Better Lecture Notes: The Cornell Method and How to Review Them

Taking notes is not the same as writing down everything the lecturer says. Students who try to copy every word usually end up with pages of text they never read again, and they miss the ideas because they were busy writing. Good notes capture the structure of the lecture and give you something to study from later.

This guide explains what to do before, during and after a lecture, introduces the Cornell method, and shows how to turn your notes into questions you can use for revision.

Before the lecture: a two-minute preparation

If your lecturer has posted slides or a reading list, skim the headings or the topic before you arrive. You do not need to understand it fully. You just need a rough map, so new ideas have somewhere to attach. Even checking the title and the previous lecture's summary helps.

During the lecture: capture ideas, not sentences

Listen for the main point of each section, then write it in your own words. Short phrases, symbols and abbreviations are enough. Leave gaps for anything you missed, rather than falling behind while trying to catch it. You can fill the gaps afterwards from the slides, the textbook or a classmate.

Mark anything the lecturer stresses, such as "this will come up in the exam", repeats, or spends a long time on. Also mark anything you do not understand with a question mark so you can follow it up.

The Cornell method

The Cornell method was developed by Walter Pauk at Cornell University and is still widely taught because it builds review into the page itself. You divide each page into three areas:

• The notes column (right, about two-thirds of the width): where you write your notes during the lecture.
• The cue column (left, about one-third): left empty during the lecture. Afterwards you fill it with keywords or questions about the notes beside it.
• The summary (bottom, a few lines): after the lecture, you summarise the whole page in two or three sentences.

Draw a vertical line about a third of the way from the left edge and a horizontal line near the bottom of the page. Write the course, date and topic at the top.

A sample page

Suppose your economics lecture was on supply and demand. During the class you might write in the notes column: "Demand: quantity buyers want at each price. Price up, quantity demanded down (law of demand). Shifts: income, tastes, price of substitutes."

After the lecture, in the cue column you write questions such as "What is the law of demand?" and "What can shift the demand curve?" At the bottom you write a summary: "Demand shows how much buyers want at different prices; a change in price moves along the curve, while changes in income or tastes shift the whole curve." Notice that writing that summary forces you to decide what really matters.

After the lecture: the ten-minute review

Within 24 hours of the lecture, spend about ten minutes on it. Do these three things:

• Fill the gaps and clear up unclear points using the slides or textbook.
• Write cue questions in the left column.
• Write the summary at the bottom.

This short review matters because memory fades fast after a first exposure. A quick return the same day or the next day catches ideas before they disappear and costs far less effort than learning them again from scratch before exams.

Using the cue column to study

When you revise, cover the notes column with a sheet of paper and read only the cue questions. Try to answer each one aloud or on paper, then uncover the notes and check. This turns your notes into an active recall tool. Questions you get wrong deserve another look a few days later.

When the lecturer is too fast

• Write only keywords and leave space; fill in the detail afterwards.
• Use abbreviations, such as w/ for with, b/c for because, and arrows for cause and effect.
• Ask a polite question or approach the lecturer after class if you miss a key point.
• Compare notes with a classmate and fill each other's gaps.
• If your institution allows it, ask permission before recording the lecture, and use the recording to fill in blanks, not to replace listening.

Handwritten or typed?

Some studies suggest that handwriting encourages you to summarise rather than transcribe, while typing makes it tempting to copy word for word. Results are mixed, and the best method is the one that makes you think about the material. If you type, make yourself paraphrase, and use a template with a cue area and summary so that you still do the review step.

Common mistakes

• Copying slides word for word. The slides are usually available, so use your note time to capture the explanations.
• Never reviewing. Notes you do not revisit do very little.
• Rewriting notes neatly instead of testing yourself. Tidy notes feel productive, but retrieval is what builds memory.
• Having no system. Keep one notebook or folder per course, date every page, and keep a running list of unanswered questions.

Putting it together

Prepare briefly, listen for ideas, write in your own words, add cues and a summary within a day, and use the cue column to quiz yourself before tests. None of these steps takes long, and together they give you a set of notes that are ready for revision long before exam week arrives.