There's no single best way to take notes — it depends on the subject, the lesson format, and how you learn best. This cheatsheet covers six proven methods so you can pick the right one for each situation.
1. Cornell Method
Divide your page into three sections: a narrow left column for cues and questions, a wide right column for notes, and a summary section at the bottom.
- Best for: Lectures, textbook reading, revision
- How to review: Cover the right column, use the cues on the left to test yourself
- Why it works: Combines note-taking with built-in self-testing
2. Mind Mapping
Start with a central idea in the middle of the page and branch out with related subtopics, details, and connections. Use colours and simple images to make it visual.
- Best for: Brainstorming, planning essays, topics with many connections
- How to create: Write the main topic in the centre → draw branches for subtopics → add details to each branch → use colours to group related ideas
- Why it works: Mirrors how the brain naturally connects ideas; easy to see the big picture
3. Outlining
Organise your notes in a hierarchical structure using headings, subheadings, and bullet points. Each level of indentation represents more detail.
- Best for: Structured subjects (science, law, history), textbook chapters
- Strengths: Clear hierarchy, easy to scan, good for sequential information
- Weakness: Less useful for subjects with complex relationships between ideas
4. Charting Method
Create a table or grid where each column represents a category and each row represents an item you're comparing. Fill in the cells as you learn.
- Best for: Comparing and contrasting (historical events, scientific elements, literary characters)
- How to use: Draw columns for each attribute you want to compare → add a row for each item → fill in details
- Why it works: Forces you to identify key features and makes differences immediately visible
5. Sentence Method
Write each new piece of information on a separate line as a complete sentence. Number each sentence for reference. Simple and fast.
- Best for: Fast-paced lectures where you need to capture everything quickly
- Strengths: Very fast to write, captures lots of detail, minimal organisation needed in the moment
- Weakness: Requires time after the lesson to organise and highlight key points
6. Flow Notes
Rather than writing down what the teacher says word for word, write ideas in your own words and draw arrows to show how they connect. Focus on understanding, not transcribing.
- Best for: Conceptual subjects, understanding relationships, active listeners
- How to use: Write key ideas as short phrases → draw arrows and lines to show connections → add your own thoughts and questions
- Why it works: Forces you to process and understand information as you hear it, rather than just copying
Comparison Table
| Method | Best For | Speed | Review Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell | Lectures, textbooks | Medium | Excellent (built-in self-test) |
| Mind Mapping | Brainstorming, connections | Medium | Good (visual overview) |
| Outlining | Structured topics | Medium | Good (clear hierarchy) |
| Charting | Comparisons | Slow | Excellent (organised) |
| Sentence | Fast lectures | Fast | Needs post-processing |
| Flow Notes | Conceptual understanding | Slow | Good (deep processing) |
What are the main note-taking methods?
The six note-taking methods most students and professionals use are the Cornell method (a cue column, a notes column and a summary strip), mind mapping (a central idea with branches), outlining (numbered headings and indented detail), the charting method (a comparison table), the sentence method (one numbered sentence per fact, for fast lectures) and flow notes (ideas in your own words joined by arrows). They differ in how fast they are to write and how well they support revision: Cornell and charting review best, sentence notes capture fastest, and mind maps and flow notes suit conceptual subjects. Most people use two or three, switching by subject.
How to choose the right note-taking method
The six methods above are tools, not rules — and the fastest way to pick one is to match it to the format of the lesson and the kind of thinking the subject demands.
- Fast, dense lectures (a lecturer who never pauses): start with the sentence method to capture everything, then reorganise into Cornell or an outline within 24 hours while it is still fresh.
- Textbook chapters and structured subjects (law, biology, history): outlining mirrors the chapter's own hierarchy, so your notes double as a scannable summary of the book.
- Essay subjects (English, history essays, sociology): mind maps make the relationships between arguments visible before you commit to a linear plan.
- Comparison-heavy topics (elements, case studies, characters, historical treaties): the charting method forces you to decide what the comparison criteria actually are — which is half the exam answer.
- Conceptual subjects (physics, economics, philosophy): flow notes stop you transcribing and make you process. If you cannot draw the arrow between two ideas, you have found the thing to ask about.
- Revision periods: Cornell wins. The cue column is a ready-made self-test, and self-testing beats re-reading by a wide margin in memory research.
Handwriting or typing?
Typing is faster — and that is exactly its weakness. Because you can type close to speaking speed, it is easy to transcribe a lecture without processing a word of it. Handwriting is slower, which forces you to compress ideas into your own words, and that compression is where the learning happens. Research comparing the two (most famously Mueller and Oppenheimer's laptop studies) found handwritten note-takers did better on conceptual questions, though later replications suggest the gap narrows when typists are told to summarise rather than transcribe.
The practical rule: the medium matters less than whether you are summarising or transcribing. If you type, deliberately paraphrase and keep your notes shorter than the lecture. If you handwrite, leave space to add connections during review. For maths and diagram-heavy subjects, handwriting (or a stylus) is usually the only sensible option.
Notes are only half the job — reviewing them is the other half
A perfect set of notes that is never reviewed is worth little more than no notes at all. Three review habits turn any of the six methods into long-term memory:
- The 24-hour pass. Skim your notes within a day of taking them, fill gaps while you can still remember the lesson, and mark anything you did not understand.
- Self-testing, not re-reading. Cover your notes and try to reproduce the key points — Cornell's cue column exists for exactly this. Turning notes into flashcards works even better, because our flashcard tool schedules each card with spaced repetition so the hardest ones come back more often.
- Spaced review. Revisit notes at increasing intervals — the day after, a few days later, then weekly — rather than in one marathon before the exam. A study planner makes the schedule automatic instead of a matter of willpower.
Common note-taking mistakes
- Writing everything down. Notes are a filter, not a transcript. If your notes are nearly as long as the source, you postponed the thinking rather than doing it.
- Copying slides word for word. The slides already exist — note what the teacher says about them: examples, emphasis, exam hints.
- Highlighting instead of noting. Highlighting feels productive but is passive; a single sentence in your own words beats a page of yellow.
- Never looking at them again. The forgetting curve is steep — most of an unreviewed lecture is gone within a week.
- Forcing one method onto everything. Switching methods per subject is not indecision; it is the whole point of knowing more than one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best note-taking method for university lectures?
For most lectures, the Cornell method — it keeps up with a reasonable pace, and the cue column gives you a built-in revision tool. If the lecturer is very fast, capture with the sentence method and convert to Cornell the same day.
What is the Cornell note-taking method?
A page layout with a narrow cue column on the left, a wide notes column on the right, and a summary strip at the bottom. You take notes on the right during the lesson, add questions and key terms to the left afterwards, and write the summary in your own words — then revise by covering the notes and answering the cues. We offer a free printable Cornell template.
Is mind mapping good for revision?
It is excellent for seeing how a topic fits together and for planning essays, but weaker for detail-heavy recall. A good combination is a mind map for the overview plus flashcards for the specifics.
How detailed should notes be?
Detailed enough that they make sense in a month, short enough that you had to choose what mattered. As a rough guide, one page of notes per hour of teaching is plenty for most subjects.
How soon should I review my notes?
Within 24 hours for the first pass, while you can still fill gaps from memory. After that, spaced reviews at increasing intervals protect the material from the forgetting curve far more efficiently than cramming.