Always wondered why VRalMtl isn't at the top of this list.

[Mr.Mxyzptlk]

This is usually the first thing I'm looking for here. Are the others above used more than VRalMtl from this menu?

[Buck]

it's alphabetical.

In maya, you can have a list of "favorites" that you select, maybe there's a way in Max to do that as well?

[caypiranha]

just a question to get used to it. But when your eyes are quickly searching for not so much used notes, I would like to have thumbnails in front of them. Wondering here in this screenshot that there are still some left (once they had been all there... all black or so... )
but new thumbnails would increase the usability. But I don't know, and at Autodesk the same problems, why there isn´t a mind for that. Jobs like UX Designer / UI designer are not increasing without any reasons. Some Softdev. are recognizing, that it is a lot about that.

This is usually the first thing I'm looking for here. Are the others above used more than VRalMtl from this menu?

in the end: hotkey, or the button on the Icon menue. with that click, its already attached to the selected object - even!

[Buck]

alternatively, you could try using something like this. in Maya & Nuke, hitting TAB brings up a search menu and you just start typing the name of the node you want. I'm guessing Max doesn't have this feature, but looks like there's a script that does it:

https://vizbox.gumroad.com/l/searchbar?layout=profile

[DCHA34]

Hi,
as Buck says so well, in 3DS Max's Slate Editor you can create groups and drag whatever you want into them.