The Cornell note-taking system

1. Record: During the lesson or presentation, use the note-taking column to record the lecture using telegraphic sentences.
   • Telegraphic sentence - a concise sentence typically containing five words or less.
2. Questions: As soon after lesson as possible (prep time), formulate questions based on the notes in the right-hand column.  Writing questions helps to clarify meanings, reveal relationships, establish continuity, and strengthen memory.  Also, the writing of questions sets up a perfect platform for exam preparation later.
   • For example, if you made notes about the fetch-decode-execute cycle you may have noted that the program counter is passed to the memory address register.  In the questions section you would write, “which register is the value of the program counter passed to?”
3. Recite: Cover the note-taking column with a sheet of paper. Then, looking at the questions or cue-words in the question and cue column only, say aloud, in your own words, the answers to the questions, facts, or ideas indicated by the cue-words.
4. Reflect: Reflect on the material by asking yourself questions, for example:
   
   • What’s the significance of these facts? 
   • What principle are they based on?
   • How can I apply them? 
   • How do they fit in with what I already know?
   • What’s beyond them?
5. Review: Spend at least ten minutes every week reviewing all your previous notes. If you do, you’ll retain a great deal for current use, as well as, for the exam.

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Source: The Cornell note-taking system (Cornell University)