20 Questions: A Note-taking Self-Quiz

20 Questions  
A Note-taking Self-Quiz

Answer the following questions about your reading and note-taking from a textbook. The “best practice” answer for each question is “yes.” If you’re struggling with note-taking and studying, consider ways you might change some of your “no” answers to “yes.”.  

While reading:   

1. Do you preview the chapter before reading to get an overview of how the author has organized it?

2.  Do you read in an environment that is free of distractions (no television, music, text messages, computer interruptions, etc.)?

3.  Do you think while you read? (You should be actively working to construct meaning and understand as you read.)

4.  Do you leave white space in your notes so you can add more information or make connections later?

5.  Do you abbreviate whenever possible?

6.  Do you avoid writing complete sentences in your notes, focusing instead on phrases, words, or pictures?

7.  Do your notes reflect the organization of the chapter?  Do you write the names of sections?  

8.  Can a person looking at your notes distinguish main ideas from supporting details?

9.  Do you try to see the big ideas in the reading?  Are you thinking about how the author organized the chapter, why the author included specific information, how ideas compare and contrast, etc.?

10.  Are you categorizing the information or grouping the information by theme (ie. social, political, economic; causes, effects) as you read?

11.  Are you avoiding minutia (tiny details or trivia like dates and statistics)?

12.  Do you look for cues in the text (“the most important reason…”, “another cause…”, “three goals…”)?

13.  Do you put info in a chart, picture, or diagram when useful to do so?

14.  Are you thinking about your notes as a reminder of what you learned in your reading rather than as a storage place for information you didn’t take the time to put in your brain?

15.  Do you think about why people, events, examples, etc. are important?

16.  Are your notes legible?   

After reading (steps that lead to long-term learning):   

17.  Do you review and revise your notes after taking them (preferably before class)?  Are you underlining or highlighting key terms? Putting stars by important ideas? Color-coding your notes?

18.  Do you write higher-level questions about your notes after reviewing and revising them?

19.  Do you summarize the notes as a whole after writing questions?   

20.  Can you use your notes to retell the story of the chapter?