wish every postgraduate entrance examination student can make their dreams come true and become masters in one battle!