If you want to be a good note-taker, you must be a good listener! Recognizing key ideas allows you to understand and organize the material. You need to write down the main facts and also make note of what the professor emphasizes as well. Notes from class are usually the clearest and greatest indicator of what the student should expect in the test.



By taking notes during class, the student has their attention focused on the teacher which helps them to have better concentration, understanding and retention of the material. The student becomes an active participant in the class rather than an uninterested listener of daydreamer. The student remains present in the class by listening and taking notes.

In taking notes, the student sorts out the pertinent information and by creating notes, the student begins the actual learning process and is actually making the spoken material his own. These notes then become an aid in studying and help in the reviewing process before a test. Taking notes also leads to longer-term learning.

Do you want to make note-taking easier? Then you need to attend class regularly and be on time. It is essential that you keep up on the reading assignments or will you will be lost when it comes time for the lecture. Make sure that your note-taking materials are organized before class and come prepared mentally.

How important is it that you rewrite your notes later? If you want your notes to be useful, they must be arranged in a logical way so that you can understand and use them. They must also be legible and complete. By using the rewriting process you can reformat them, reword your notes and make sure they are complete all at the same time.

When you rewrite your notes, take the time necessary to put the notes into your own words so that you understand them later. Review and rewrite your notes as quickly as possible after class. While you are waiting for your next class to begin, you could take that time to review your notes from the previous time. Familiarize yourself for the imminent lecture. In this way, you will be able to take more complete and appropriate notes.

Review the week's notes at the end and beginning of each week. Begin preparing for the upcoming test by spending fifteen to twenty minutes each day throughout the time period assigned for that unit reviewing the relevant material.

Numerous studies have shown that one's recall increases right after a learning period, such as a lecture, and then declines rapidly until after about twenty-four hours recall has diminished by around eighty percent. Nevertheless, the decrease in recall can be dramatically reduced if one reinforces the learning by a short review within one hour.

What is the best single way to prepare for a test? Studies have shown that recitation is the best way to prepare for a test. Summarizing the material and hearing your own voice will greatly reinforce your mental image of the subject as well as quizzing yourself in your own voice. Most students think that rereading chapters is the best way to study for tests. Right? More studies have shown that spending your time with the recitation of your notes can be more profitable than rereading the chapters!