By Scott Palat

By following these ten steps, you will become a more efficient note taker and this will help improve your overall study skills. With good note taking skills, better grades are just around the corner.

1. If possible, sit near the front and center of the class. You will be

less likely to become distracted and will probably find staying

focused easier.

2. Use a binder instead of a traditional notebook. This way you can

add, rearrange, or rewrite pages of your notes, insert handouts

and assessments in the appropriate chronological order and

review the material covered in the chapter/unit much easier.

3. Put headings and the date on all papers. Organize them

chronologically in your binder.

4. Take notes on loose-leaf paper and keep them organized in a

three-ring binder. Make sure that you hole punch and add all of

the handouts, assignments, quizzes, tests, etc. to your binder. It

usually is best if everything for the entire chapter/unit is kept in

chronological order in your binder.

5. Think about what is being said before you write anything down.

Do not write down everything the teacher says. Pick out

important phrases, terms, and concepts to focus on.

6. Record any examples the teacher may give while lecturing.

Examples are extremely important in creating connections in your

brain and in helping to jog your memory while studying.

7. Look for cues that teachers give to indicate that something is

important. For instance, they may repeat something a few times,

change the volume or tone of their voice, write it on the board or

overhead, and/or creates lists for you. Be sure to ask them to

repeat what they have just said if you miss the initial cue but later

realize that you should be writing the material down.

8. Leave some space between portions of your notes so you can

make additional comments as you study or read the text.

9. Re-write or even re-TYPE your notes. Not only will your notes be

much more organized and make studying easier, but the practice

of re-writing notes gives you another opportunity to think about

the material as you write or type it again. Make sure that you re-

write them in a timely manner. The more time that passes

between taking the original notes and re-writing them, the less

effective this strategy is.

10. Review these notes often. The more times you see them, the

easier it is to commit them to memory and the less time you will

spend studying them prior to the test.

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