Study Tip: How to Take Better Notes

Sep 30, 2019 by Yolanda Fontanez-Coleman | Note Taking Techniques, Study Tips

It’s All in the Notes!

Pupils Studying At Desks In Classroom Smiling At Camera

Taking good notes can make a huge impact on your studying. Effective note-taking impacts how you retain, remember, and recall information.

How well do you take notes? Do you take good class notes? Do you prefer to jot down words or do you scramble trying to write down everything the teacher is saying?

When taking classroom notes, keep the following tips in mind.

1. Make Sure Your Notes Are Accurate:

When writing classroom notes, make sure you write down the most important information. You will need to be alert and focused in class! (This is key to good note-taking skills!) Write down the main points of the lesson. Make certain that the notes you are writing are accurate. Do not change into your own words as you may change the context of the lesson.

2. Leave Spacing and Indentations:

When writing notes, leave some space in the margins or skip lines. Allowing extra space will give you the space to go back and fill in any information that you may have missed. This also allows you the space to include any extra information that you learn after the class. This extra information may be from other resources when you study.

3. Use Symbols and Abbreviations:

Implementing symbols and abbreviations are a great way to shorten notes while keeping the information accurate. This also allows you to write quickly so you do not miss any vital information. Here are some symbols and abbreviations that are commonly used when note taking.

&          and

b/4       before

ref.        reference

w/         with

>           greater than

<           less than

i.e.,        that is

vs.         as opposed to, versus

etc.       et cetera

Q.        question

w/o      without

Select the note-taking tip that works best for your personality. Once you choose the note-taking method that fits your learning style, be consistent. Do you have another note-taking strategy that you like to use? Leave a comment and tell us your favorite tip!

If you could use some more help with improving your note-taking skills, learn more about our study skills tutoring services.

Happy Learning!