How to Know If You're Taking Bad Notes

By Brittany Loeffler on December 9, 2017

Note-taking is an essential skill that college students must learn within their first semester in school. Chances are that you will have at least one lecture throughout your college career and the most helpful resource to pass the class is by taking notes.

As you attend the first quarter of the semester’s classes you may think you are an expert at taking notes, until you go to study for your midterm and realize you don’t know what you took notes on. Before you let it get that far, review your notes after a couple of weeks and look for some signs of bad note-taking.

via Pixabay

Disorganized

As you sit down to study for your upcoming exam, do you find yourself scrounging around to collect your notes? Maybe there are loose, crumpled papers and multiple notebooks covering your desk as you try to locate a certain set of notes. It probably takes you more time to find where all of your notes are than to actually read through them!

Stay organized from the beginning of the semester. Have one notebook designated to each class where you will take your notes. If you decide to use a computer, create a separate folder and one single document to take all of your notes.

Chaotic Writing

If you pull out a set of notes and can’t seem to decipher what you wrote down, you are taking bad notes. It can be difficult to keep your writing organized, especially if your professor is one to go off on tangents and can’t seem to stay on one topic. Try your best to keep your notes organized on the page and keep it clean.

Use the lines provided on the page by leaving spaces between different topics. Make lists using bullet points or numbers to help you keep organized on the page too.

Full Sentences

It may seem like you are taking great notes if you are writing down what your professor says word for word, but in fact, it is a sign that you are taking bad notes. Notes are supposed to be jotted down and written in short sentences, single words, and sometimes just symbols. In order to really pay attention to what the professor is lecturing about, don’t record what they are saying because you will be too hung up on getting every word down.

Instead, make lists or short sentences in your notes. Use arrows, math symbols, or diagrams to help you jot down important information during a lecture.

via Pixabay

You Don’t Pay Attention

When you go to class unprepared and not ready to pay attention and learn, you probably are not taking the best notes. When you sit through a lecture and play on your phone, browse the web on your computer, or doodle in a notebook, you are missing out on key information that your professor will probably include on an exam.

Come to class excited to learn! Or at least come to class ready to pay attention and take serious notes. Don’t forget your coffee!

Wrong Note-Taking Form

This bad note-taking habit may take a while to break as you try to find the best form of note-taking for you. This is all about trial and error. If you find that you are unable to keep up with the professor during their lecture while writing your notes by hand, try typing up your notes instead. If you find that you cannot retain the information when you type your notes, try to switch to hand writing.

If you really want to go the extra mile to make sure you don’t miss any information, type your notes during class and then hand write them at home to make sure you retain all of the information.

Only Taking Notes During Class

Taking notes is not just for when you are inside the classroom. You should be taking notes on readings and assignments while you are doing homework too. Most of the time, your professor will only cover key concepts and important items during their lecture. That means that there is still more to learn on your own while you study, research, and read through your textbook.

As you read through your textbook, make an outline or summary of what you have studied and compare it to the notes you have taken in class.

Dateless Notes

This may seem like a minute detail, but dating your notes will help to keep you impeccably organized. When you put a date at the top of your notes, you can determine at what point of the semester you took them and what chapter you were studying. It’s a simple habit to get into and will help you greatly in the long run.

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