How to Take Notes in Class: Before, During and After the Lecture

Many students treat lectures as dictation. They try to get down every word, leave with pages of text and discover later that they understood very little. Good note-taking is not transcription. It is a way of staying mentally active during the lecture and producing something worth studying from afterward.

This guide gives you a three-stage routine for class notes: before, during and after.

Before class: five minutes that change everything

You listen better when you know what to listen for. Before each lecture:

1. Check what the lecture covers in the syllabus or on the course page.
2. Skim the assigned reading, just headings, summaries and key terms. You are not studying it, only getting a map.
3. Write two questions you hope the lecture will answer.
4. Review last lecture's summary so today's material connects to it.
5. Set up your page: the date, the course, the topic, and your chosen layout.

Skimming first means that new ideas in the lecture have somewhere to attach. Students who do this often find lectures much easier to follow.

During class: capture the structure

Listen for signals

Lecturers give clues about what matters:

• phrases such as "the key point is" or "there are three reasons";
• repetition of an idea;
• a pause, a change in tone or a slower pace;
• items written on the board;
• a list or sequence, introduced with "first, second, third".

Write down what follows these signals.

Write in your own words

Putting an idea in your own words forces you to understand it. If you cannot, that is useful: mark it with a question mark and move on. Keep sentences short, use keywords, and let the structure show on the page with headings, indents and numbering.

Do not copy the slides

If slides are provided, do not duplicate them. Print or open them beside your notes and add what the lecturer says that is not on the slide: explanations, examples, links between ideas and anything said aloud that the slide does not show. For methods, see our guide to note-taking methods.

Capture examples and questions

An example often makes an abstract idea clear later. Write a short version of each. Also write down questions from the class, from you or others. Questions asked in lectures often point to what will be examined.

Keeping up with a fast lecturer

When the pace is high:

• Abbreviate. Use short forms and symbols: w/ for with, b/c for because, an arrow for leads to, an equals sign for means.
• Write keywords and fragments, not full sentences.
• Leave a gap when you miss something, and keep going. Mark it with a star or question mark.
• Skip what you can look up, such as a definition printed in your book.
• Ask. If the lecturer allows, ask for a repeat of a key point. Others usually want it too.

If you consistently fall behind, tell the instructor or visit office hours. They may share slides or suggest ways to prepare.

Laptops, tablets and paper

Typing is faster, but it makes word-for-word transcription easy, which can leave you with long, shallow notes. Writing by hand is slower, so it pushes you to summarize. Neither is automatically better. If you type, close email and social media, and aim to rephrase. If you write, use a layout that helps you review.

If you use a tablet and stylus, the same rules apply: handwriting for structure and diagrams, with short typed additions when helpful.

After class: the review that makes notes useful

Within 24 hours:

1. Read through your notes and fix anything unclear while you remember.
2. Fill gaps from slides, the textbook or a classmate.
3. Write a summary of two or three sentences at the top or bottom.
4. Turn key points into questions you can test yourself on.
5. Mark anything you did not understand and plan to ask about it.

Our guide to how to review lecture notes walks through a short routine you can use after any class.

Notes in different types of class

• Lecture with slides: annotate the slides, and focus on explanations and examples.
• Lecture without slides: use an outline or Cornell layout, and listen for structure.
• Seminars and discussions: write down arguments, disagreements and the instructor's questions, and record your own contributions.
• Labs: write the procedure, observations and any deviations, as you go, and keep them tidy since you will use them for your report.
• Problem classes: copy the steps of worked problems and note the reasoning at each step.
• Online lectures: pause and rewind when needed, but still take notes actively and do not just watch.

What to do about a missed class

If you miss a lecture, get the slides and the reading, borrow a classmate's notes and compare them with the slides. Do not just copy the notes. Read them, write questions and summarize the material in your own words. Then ask the instructor about anything still unclear.

Staying engaged for a whole lecture

Attention drifts in long lectures, and notes are your best tool against that. Some habits help:

• Sit where you can see and hear well, and away from people who will distract you.
• Ask yourself a question every ten minutes, such as "What is the main point so far?"
• Write a one-line summary of each section as the lecturer moves to the next.
• Predict what comes next from the structure, and note when you are right or wrong.
• Take a mental break at natural pauses, then return to the page.

If your mind wanders, do not scold yourself. Note the point where you drifted, and fill it in afterward.

Marking notes for exams

While reviewing, mark your notes so that exam study is fast:

• put a star next to anything the lecturer said would be examined or stressed more than once;
• circle definitions and formulas you must know;
• underline names, dates and terms in a single color;
• write "Q" beside points you could be asked to explain;
• note links to other lectures with a short cross-reference.

A page marked this way can be reviewed in minutes, and the marks themselves show you what the lecturer thinks matters.

Comparing notes with classmates

Swapping notes with one or two classmates after a lecture catches gaps and different interpretations. Do it carefully:

• compare after you have made your own notes, not instead of them;
• look for what you missed, and what you both found unclear;
• use the differences as questions for office hours;
• avoid copying whole pages, since that skips the thinking that makes notes useful.

A short weekly meeting to compare notes also doubles as a recall session.

Notes for students with extra needs

Some students find standard note-taking hard, and there are good alternatives. If writing and listening at once is difficult, ask your disability services office about note-taker support, recording permission or access to lecture slides in advance. Audio recording with permission, then a structured review afterward, helps many students. If you have dyslexia, ADHD or a similar condition, templates with headings already written, color-coding and speech-to-text for reviewing can make notes far more usable. These supports exist to level the field, and asking early gives your college time to set them up.

Common mistakes

1. Writing everything, and thinking about nothing.
2. Copying slides instead of adding to them.
3. Skipping preparation, so every idea feels new.
4. Never reviewing, which wastes the notes.
5. Choosing neat over useful, with colored pens and no questions.
6. Sitting where you get distracted. A seat near the front helps focus for many students.

The bottom line

Prepare for five minutes, listen for structure, write in your own words, and review within a day. A short, sharp set of notes that you have thought about will serve you far better than a thick pile you never opened again.