Note taking must be an effective practice to make it the stepping stone to great grades. Good notes make an excellent tool for impressive essay writing and final revision marathons. But note taking isn’t as easy as it may look. Starting note writing may seem like a smooth road but before you realize errors start creeping in. Take note making like cooking pasta – a simple task but minor slips like overcooking, inadequate salt or excess of water can make the pasta a horrendous dish. Similarly, note taking is a simple task that needs accurate calculations for perfection to make them worth the pain and time. 

There are some common mistakes that students make while making notes in various subjects. These mistakes can lead to notes being completely of no use. Let’s understand what these mistakes are and how we can help the students to avoid them.

1. Writing Without Listening and Understanding

This is common and has happened to all of us at some point in our life. We tend to start writing or noting down the things without actually listening or understanding the point. This might look okay to you but actually it’s a trouble in making. This practice of writing without listening might definitely give you more content in quantity but you will realize how confusing it is when you revise it later. 

When we are busy jotting down the material on listening, we might miss on important details or the context which will only lead to confusion when it is the time for revision. To add to this will be the frustration of lost time and efforts. 

How to avoid this mistake?

Parents and teachers can help the students avoid this common mistake. Guide the students to listen carefully before they start writing notes. Take your time to listen andtake help from profesional assignment writing help services. Then reflect on what you heard and then try to note down the essence from your understanding at a normal pace. Resist the urge to copy down everything. This practice will help you remember more at the end with clear notes that will be far more useful for later subsequent revisions. 

2. Students Mistake Note Taking with Highlighting the Text

The purpose of note taking is definitely not highlighting the textbook and the students must be very clear about that. This is a common mistake among students – they get crazy with the highlighters and make their textbooks like rainbows. Note taking is aimed at making relevant summary of the text.

Students usually underline and highlight the text that they deem important. This is totally fine for an initial review but it will only be confusing at the time of later revisions. Taking precise notes along with the highlighting is the best approach that would be useful later. 

How can this note taking mistake be avoided?

The students can start by highlighting the text and support it with a short summary on the side margin or as a footnote for future reference. This summary should be short and precise and must be based on your reflection of the highlighted text. 

3. Students Are Keen on Noting Down Everything

This is a complete No No! Students must avoid this fairly common note taking mistake at all costs. Students often tend to note down all the content that the lecturer is saying or whatever they are reading in the textbook. This solves no purpose and will not be beneficial for you in any way. Note taking is not copying down but is a summary of the content. 

How to avoid this common note taking mistake?

Always come prepared – this is the trick for handling this mistake. When you already know what the lecture is going to be about, you will have a bigger picture in your mind regarding the content. This will help you in focusing better on the lecture material and extracting the information effectively. Once you will get the context properly, it will easier to prepare the notes which will be self-explanatory. 

4. Students Not Being Topic Specific

This is a fairly common mistake in which the students write the notes like a big chunk of information. No headings or sub headings. There is no clustering of information right from the beginning. Without dividing the notes into specific topics makes them confusing and difficult to understand on later revisions. A format followed note taking methodology will result in better understood notes for simplified revisions. 

How to avoid this note taking mistake?

An effective solution to handle this note taking problem is to follow a note taking method like Cornell Notes. This is a note taking method that helps the students to provide a proper structure to the notes in an appreciable manner right from the beginning. 

5. Not Having the Habit to Review the Notes

Reviewing the notes after making them is an important and useful practice for students if they want to remember the information. This practice prevents the students from learning the incorrect information that you might have written in notes or maybe missed a useful information. If students don’t review their notes it will just lead them to confusions and questions regarding the subject.

How to avoid this crucial note taking mistake?

For handling the chances of making this note taking mistake the best practice is to follow a note taking method. Using this method it becomes easier to review the notes taken. If you are not confident you can connect with online assignment writer in your subject making it easy for you to get the notes reviewed.

6. Not Taking Notes at All

Yes, that’s true! There are some students who believe that note taking is not necessary and can be omitted. If you think that you will remember all the information and you may skip taking notes then you are highly mistaken. It is better to play safe and take notes. 

How to avoid this note taking mistake?

It is better to be prepared. Always carry notebook and pen with you for taking advantage of any opportunity to take notes. 

It is easy to avoid any mistakes in note taking with just a little bit of practice and awareness. Student just has to remember to be prepared to take notes following all these tricks.