Watch Out for Signpost Words to Take Notes More Efficiently In Class

Mihir Patkar

Writing down everything your teacher says isn't an efficient way to take notes in class, and nor is it going to help you understand the subject. Plus, it's bound to overwhelm you when you actually want to study. The folks at Howcast suggest four short tips that will make note-taking more efficient as well as rewarding.

1) Copy the board and slides. Jot down whatever the teacher writes on the board or shows on a projector. Not only is it important, but studies show it's twice as likely to appear in a test.

2) Watch out for 'Signpost Words'. Some examples are "Remember", "First", "The most important thing is", and "Finally". What comes next is probably important, so write it down.

3) Invent your own shorthand. These notes are for you, so whatever words you find yourself writing often, shorten them to take notes faster. For example, use 'w' for 'with' or 'wd' for 'would'.

4) Rewrite your notes after class. This improves retention by up to 80%.
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