If you haven’t already, check out “How to take good lecture notes! Part 1: Getting ready!” post to learn the first 4 steps to setting yourself up to take great notes.
Once you’ve decided the method you’d like to take notes (paper or digital), gathered any supplies you need and got yourself organized, it’s time to take notes! Continuing from the first 4 steps in the previous blog “How to take good notes! Part 1: Getting ready!” let’s dive into the next steps to taking notes in lectures!
Step 5: Write down the essentials
As your professor starts talking, it can be tempting to write down every word they say, but try to resist that urge. Instead, focus on listening, and jot down only the most important concepts. A good rule of thumb is that you should only spend around 10 to 20% of your time writing notes during lectures; the other 80 to 90% should be spent actively listening and understanding what your professor is saying.
It can be hard to know exactly what to write down, but generally you should take note of any key definitions, main concepts, or important theories and ideas. Here are some ways to recognize what you should be writing down:
- Repeated words or concepts
- Items that are highlighted or bolded in your professor’s slides
- Key concepts that your professor says will be tested
- Final remarks containing a summary of the lecturer's main points
- Signal words/phrases like “This is super important because…”, “To sum up…”, or “The key thing to remember here is…”
Step 6: Use your own words
As you write things down, don’t just copy what your professor is saying word-for-word. Instead, do your best to deepen your understanding by summarizing concepts and defining terms in your own words. If you can, use plain language and simple vocabulary, since that will make it easier to understand your notes later on.
Step 7: Keep your notes tidy
While taking notes, be sure to keep things organized so that you can refer to them easily later on. Use bullet points, lists, symbols, tables, graphs, and abbreviations (such as “w/o” for “without”). Don’t be afraid to leave spaces on the page for clarity. If you struggle to organize your notes, feel free to check out this article about different note-taking methods.
Step 8: Ask questions
It’s normal to have questions or feel confused by certain parts of a lecture. After all, your professor is throwing a lot of information at you all at once! However, once the lecture is over, it’s important to go find the answers. Often, professors will stay in the room after class to answer questions, and this is a great time to ask for clarification since the topic is still fresh in your mind. Otherwise, follow up with your professor or TA later in the week during their office hours or if they have a weekly tutorial. If you feel nervous to ask questions, just remember that your professor is there to help. Another great resource is to join a peer study group, and ask your classmates to help clarify ideas.
Step 9: Review, retain, repeat
Great job taking notes during your lecture! Now that you’re done, the best way to retain the information you’ve just learned is to review your notes. Within 24 hours of the lecture, try spending 10 minutes re-reading your notes and thinking about the key concepts from the lecture. Do the same thing a week later, and again two weeks after that, to solidify your long-term memory of the concepts.
This is by no means an exhaustive guide to taking notes in post-secondary - there are so many different note-taking strategies and tips out there! Don’t be afraid to experiment with different techniques to find out what works best for you. Happy note-taking!
