The list
What are the note taking methods?
Five note taking methods are in common use. The table shows what each one is good for and how its page looks.
| Method | Good for | How the page looks |
|---|---|---|
| Outline | A class that follows a clear order. | Main points at the left edge, details moved in under them. |
| Cornell notes | Anything you will be tested on. | Notes on the right, questions on the left, a summary at the bottom. |
| Mind map | Ideas that link to each other. | The topic in the middle, with a line out to each idea. |
| Chart | Things you compare, like dates or types. | A table with a column for each thing you want to know. |
| Sentence method | A fast class with a lot of facts. | A new line for every point, numbered as you go. |
Each one, drawn
How does each note taking method look on the page?
Each note taking method is drawn below with the same class, a science lesson on the water cycle, so you can compare them.
Outline
In an outline, each main point starts at the left edge of the page. Each detail goes on its own line under it, moved a little to the right. An outline is hard to keep up when the teacher talks fast.
The water cycle
- Evaporation
- Sun heats seas and lakes
- Water rises as vapor
- Condensation
- Vapor cools high up
- Drops form clouds
- Precipitation
- Drops get heavy
- Rain or snow falls
Cornell notes
Cornell notes split the page into three areas: notes on the right, questions on the left, and a summary at the bottom. Later you cover the notes and answer the questions. The page on Cornell notes has the steps and a sheet to print.
- What starts the cycle?
- Sun heats the sea. Water rises as vapor.
- How do clouds form?
- Vapor cools high up and turns into drops.
Summary
Water moves from sea to air to land, and back.
Mind map
In a mind map, the topic goes in the middle of the page. Each main idea gets a line out from the middle, and smaller points branch off it. One look shows how the ideas link.
The water cycle
- Evaporationsun, vapor rises
- Condensationcools, clouds
- Collectionrivers, the sea
- Precipitationrain, snow
Chart
For a chart, you draw columns before class and write a heading on each one. As you listen, you put each fact in its column. A chart works when you know the headings before you start.
| Stage | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Evaporation | Water turns to vapor | Seas and lakes |
| Condensation | Vapor turns to drops | High in the air |
| Precipitation | Drops fall as rain or snow | Onto land and sea |
Sentence method
In the sentence method, you write every new point on a new line and number the lines. It keeps pace with a fast teacher. Mark the big points after class, because the page does not show them.
- Water moves between sea, air and land.
- Sun heats the sea, and water rises as vapor.
- Vapor cools high up and forms clouds.
- Drops get heavy and fall as rain or snow.
Try it
Which note taking method should you use?
The note taking method to use depends on the class or the reading. Answer two questions, and the picker names one.
Try this one
Outline
Main points at the left edge, details moved in under them.
- How to start
- Write the first main point at the left edge of the page. Put each detail on its own line under it, moved in a little.
- For what you picked
- Start a new main point each time the teacher moves to a new part.
This is a suggestion. Pick again if it does not suit you. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
No method is right for every class, so you can mix them. The picker follows two university study guides (one from Tennessee, one from North Carolina).
How to do it
How to take notes
To take notes well, write less than you think you need, and go back to the page soon. These four steps work with any method (a university study guide).
- Write the class and the date at the top. Then you can find the page again.
- Write the main points, not every word. If you try to catch every word, you fall behind.
- Use short phrases, and leave a gap when you miss something. Fill it in later from the book or a classmate.
- Go back to the page within a day or two. Fill in what is missing. Then close the notebook and say the main points from memory, which is called active recall.
For notes from a book, see how to annotate a book. For exam time, see how to study effectively.
What studies found
Is it better to take notes by hand or on a laptop?
Notes taken by hand may not work better than typed notes. The studies do not agree. One well-known experiment found that writing by hand was better. Two repeats of it found little or no difference.
First, writing by hand came out ahead.
In the first experiment, students watched a recorded talk. Some took notes by hand, and some typed on a laptop. Then they all took a quiz. On questions about ideas, the group that wrote by hand scored higher (Mueller and Oppenheimer, 2014).
