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You already accept diligent notes, but now you lot're wondering how to upwards your note-taking game and start taking notes that are ameliorate and more useful for yous. There are actually all kinds of note-taking methods and strategies you can use to make your notes as effective and clutter-complimentary as possible, and we'll show you how! We've also included some tips on the best ways to review your notes so you get the almost out of them. Cheque out the steps below to get started.

1. 1

   Gather your note-taking materials. It may audio pretty basic, merely it's really important to accept all of your note-taking materials organized and gear up to go earlier the first of whatever class, coming together or lecture.^[1]

   • If you're writing with paper and pens, make sure yous have a notebook with plenty of bare pages and extra writing utensils. If you're using a laptop, make sure it's fully charged or that yous can sit well-nigh a power outlet.
   • If y'all wear glasses, make sure you lot take them with yous in case the teacher/lecturer writes down any important information on a blackness or whiteboard. If y'all bring your glasses, brand sure to bring a small microfiber cloth then that yous are able to make clean them should the need arise. Likewise, recollect to position yourself in an area of the room where y'all can effectively see and hear the speaker.

2. 2

   Be certain to come prepared. Earlier you come up to a class, lecture, or coming together, make sure to review your notes from the concluding time round. This volition bring you fully upwardly to speed and prepare to option upwards where yous left off.

   • If yous were brash to do any background reading to prepare for the class, make sure that you lot read and annotated the consignment. This will help you to understand any themes, concepts or ideas that the teacher/lecturer is probable to present in course. A good idea would exist to outline the section, article, or chapter before hand. Write your outline on one side of the paper so that you can add your grade notes to the other side.^[2]
   • Recollect the one-time aphorism "Past failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail".

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3. iii

   Exist an active listener. When note-taking, many people make the error of mindlessly taking down every discussion, without really comprehending what is being said. Instead, make an effort to understand the topic while you're in class. Focus on what's actually being said, then inquire questions if you lot don't understand.^[3]

   • Determine the best time to inquire questions, and then raise your hand to get the instructor's attention. They'll capeesh that you're listening attentively and want to understand.
   • Practise your best to sympathise the data during form and so you won't take to piece of work so hard during the review.

4. iv

   Take notes by manus. Although taking notes on your laptop is user-friendly, research shows annotation takers really retain information ameliorate when they take notes past mitt. This may exist because people typing on a laptop tend to transcribe every discussion without agreement the pregnant, while people writing by hand are forced to pick out relevant information in order to go along up.^[iv]

   • If you lot do take notes by laptop, don't endeavor to get down every give-and-take. Make certain you lot're understanding the meaning of what's being said.

5. five

   Don't be agape to inquire questions. When you lot come up across something you don't sympathize, don't just jot information technology downwardly and tell yourself that you lot'll worry almost it later on -- inquire the teacher/lecturer for clarification.^[5]

   • Think about it -- if you discover something confusing now, you'll detect it twice as confusing during your note-review later.
   • Don't be afraid to enquire the teacher/lecturer to repeat themselves either -- specially if you feel that they've said something of import.

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1. ane

   Focus on key words and concepts. The almost important modify yous can make to improve your notation-taking skills is to focus solely on taking downward cardinal words and concepts.^[6]

   • Identify the nearly relevant information. Write down individual words or key phrases that are most relevant to the topic at hand -- things like dates, names, theories, definitions -- but the most important details should make the cut. Eliminate all the filler words and secondary details -- if yous wanted those things y'all could read a textbook.
   • Recollect almost what you want to retain. Why are you taking the class? Why are yous attending the seminar? Why did your employer send you to the briefing? While it may be your first instinct to try to write downwardly what you hear or run into verbatim, you have to recollect that you are taking notes in club to learn something from them -- you're not writing a novella.
   • Prioritize any "new" information. Don't waste fourth dimension writing downwards information that you already know -- this is useless to you and just wastes time. Focus on writing down any new information that you've never learned before -- this will give you the most value from your annotation-taking.

