Note Taking Tips For Midterms

Cornell Method

With the Cornell Method, your paper is divided into three sections: the note taking area, cue column, and summaries. In the note taking area, you should record as much as you can from the lecture. After the lecture, the cue column can be filled with important questions and key word or phrases. The summaries section should condense the entire page into one to two sentences.

Positives:

-Great for studying

-Can be done while listening to a lecture

-Has all the information plus the main ideas

Negatives:

-Time consuming

Mind Mapping

This technique is a great way to help visual learners organize their lecture information. The colors and images help with memorization and break down complicated topics into short blurbs. Mind mapping varies with everyone. Most of the time, the overarching subject or theme is placed in the middle and the subsections stem from it like branches of a tree.

Positives:

-Helps with memorization

-Makes studying fun

Negatives:

-Time consuming.

-Usually has to be done in addition to regular notes

-Can be difficult to look back on

-Won’t make sense unless you know the information

Flashcards

Flashcards are a great tool to study vocabulary for all classes. Here are some tips to make sure your flashcards are stylish and effective.

Put them on a ring

-This helps keep them together and makes travelling easier

Add some pictures

-Including relevant pictures can help you memorize the information on the card

-Associations between images and subjects improves comprehension

One question, one answer

-Be sure you don’t overload your cards

-Asking more than one question or putting various answers on the card will result in important information getting forgotten