Then two repeats found little or no difference.
In one repeat, students who wrote by hand did a little better, but the gap was so small that it could be chance. Students who took no notes at all scored about the same (Morehead and colleagues, 2019). In the other repeat, both groups scored about the same. That team also put eight such experiments together, and the difference came out close to zero (Urry and colleagues, 2021).
So use the one you will keep using.
Paper is easy to draw on. A laptop is faster, and typed notes are easy to search (the University of North Carolina’s study guide). The experiments mostly used short recorded talks, so they say little about a whole term of real classes.
The test
How do you know your note taking is working?
The test
You went back to your notes within a day of each class
for two weeks in a row.
It is easy to take good notes and never open them again.
A good way to check is to have your study time counted from what you write or say about your day. Most journaling apps only ask how your day felt. They do not show the hours that went to your notes.
One app built for this is Think in Numbers, a smart journaling app with time tracking built in.
You write or say your day in your own words, as it happens or all at once. The app reads what you wrote and counts the hours that went to each part of it: your classes, your study, sleep, your phone, and the time you never mentioned (shown as unaccounted). Then it shows those hours over days and weeks. So you can see on which days you went over your notes, and for how long. Make going over your notes a daily habit, with a reminder after class if you want one. When your day shows you did it, the app ticks it off.
1. You write your day
2. It counts the hours
- Notes0m
- Classes0m
- Sleep0m
- Unaccounted24h
3. It shows your week
Notes this week: 0m
On 6 of 7 days. The gap is the day without it.
An example day and week.
For iPhone and Android. Try it on your own day before you pay.
Sources
Where the methods and the findings come from.
Every method and finding on this page links to a source below. We read the two guides and the newest paper in full, and the two older papers as summaries.
- Center for Academic Support and Advisement, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (read ). Common Note-taking Methods.
- The Learning Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (read ). Effective Note-Taking in Class.
- Mueller, P. A. and Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159 to 1168.
- Morehead, K., Dunlosky, J. and Rawson, K. A. (2019). How Much Mightier Is the Pen than the Keyboard for Note-Taking? A Replication and Extension of Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014). Educational Psychology Review, 31(3), 753 to 780.
- Urry, H. L., Crittle, C. S., Floerke, V. A., Leonard, M. Z., Perry, C. S. and others (2021). Don’t Ditch the Laptop Just Yet: A Direct Replication of Mueller and Oppenheimer’s (2014) Study 1 Plus Mini Meta-Analyses Across Similar Studies. Psychological Science, 32(3), 326 to 339.
Keep reading.
- LearnAnswers about sleep, habits, study, people and work, in hours.
- Cornell notesA page split into notes, questions and a summary: drawn, filled in, and ready to print or type into.
- How to study effectivelyThe methods with the strongest evidence, and a study planner.
- Active recallRecalling instead of rereading: the evidence, and a schedule.
- Where did my week go? calculatorEnter a typical day and see your week accounted and unaccounted.
- Time journalingThe method: write or say your day in your own words, then see it as hours.
Questions
Questions people ask.
What are the 5 methods of note taking?
Five common note taking methods are the outline, Cornell notes, the mind map, the chart and the sentence method. Each one lays out the page in a different way.
How do you take notes in class?
Write the main points in short phrases, not every word. Leave a gap when you miss something, and go back to the page within a day or two to fill it in.
Should I take notes on paper or on a laptop?
Use the one you will keep using. One experiment found that writing by hand worked better, but repeats of it found little or no difference.
How do I keep track of how often I go over my notes?
A tick on a calendar each day you go over your notes is enough. If you want an app, look for one that counts your study time from what you write about your day. One app built for this is Think in Numbers, a smart journaling app with time tracking built in. Think in Numbers counts the hours you spent on your notes from what you type or say about your day. In the app, going over your notes can be a habit with a streak, ticked off from what you write.
Try it on my day.
Write today down in your own words, and see where the hours went.
For iPhone and Android. Try it on your own day before you pay.