Note-taking has several values. It forces you to make final decisions about what is important. It gives you a chance to review and to think carefully about material that you did not understand the first time. It is a first step toward helping you remember the material.

How to Take Textbook Notes

Any of the methods described will help you take effective notes.

Method 1 – Pick out key words on each page that will help you recall the main ideas. Then write the key words in the top margin. Turn the key words into questions to test yourself on the material.

Method 2 – Make up brief study notes on sheets of paper. Keep the following hints in mind when taking study notes:

1. Write clearly.

2. Leave space in the left-hand or top margin so you can write down key words. You can use these key words to test yourself on the notes. For example, if you write in your notes the definition of rumor, you would put the key word rumor in the margin. Then, while covering your notes and exposing only the key word, you would try to recite the definition from memory.

3. As a general rule, follow the author's order of headings when you take notes.

A Review: How to Study Your Notes

After you have read, marked, and taken notes on your assignment, you are ready to learn the material thoroughly. Study your notes in sections. If you wrote key terms in the margin of your text, use them to test yourself. If you prepared study notes, memorize them. When you have mastered one section, go onto the next section and use the same technique of reciting the material to yourself. Remember: Repeated self-testing is the key to effective memorization. Your aim is to reach the point where you can recite all your notes without looking at them. When you can do this, you are unlikely to panic on exams.

Method 3 – Read and take notes at the same time. make page references to same time later if you need to refer to the text again.  Look for clues about what is important (definitions, clarifying examples, basic lists of items, emphasis words, answers to basic questions formed from headings) and write down these points immediately. Skim, passing quickly over secondary material and looking only for important points. This method is helpful when you are caught in a cram study situation.

Method 4 – Take notes in the form of questions and answers. For example, if the first heading is "The Problem of World Food Supply," write "What is protein deficiency?" and answer the question. Also include answers to questions that may be asked at the end of a textbook chapter.

This questioning technique helps you concentrate on the material and avoid passive reading. Also, it may help you predict many of the questions that are likely to come up on exams.

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