Cornell Note Taking Template printable pdf download

Cornell Note Taking System

Do you have trouble making sense of your notes when you are studying? If so, try the Cornell System of note taking to

help make notes more clear and to help you remember facts.

You can either buy Cornell style note paper at the bookstore or you can make your own. To make your own, measure 3

inches from the page’s left side and use a straight edge to draw a vertical line down the page.

Always label each page of notes with the course, date, and topic at the top of the page. This will help you identify your

notes later on. Write your notes in the “Record Column” during class and fill in the “Recall Column” within 24 hours.

Course:

Date:

Topic:

Recall Column: Key Points

Record Column (Summary)

Record during Class

During class:

Write as briefly as you can in the Record Column during lecture.

Use abbreviations and shortened phrases.

Leave spaces between ideas so you can fill in more later if needed.

Leaving space also signals a switch in topics to your brain.

After class:

Identify and Write Key Ideas

Fill in the Recall Column as soon as possible—within 24 hours.

Write key terms and questions.

Summarize ideas and facts.

Show relationships between points to strengthen memory.

Prepare for exams gradually and well ahead of time.

To study notes, cover the Record Column.

Recite from the Recall Column

Use the Recall Columns as a prompt to recite facts from the Record Column in

your own words.

Uncover the Record Column and check facts.

This will help transfer ideas to your long term memory.

Think-make sense out of the notes. Mark unclear concepts.

Reflect on possible test questions

Find relationships and order.

Put ideas into categories and tie old material to new.

Predict which points will appear on tests.

Review to improve Memory

Review weekly to retain what you learned. Relate present material to earlier

material.

For more detail, please refer to Chapter 6, How to Study in College, by Walter Pauk. 3rd Edition, 1985.

Cornell Note Taking Template