7 Effective Study Notes Techniques to Try This Year 2023

Is your study method causing a lot of stress because you are unable to retain vast information?  Cramming in the last hours does not work. It is imperative to develop effective techniques to make productive study notes that help you memorize and retain important information.

Get rid of inconsistent study patterns and enter the New Year with an effective strategy to study for exams.

Take notes in good handwriting so that it is easy to decipher what you’re writing later on. Write as neatly as possible so that you do not have to waste extra time decoding later. LectureNotes provides free study materials online and study notes that are well structured for exam preparation.

7 Effective Study Notes Techniques include

1. Use phrases instead of full sentences to make study notes

Simply focus and note down only the keywords. These will enable you to understand the main point of the concepts.  You can skip words such as “or, the, “a”. Concentrate on the main idea and do not your interpretation of the lecture content.  Adhere to key technical aspects and mention specific terms clearly.

2. Make study notes in your own words

Paraphrase and summarize in your own words what you hear. This will help you to understand when you review the study notes  Also you will have the advantage of memorizing it quickly when you study for exams. Try to rephrase everything except where key concepts need to be noted precisely.

3. Write notes with headings, subheadings, and numbered lists.

It is important to adopt a clear strategy to signify the configuration of the entire information imparted during the lecture.  Make headings to specify main topic areas. You can make subheadings that include details of the main concepts or information. Use outline form or a numbering system and indenting that will eventually help you to differentiate between major and minor points.

4. Use colors to highlight key concepts in study notes

Developing a  specific colour Code in advance for your student notes is extremely helpful for example Use one color to highlight the major sections and the main points. Sketch diagrams with a black marker. You can also use different colors such as red or green to categorize and link important concepts or information. For different topics use different colors.

Color coding requires concentration and also consumes more time, So, do not pay attention to only color coding when you’re in the lecture. Thus, it is important to do colour coding, highlighting, and underlining when you review the notes after the lecture.

5. Use symbols to highlight key concepts in study notes

Symbols are essential for note-taking in lectures especially when you need to do it fast.  Mark important concepts with a star, or circle. Symbols such as % can be used to denote percentages or =  or <  or > or equals to or less than or more than. You can speedily underline, or make a  circle, star, etc. to identify key information,  definitions, or other important concepts. In case you are unable to note something, write keywords, then skip a few spaces, and fill in the information later.

6. Use abbreviations to make study notes efficiently

Frequently use abbreviations for words or phrases or names for note-taking in lectures when speed is crucial.  However, it is important to be consistent so that you do not forget what they stand for and can use them conveniently. For example, info means information, i.e means that is, n.b means important, and many more.

Keep a ‘key list’ of frequently used abbreviations and their meanings so that you can refer to them in the future. You can even shorten any word that is commonly used in your lectures for eg.  Nec = necessary Gov = government, Laser = Light Amplification by Stimulation Emission of Radiation etc. You can even devise your personal abbreviations

7. Make use of diagrams or concept maps to make study notes quickly

• Concepts can also be noted effectively using a concept map or a diagram.
• Draw diagrams or pictures for important concepts that are difficult to note quickly.
• Make Concept maps in the middle of the page and allow plenty of space for adding ideas on spread-out lines that exude from the central idea.
• Arrows can also be used to illustrate the links between important ideas

The aforesaid Effective Study Notes Techniques will help you to make productive notes and must be tried in the Year 2023.  It is essential to review your student notes occasionally to keep the content fresh in your mind and not just during exams.

You can even access study material from the website of LectureNotes. The student notes on varied subjects are well structured by experts. They are helpful when you make notes to study for exams.