How to Take Lecture Notes Quickly

By Brittany Loeffler on August 30, 2017

We’re only human, which means we cannot write down word for word what our professors say during an hour-long lecture. A common struggle for college students is taking lecture notes because they feel overwhelmed and cannot keep up with their professor. They want to make sure they don’t miss anything important that may be on the test.

It’s a good thing there are some tricks for speed writing and note taking that you can use to ensure you don’t miss out on anything important.

By text from C. R. Needham, written in shorthand by Hubert A. Hagar (John Robert Gregg’s book “Gregg Shorthand”, 1916) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Shorthand

You’ve probably heard your grandparents, and maybe even your parents, talk about having to learn shorthand while in school. Shorthand is made up of symbols that represent words that can be written very quickly, so you can keep up with the lecture. It is an excellent skill to have, especially when taking course notes or even sitting in a meeting.

If you feel so inclined to learn the proper way to write shorthand, there are free courses online that you can take if you have time. If you don’t feel like putting another class into your busy schedule, feel free to make up your own version of shorthand. While you are doing your homework for the class, you can rewrite your notes from shorthand to words.

Abbreviate

Nobody has time to write out full words while taking lecture notes. Use common abbreviations that you can understand. This is your chance to take that texting language we were warned not to do in school and put it to some good use. Some common abbreviations are:

w/ — with

b/w — between

v. — very

def. — definition

diff. — difference

impt – important

s/t — something

vv – extremely

You can also make up your own abbreviations; just make sure that you can understand them when you are looking back over your notes before a big exam.

via Pixabay

Symbols

Not every word needs to be written out in letters. Symbols are a quick and easy way to take lecture notes. Though there are more abbreviations than symbols, you can always make up your own. Some common symbols:

= — equals

à — leads to

< — lesser than

> — greater than

& or + — and

* — special or important

Lists

When taking lecture notes, use the format of lists instead of writing in sentences or straight across the page. This allows you to visually group topics and details together, which can help visual learners remember information when it comes time to take the exam. By creating lists you only have to write down only a few words to make a point.

via Pixabay

Don’t write full sentences

One of the first things people will tell you about taking notes in a lecture is to never write in full sentences. Some students feel the need to write down every single word the professor says, but it’s just not realistic. Omit simple and common words such as the, and, of, in, between, etc. You will still be able to decipher what you wrote when you omit words that really just act as fillers in sentences.

Leave out E’s and U’s

On top of leaving out words, feel free to leave out some letters too. When we read something, our eyes don’t focus on every single letter of a word. Instead, they glance over a word and can tell what it means. The word “lttr” can still be interpreted as “letter” when you look at it quickly. Omitting some vowels and maybe even some consonants can increase your speed when taking notes during a lecture.

via Pixabay

TextExpander

If you choose to take notes on a computer, try to use a program that has a text expander. This can take a little time to set up because you will have to put in the abbreviations you will be using. However, this can save a ton of time when taking lecture notes because you are not only typing but also using abbreviations that will automatically turn into words so you won’t have to go back over your notes to rewrite them.

Move with the professor

Move along with your professor during a lecture. If you are still taking notes on a topic that he has just moved on from, you will fall behind for the rest of the lecture. If you miss something towards the end of a section, you can ask your classmates for their notes after class or go to your professor’s office hours and ask them about it if you are struggling.

Many professors will record their lectures or post transcripts of it online, so make sure to use these resources if available!

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