2. 2

   Use the "question, answer, evidence" method. This is a very effective method of taking notes, as it forces you to appoint with the material as you write and allows you to describe the topic in your ain words. This technique of paraphrasing information has been proven to help students understand and retain fabric much more effectively.^[7]

   • Instead of copying down line after line of information, listen advisedly to what the speaker is proverb and make an effort to understand the material. Once you lot've washed that, formulate your notes as a series of questions raised by the material, then make full in your own answers.
   • For instance, if the question was "what is the key theme of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?", the answer could be "more than a tragic beloved story, Romeo and Juliet is about the consequences of holding grudges".
   • Then underneath this answer, you can provide evidence for your conclusion by pointing to specific examples from inside the text. This strategy allows yous to record all of the relevant information, in a concise, like shooting fish in a barrel-to-read format.

3. iii

   Utilise shorthand. The average student writes 1/3 discussion per second, while the boilerplate speaker speaks at a charge per unit of 2/3 words per second. Therefore, developing your own organisation of shorthand writing tin can help yous to write more efficiently and avoid falling backside.

   • Effort writing things similar "wd" for would, "cd" for could and "w/" for with. Write a plus sign for the word "and". Too try to abbreviate long words that announced once again and again throughout the class or lecture -- for instance, instead of writing "popular sovereignty" 25 times over the form of a history class, write "popular sov".
   • Of form, it's essential that you're able to decipher your own shorthand afterward on -- if y'all remember y'all might take difficulty, try writing out a key on the inside cover of your copy.You could also go back and fill in the full-length version of the words later grade.
   • If the speaker is still going besides fast for you despite your shorthand, consider bringing a recording device to your next form -- this will allow you to listen a second time and fill in any gaps in your notes.

4. 4

   Make your notes visually highly-seasoned. You volition be reluctant to go back and study your notes if they are messy, disorganized and difficult to read, so information technology'due south of import that they look overnice! Hither are some tips on how to create more visually highly-seasoned notes:

   • Always get-go on a fresh page. You lot'll detect your notes much easier to read if you start on a fresh, blank folio for each new grade or topic. Put the date in the peak right-hand corner and only write on one side of each page, especially if y'all're writing with very inky pens.
   • Make sure your writing is legible. Taking notes will exist a complete waste material of fourth dimension if yous can't read them afterwards! No matter how fast you write, make sure your writing is small, groovy and legible, and avoid using cursive handwriting if possible.
   • Use wide margins. Line each page with a pen and ruler, giving yourself a wide margin on the left-hand side. This volition prevent the page from becoming too overcrowded and will leave you space to write in any additional information in one case you review your notes.
   • Use symbols and diagrams. Things similar arrows, dots and boxes, diagrams, charts, and other visual aids are often great ways to associate and remember key concepts, especially if you're a visual learner.

5. 5

   Colour-lawmaking your notes. Many people find that adding a splash of color to their notes helps to make the data more readable and easier to retain.

   • This is due to the fact that color stimulates the creative side of your encephalon, making your notes more than interesting and therefore easier to retain. Color-coding helps you to link colour with retentivity, assuasive you to remember the contents of your notes with relatively little effort.^[eight]
   • Endeavour using different colored pens for different parts of your notes -- for example, you could write questions in ruddy, definitions in bluish and conclusions in light-green.
   • You could also use a highlighter pen to highlight key words, dates, and definitions. Don't get overboard though -- you shouldn't mistake highlighting your notes for actual study.

6. 6

   Take notes from your textbook. After a class or lecture, you may want to supplement your notes with information from a textbook. Taking notes from a textbook is some other skill worth mastering.

   • Preview the textile: Before you bound straight into reading a text, preview the material to get a sense of what information technology's almost. Read any introductions and conclusions, headers and sub-headers, and the starting time and last line of every paragraph. Also glance over whatsoever charts, illustrations or diagrams.
   • Actively read the text: Now become back to the beginning of the text and read information technology thoroughly from start to finish. Once you have finished a paragraph, get dorsum and highlight whatsoever key words, facts, concepts or of import quotes. Expect for visual cues in the textbook itself -- things like assuming or italicized words and the employ of color or bullet points are oft used to highlight significant points.
   • Have notes: Once you've thoroughly read the text, go dorsum and make notes from the information you highlighted. Endeavor not to copy total sentences from the text -- this simply wastes fourth dimension -- and paraphrase using your own words where possible.

