Note Taking Quick Tips
Taking notes is the best way to encode information into your brain so you can remember it long term!
Best Note Taking Techniques
Outlining
- Designing your notes in a way that you understand makes review much more efficient.
Predicting Test Questions
- Imagining the types of questions you’ll be tested on is a great way to prepare yourself for the real thing.
Creating Charts and Concept Maps
- Visualization of the content helps to show you the relationships between concepts.
Explaining Information in your own words
- Instead of parroting the information you’ve been given, elaborate on it. Expand on it so it’s not just a fact to remember, rather it’s something you understand linked to other concepts that you understand.
Answering review questions
- Often times the review questions will be great practice for the material on the test, further reinforcing your understanding.
Organizational Strategies to use while taking notes
- Lists are an easy to digest way to organize concepts.
- Ordering helps organize your notes in a way that makes sense to you.
- Grouping reinforces your understand of concepts’ relationships.
- Outlining your notes provides a consistent method to make note review more efficient.
- Mapping is an effective way to visualize related ideas graphically.
- Charting is another graphical way to present your notes in a way that reduces writing and maximizes ease of review.