Published 29 Aug 2018

Take Note: These Are The 5 Best Note Taking Methods Guaranteed to Work

by Claudia Reiners

So it’s time for exam revision, and you look back upon the pages upon pages of lecture notes that hold the answers to your questions, only to find a mess of handwriting smooshed together on an unorderly page.

Despite it being an important part of learning and studying, we often don’t think about our notes and the methods of recording information that we use enough, especially during a fast-paced lesson were all you can really think about is just copying everything down in time.

Luckily for you, we have compiled the top five best note-taking strategies, guaranteed to help you get down accurate notes on all your course and lecture content.

Cornell Method

The Cornell system is a note-taking system, shown to be one of the most effective note-taking methods. To use the Cornell method, separate a single page into two sections, a margin sized section on the left and a larger section on the right.

Throughout the class, write important information in the right hand section of your page in dotpoints
Summarise your information on the right, in small key points in the margin on the left
After the class, rule a line beneath your notes, and summarise what happened in the lecture, and reflect on questions you still have

Online Note Taking

With an abundance of apps and programs created for the purpose of improving one’s academic organisation and skills, one doesn’t need to have impeccable study skills and note-taking techniques. Here are a few apps to help you with your note taking and organisation.

Evernote

Capture your main ideas and sync them across all your devices
Collaborate with your colleagues, friends and family on projects
Take detailed notes and leave reminders

Goodnotes

write like on real paper
search through your study notes with keywords

Mapping Method

Mind mapping is great for visual learners, though they will likely not be as efficient at capturing your notes in such detail as a more Cornell like system. However, if you have been trying to use such methods, but they haven’t been working for you, then a different note-taking strategy might be best for you.

Use the mapping method when
When you have a long lecture on a topic, that will span over many subtopics
When your lecture is set in a format that is easier to make dot points out of
Lectures that aren’t very fast paced, so you have time to properly sort out your thoughts

How to make a mindmap

To create a mind map, take a larger piece of paper and write your topic in the middle of it. From there, branch off from the main topic, and write subtopics around it. During the lecture, listen for important ideas, and list them under the subtopic you think it is most suited to. If there is a point that you think deserves a more specific subtopic, then branch of even further.

Charting Method

Create Columns
Before the lecture, draw columns on your note taking paper, and give each column a header. For example, if you know your lecture is going to involve people from history, facts and dates, you’d label columns ‘name’, ‘date’, ‘extra information’.
Take notes during lecture
Throughout the lecture, create brief dot points of information in your columns under the header that suits the information. For example put dates under dates, and names of people under people. Easy!
After the Class/Lecture
If you find your notes that you have taken under your columns messy or unsatisfactory, redraft them in a way you would like.
When to use this method
This method will work best during lectures in classes in which you already know what is going to be talked about, and when you already have a general understanding of the content that will be covered.

Colouring your notes

Studies show that colouring your notes stimulates the brain and can help you remember by associating ideas with colours, a technique especially useful for visual learners. Not only that, but colouring makes it easier to distinguish your notes, and pick out key things to notice whilst you are flicking through your notebook.

Tips for colouring your notes
Colour code after your lecture, colour coding during will take up vital time in which you need to have your full attention focused on the lecturer
Choose tools that will make your notes look clean such as highlighters, or multicoloured pens. Using pencils as highlighters will most likely make your notes look messy.
Use a variety of very different colours. For example, you might want to separate your notes and highlight dates, important people and quotes. Your colour selection should consist of colours that are very distinguishable, such as yellow, red and blue, instead of colours that could look the same, such as orange pink and red.
Be consistent with your colours. If you decide red is for notes, and blue is for quotes, keep it that way, so theat the notes you make now are still comprehensible in the future.