Taking good notes is a necessity for school. They help you study and understand the information better. If you struggle with organization and taking notes, then this article will help you! Disclaimer: I know, the title says “How to Take A+ Notes”, but I can not guarantee an A. (That is up to you and your teacher. These are just tips).

Step 1: Collecting the Information

Obviously, one of the most important parts of taking notes is gathering information. If you have a text you can highlight, I would go through and highlight all testable information. If you don’t have a paper to highlight you will be needing to list all important information on paper or type it. Re-read this multiple times while checking the book to make sure you have all information.

Step 2: Organizing

Organization is key when it comes to making successful notes. At this point, you will need to get out the paper you are going to be using to write your notes out. At the top, write the title of the notes, (as shown in the picture). You will also need to write your name and any other information your teachers require. Next, write the first subtitle for the section, for as circled in the picture.

Step 3: Writing Down Information

Thirdly, Under the subtitle, list all information for that subject. I personally like to put bullet points, but do whatever works for you. Make another subtitle for each section, and write down all information. Continue doing this until all information is written down. You can use stars, asterisk and things like that as bullets.

Step 4: Questions and Summaries

This last step is optional but I would highly recommend, writing questions and summaries. You can put them wherever you choose, but I personally like to put them where I show in the pictures (on the side bars, and at the bottom of the page). Summaries are basically just the page of information summed up in 2-3 sentences. This is good because right before a test you can read that and assure yourself of the answers. Questions are really beneficial as well because you can quickly quiz yourself on the information. I usually just write 1-2 per subtitle, but add as many as you need.

I hope that this benefited you and that now you know how to take great notes. This form doesn’t work for everyone, but I think it is really good for most. I added pictures for along the process, and making them your own is all part of it. I hope that this is useful for you, and your note-taking skill will go up!