How to study a (thick) technical book?

by yaobin.wen

A book about a technical subject is usually thick with a huge amount of information. This short article is my thoughts about how to effectively study a thick technical book.

First of all, always keep notes for future review. The notes should not be simple copy of the original text. The notes should be organized in the way that fits into your knowledge network and should be easy for you to quickly refresh your memory.

Secondly, if you are reading a book to find the answer to a particular question, stop reading the book as soon as you find the answer. Well, sure, you can keep reading if you want to. I suggest to stop reading the book only for saving the time so you can do something else. A thick book is not meant to be finished in one sitting, so be prepared to come back multiple times in the future.

When refreshing the memory on the book, use the exercises (if available) at the end of each chapter to figure out if you are already familiar with the subjects. Or you can read the detailed outline of the book and think about what you have remembered or learned in each section.