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1. 1

   Review your notes later in the day. Reviewing your notes after class, or later the aforementioned solar day will help y'all to retain the information much more finer. You don't need to study them intensely -- simply spend 15 to twenty minutes going back over them each nighttime.^[9]

   • Fill in any blanks. Use your review time to fill in any boosted information that you remember from the class or lecture.
   • Write a summary. Another constructive tool for committing your notes to retentivity is to summarize the information contained in your notes at the lesser of the folio.

2. 2

   Examination yourself. Test yourself on your understanding of the textile by covering upwardly your notes and trying to explain the topic to yourself -- out loud or in your head.

   • Run into how many of the of import details you lot can call up, then read the notes once more to recap on any information you might have missed.
   • Explain the material to a friend. Teaching or explaining the material to a friend is a skillful way to test whether you've fully understood the topic and whether your notes deal with the topic comprehensively.

3. 3

   Memorize your notes. You'll really see the benefit of having good notes when it comes to exam fourth dimension and you lot have to memorize all of the fabric. If you accept been consistently reviewing your notes for xx to 30 minutes each dark, you'll find the memorization process much easier. Here are some popular memorization techniques you can attempt:

   • Line-past-line method: If you accept to memorize a chunk of text, one practiced technique is to read the first line a couple of times, and then try to echo information technology out loud without looking at the page. Read the 2nd line a couple of times, and then effort to echo the first and 2nd line out loud, without looking at the page. Keep going in this manner until you can echo the entire chunk of text without looking at the page.
   • Story method: This method involves turning the data you have to memorize into a simple story that'due south piece of cake to remember. For instance, if you wanted to recollect the start 3 elements of the periodic tabular array (hydrogen, helium, and lithium) you could use the following story "(H)arriet and (He)nry went to the (Li)brary". The story doesn't demand to make sense -- in fact, the sillier it is, the ameliorate.
   • Mnemonic devices: Using mnemonic devices is a good mode to call back lists of words in a particular order. To make a mnemonic, simply take the first letter of each word you wish to call up and come upwards with a short judgement where each word starts with those letters. For example, to remember the lines on a musical staff EGBDF you could use the mnemonic "Every Skilful Boy Does Fine".^[10]
   • For more detailed instructions on pop and effective memorization techniques, meet this article.

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• Question

  What should my goal be when I'thousand taking notes?

  

  Daron Cam is an Academic Tutor and the Founder of Bay Area Tutors, Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area-based tutoring service that provides tutoring in mathematics, scientific discipline, and overall bookish confidence building. Daron has over eight years of instruction math in classrooms and over nine years of one-on-one tutoring experience. He teaches all levels of math including calculus, pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, and Sat/ACT math prep. Daron holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley and a math didactics credential from St. Mary'south College.

  

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• Question

  What's the easiest fashion to take notes in math?

  

  Daron Cam is an Academic Tutor and the Founder of Bay Surface area Tutors, Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area-based tutoring service that provides tutoring in mathematics, science, and overall academic conviction building. Daron has over eight years of teaching math in classrooms and over 9 years of i-on-one tutoring experience. He teaches all levels of math including calculus, pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, and SAT/Human activity math prep. Daron holds a BA from the Academy of California, Berkeley and a math teaching credential from St. Mary's College.

  

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  Adept Answer

  

  Support wikiHow by unlocking this proficient answer.

  Yous shouldn't ever be looking for the like shooting fish in a barrel style out! Solid notes should be thorough, but like shooting fish in a barrel to scan. You don't need to write downwards every unmarried affair y'all hear, simply you do need to be able to comprehend what's driving the numbers to alter in whatever concept you're studying. Information technology'southward all almost finding that residual.

• Question

  How practice y'all take practiced notes fast?

  

  Daron Cam is an Academic Tutor and the Founder of Bay Expanse Tutors, Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area-based tutoring service that provides tutoring in mathematics, science, and overall academic confidence building. Daron has over eight years of teaching math in classrooms and over nine years of one-on-ane tutoring experience. He teaches all levels of math including calculus, pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, and Sat/ACT math prep. Daron holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley and a math educational activity credential from St. Mary's College.

  

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• Question

  How do I take notes from a textbook?

  

  Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Banana Professor of English at Austin Customs College in Texas. He received his PhD in English language Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014.

  

  English Professor

  Practiced Reply

• Question

  Can nosotros utilize the Cornell Method? If so, tin can you explain information technology?

