Note-taking is something that people either love or dread. Finding the right note-taking style will make your studying effective and enjoyable. Below are a few tips on how you can take effective handwritten notes when studying for the GED.
Create headings and subheadings
To stay organized while taking notes, be sure to include headings, subheadings, and highlighting. No one wants to muddle through an indistinguishable block of text! Therefore, when revising notes, break up the text into major headings and smaller subheadings so you can easily find key points on the page.
You can further refine your notes by highlighting keywords and breaking up text with bullet points and numbered lists.
Don’t worry about aesthetics
When writing notes, it can be easy to obsess over how they look rather than focus on the content. Here’s a tip: first, get the main info down in your notebook. Then refine those points by organizing them into sections.
Worrying about aesthetics can distract you from jotting down vital information. Notes don’t have to be fancy; make them clear, concise, and structured in a way that makes it easy for you to read later.
Use nice stationery
Reliable writing materials such as pens, pencils, paper, and other office supplies help you focus on capturing the info you need. Stationery can be used for more than just aesthetics. A comfortable experience will improve the quality of your notes. Colored pens and markers will allow top points in your notes to stand out more.
When creating a new page of notes, write the heading in color so you can easily see which topic the notes are on. Another tip is to keep a pad of sticky notes handy. They can key items to the forefront, such as formulas, equations, or definitions.
Include drawings and graphics
Don’t be afraid to doodle. Visual learning helps you retain info longer, better understand complex topics, and absorb knowledge more quickly. Your graphics don’t have to be masterpieces! Simply draw what makes sense to you.
When taking notes, make sure to include drawings of graphs and equations to remember them clearly. If drawing is not your forte, you can also print out graphics and paste them into your notebook.
We hope these tips continue to help you along your GED journey. Don’t forget to visit GED.com for study tips, practice tests, interactive tools, and more.
Ese U. Marketing Intern. Pop culture enthusiast, movie aficionado, and music connoisseur.
