A simple structure. Active review. Notes that become memory.
Good notes are the first round of thinking — not copying every word. Capture briefly, process deliberately.
Heading with date and topic. Main area for key points in your own words. A questions section. A short summary at the bottom.
Write the idea and one short example, then move on. Missed something? Leave a gap and a question mark — don't chase it.
Read the page once, fill the gaps, write the summary if you skipped it. Ten active minutes beats an hour of rereading later.
Cover the main notes and try to answer your own margin questions from memory. That struggle is what makes it stick.
A page of verbatim copying feels productive — but you remember almost nothing a week later. Write it in your own words.
Summarise each section aloud before writing. Turn your best questions into flashcards. Revisit them on a spacing rhythm.
Before exams, your summaries and questions are ready-made revision. Build them daily, and the final weeks get easy.
The full note structure, the lecture technique, and how to turn notes into memory — step by step.