  

  Christopher Taylor is an Offshoot Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English language Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014.

  

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  Adept Respond

• Question

  When is a good time to start taking notes?

  

  Someday your teacher is pedagogy the class about something. Even more than so if he/she says that something is very important or is going to be on a examination.

• Question

  Do I accept to write the notes that the instructor has on the lath, or should I simply put information technology on my ain words?

  

  It really does not thing unless the instructor wants item words to exist used on the test/exam. It'due south most of import to have notes you lot will empathise.

• Question

  Should I take notes even if I don't have an test coming up for a while?

  

  Yes. Studying beforehand is good, as you'll be more prepared when you lot practise accept an exam.

• Question

  What is a proficient note taking strategy?

  

  The all-time thing to do is bullet indicate your notes. You can jot them downward faster and easier.

• Question

  My teacher talks really fast and I can't go along up with her. Recorders are not allowed. What can I exercise?

  

  Larn shorthand or develop your ain organization of shorthand. Also, go into the habit of not copying down what she says so much as your understanding of what has been said. That has 2 benefits -- one is that you can write fewe but more than meaningful notes and the other is that past turning what you lot empathise about what has been said into note class, you're learning improve and will be more likely to both remember and understand the material in greater depth.

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• Heed accurately your teacher and utilise colourful highlighters to brand them more organized.

• If the speaker repeats something more twice, then it's probably of import and worth paying attention to.

• Keep your subjects dissever. Having lots of stuff in 1 folder/folder/notebook is messy and confusing.

• Label your notes in either bullets or numbers. Create a title for your notes so you know where it is kept and it is well organized for whenever you need to study them for an upcoming test.

• If you are reading a volume for an English language literature grade, make certain you have a pack of Post-It notes at mitt, since you may not be allowed to write in the actual book.

• When you take notes, underline keywords that might announced on your test.

• Write down what the speaker is saying merely with different wording, information technology helps get the actual idea into your mind.

• Brand certain to accept a separate notebook or folio for each of your subjects, and recall to label.

• Recall, notes are for making your textbook easier to read and then you don't have to read the whole textbook. Don't write every sentence word-to-word otherwise you lot won't acquire anything.

• After reviewing your notes, find quizzes online or take someone at abode write questions nigh the topic. If you can't answer questions about the field of study with your notes, you lot might need to write ameliorate notes next time.

• If the school allows it, different brightly-colored highlighters can be used. That way, when you see the colors, you will want to take a wait at it. However, do not highlight everything!

• Use colorful pens to accept organized and clean notes. Try to comprise dissimilar colors, not merely 1 color.

• Blazon your notes during course. And so at home write them.

• You tin can even record your classroom lectures using various apps, if your school/college allows it.

• Use software, such as Evernote or Microsoft Office OneNote, to arrange notes.

• Exist certain to have several pencils and/or pens, in case the pencil breaks or becomes besides short, or the pen clogs or dries upward.

• Make two to iii-page notes in one day or as per the requirement―add these into your main file.

• If yous have an open-note test, use your notes wisely. Try non to use them unless you really need them.

• Although computers brand it easier to accept notes, try to write downward your notes. Studies take proved that paw-writing notes helps in effective recollection (not to mention, it improves your writing speed also).

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• Enquire your teacher/ professor before yous utilise a recording device.

• Don't exist distracted by people who are not the speaker.

• Have a separate sheet or bring sticky notes for asides, and (optionally) number what yous wrote down on both sheets, marker what corresponds to what.

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Things Yous'll Demand

• At least two pens or pencils
• An eraser, for pencils that exercise not have erasers attached.
• Glasses or other aids
• Plenty of paper
• Highlighters (at least ii colors) or colored pens
• At least one pack of different colored sticky notes.
• A binder or folder to organize your notes (continue it neat).

About This Article

Article Summary X

To take amend notes, listen actively and focus on writing down new information instead of noting everything your teacher says. You tin can also use shorthand and abbreviations to assistance y'all write efficiently so you lot don't fall backside. Additionally, concentrating on primal words and concepts similar dates, names, theories, and definitions tin assistance you take more productive notes. Finally, don't forget to bear witness up prepared with a writing utensil and something to write on! To learn more virtually color coding your notes and how to review them, read on!

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