14 Tips to Make Study Notes

Wants to study effectively? Effective study notes can help you easily understand and learn the topic in less time before the exam. Short study notes play an effective role to attempt a paper. All successful students make their own notes for tests and exam preparation. There are different techniques to prepare perfect study notes for success. Notes are important to score good marks and higher results.

Short study notes are like a summary of the topic including all the main points of the topic with to-the-point definitions. If a textbook’s topic contains 1000 words, you can select only major key points and can make a short compressed topic containing full detail of the topic which is in the textbook.

You can’t read a full textbook every time you revise. But if you make notes of the outline, you can revise the whole syllabus in very little time. It is a way of smart study that toppers adopt. You should know how toppers study for exams?

Study notes are extremely important for exam preparation. If you want to do your extracurricular activities also, and want to manage your timetable, you should make or arrange notes on every subject. No matter which level of class you have. You can make notes at every stage of the academic session.

Table of Contents

How to Start Making Study Notes?

First of all, decide your method of learning. You may like to study textbooks, video tutorials, internet resources, or with a group of friends. You may have all these resources and like to take benefit from all possible knowledge gain resources.

Secondly, get the course outline and ask for the syllabus and textbooks you are going to study in the current session. After that follow the steps which are discussed below:

Be Simple and Smart

Don’t be complex. Don’t make studying a burden for yourself. In stress, no one can perform outstandingly. So, be open-minded and work smart, not hard.

Don’t Include Unnecessary Content

Filter most important content which is required in the tests and in the exams.

Get Arrange your Material for Notes

Arrange notebook, paper, pen, highlighters in different colors, internet, and laptop if necessary.

Be Attentive and Concentrate on Topic

Remove all distractions and warm up your body for studying. Full attention is key to achieving good results for any task you are going to do.

Read, Watch or Listen Deeply

It is upon you what method you adopt for studying. You can read textbooks, watch information tutorials or listen to the audio. Group study is a listening way of studying.

Understand Topic

You have to understand the topic and the real meaning and purpose of the topic. In this way, you can reach success. You can ask your teacher and can discuss it. It will help you to better understand.

Watch visual examples

A practical example makes a sketch in mind to memorize and understand the topic.

14 Tips to Make Good Study Notes for Exams

1. Write in Your Own Wording

The first rule for making notes is to write them in your own wording so that you can understand them better. Adopt your own style of writing.

2. Mark the Problems you Stuck with

Mark the points which you don’t understand and feel difficult. You need to give it extra time to solve and memorize it.

After the solution, you can write it in your notes.

3. Ask the Questions and Solve the Problems

Ask questions to teachers, friends or search on Google, this is important to clarify the topic formulas and other definitions.

4. Organize Well, Use Proper Division, Neat and Clean

Well, organizing is a skill also, organizing well helps to revise the topic rapidly. You can find specific terms and definitions quickly.

Don’t Save Paper, give proper spaces, mark bullets and numbering, make diagrams, tables, and others you feel necessary to make, and read it neat and clean. Use quality paper for notes.

5. Give Headings and Sub Headings

Use Headings and Sub Headings according to the subject, topic, and description.

It will make it easy to read the notes later. Headings sketch a good view in the mind to revise and remind it.

6. Mark Key Points

On the notes, you can also mark important points and questions.

When you feel a point is very important, mark it immediately. It will help you to focus when reading it later.

7. Underline and Highlight

Underlining and highlighting with different colors make notes interesting and beautiful to read and understand.

8. Give Proper Ordering, Numbering, and Bullets

Arrange the key points in sequence and number them. Order by hierarchy and importance of the topic.

9. To the Point | Less content More Info

Notes are for more information but less in content. You should write only the main required points. Write to the point. No extra example. No unnecessary date even a single statement.

10. Give Proper Examples

For better understanding, you can give a short example.

11. Make Diagrams and Tables (if needed)

If your notes are on science topics, use a proper diagram for visual information.

12. Use Different Colors and Symbols

Use multiple colors of pen and highlighter.

This is a trick that helps our visual presentation. Colors make the visual things interesting and more understandable.

13. Write Summary or Conclusion

In the end, you can give write a conclusion or summary if needed according to the subject and topic.

14. Subject wise and Unit wise

Your notes should be separate according to the subject. Sometimes, it requires making notes according to the unit of the book.

Benefits of Note-taking

Saves time and energy
Easy to read and understand
Easy to prepare
A method according to your understanding
Helps you to present in class or in exam
Helps in revision
Improves your writing skills
Develops your confidence
You have the copyright to publish

Short notes can help you and others who read your notes. You can also take notes from your friends, and seniors or can buy from a book store.

Sources to Make Study Notes

These are the ways a student can prepare good and effective study notes. Let’s discuss it in short detail:

Notes from Class Lectures

It is the best way to make your notes while you are attending a class lecture. You should write down the topic and ask questions if there are, on daily basis. You can write after the class or at home but on daily basis. In this way, you will not face any difficulty to rememorize the whole topic.

Notes from syllabus textbooks

You may have textbooks on the subject. You can read the topic for which you are going to make notes, copy important points from the textbook and embed them into your notes.

This is an effective way of making notes exactly according to the syllabus written in the course books.

Notes from Internet Resources

If you have a course outline or know the daily topics which were delivered in the class, you can go online and can watch video tutorials on YouTube and from other educational websites. There are free and paid courses available online.

You can also search note templates and samples for a specific topic.

Notes from Group Studying

Another way of learning is group studying. While studying in a group you can also make study notes with the help of a friend’s discussion. This is the most effective way of making notes during the group discussion.

There will be multiple minds available for one problem. There will be multiple ideas and strategies for note designing.

Where to Make Study Notes (Tools)?

On a paper or register
On mobile, laptop applications
Online websites are available to design perfect notes

Keep Reading: 8 Tips to Make Study Timetable – [STUDY PLANNER]

14 Tips to Make Study Notes for Exams – [New Methods]