How to take notes and summarize them effectively

This is a comprehensive guide of note-taking and how you could improve your studying skills. <br><br>**Why You Should Take Notes**<br><br>When you are preparing for your exams, you’re also learning; you have to read your textbooks, listen to your professors, and learn new things. Since students are human, we cannot memorize everything we read, listen to. Thus, we need to find a way to make sure we don't forget all the crucial details. That’s why we need to take notes. In short, taking notes is crucial if you want to retain information, and study effectively. <br><br><br>**How To Take Notes**<br><br>**1. The Cornell Note-taking System**<br><br>The Cornell note-taking system is great for keeping all your notes organized. All you have to do is draw a vertical line anywhere on your notebook, so it separates it into 3 different sections. These sections are: <br><br>- What you need to write down your notes. <br>- What you need to summarize them. <br>- Extra space for making flashcards. <br><br>**2. The Outline Note-taking System (Mind Mapping)**<br><br>The outline note-taking system involves writing down the main ideas on top of your page, and then all you have to do is branch them out into smaller ideas. It isn’t the most practical method of note-taking, but it helps when you need to analyze a subject. For example, if you need to analyze an essay written by a famous playwright, you could use mind mapping. It helps to keep your notes clean, and all of the ideas organized. <br><br><br>**3. Charting Method**<br><br>The charting method involves creating tables to record information. A good example of this method is comparing different things to one another, and recording the similarities and differences. <br><br><br>**4. Shorthand Method**<br><br>Shorthand involves using symbols to express words. It is useful if you have a lot of work and you need to take notes fast. <br><br>**How To Summarize Your Notes**<br><br>The key to summarizing notes is to record the key points rather than recording everything. Here’s how you can do it: <br><br>1. **Read through your notes.** <br><br>2. **Identify the Key Points.**<br><br>3. **Summarize the Key Points In Your Own Words.** <br><br>That’s it.<br><br>\==============================================<br><br>Happy studying!<br><br>**Nicole**