How to Study
The Program That Has Helped Millions of Students Study Smarter, Not Harder
25th Anniversary Edition
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
Copyright © 2016 by Ron Fry
Cover design by Howard Grossman
978-1-5040-3041-0
The Career Press, Inc.
220 West Parkway, Unit 12
Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
www.careerpress.com
Distributed by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
180 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
www.openroadmedia.com
INTRODUCTION Study to Succeed
CHAPTER ONE Start off Right
CHAPTER TWO Develop your Plan
CHAPTER THREE Read with Purpose
CHAPTER FOUR Maximize your Memory
CHAPTER FIVE Manage your Time
CHAPTER SIX Excel in Class
CHAPTER SEVEN Ready your Research
CHAPTER EIGHT Write great Papers
CHAPTER NINE Ace any Test
EPILOGUE Celebrate your Success
INDEX
“Learning is its own exceeding great reward.”
—WILLIAM HAZLITT
As I began preparing this new edition, I wasn’t sure how drastically I would need to change it. Had technology—from SMARTBoards and smart phones to a million apps and a zillion Websites—so altered the educational landscape that many of the study tips and techniques I’d written about were obsolete?
Thinking about all of the technological changes that have occurred in the last decade spurred me to rethink every aspect of this book. Were there now easier or more efficient ways to accomplish the same age-old study tasks? Were there new problems that had to be addressed? Were there suggestions or tools that were now hopelessly out of date?
Since, as Montaigne declared, “a man must always study,” I am happy to report that today’s successful student needs to master the same basic set of study skills. However, the most efficient ways to master them and, especially, the variety of tools available to do so, clearly have grown and evolved.
So this edition of How to Study still includes hints, advice, and techniques for reading, understanding, and remembering what you read; taking notes in class, from your textbooks, in the library, and online; how to prepare for and do better on all kinds of tests; how to research and prepare great papers and oral reports; and how to organize your study schedule to get the best results in the shortest amount of time. But there are essential skills you may think have nothing to do with studying, and important steps you need to take right from the start, that we will cover first.
“Learning without thought is labor lost. Thought without learning is perilous.”
—CONFUCIUS
Developing great study habits is like a footrace between you and your friends. Before you can declare a winner, you have to agree on where the finish line is. In other words, how do you measure your ability to use these skills? What’s a good result? What’s a poor one?
But you can’t even start the race until you know where the starting line is—especially if it’s drawn at a different spot for each of you!
Chapter 1 starts by explaining each study skill and clarifying how each can and should function in your life. Then you’ll be given the chance to identify your own starting line.
In Chapter 2, you’ll learn the importance of where, how, and when you study, and you will start building the study environment that’s perfect for you.
There is no magic elixir in the study habit regimen. If math and science are not your strong suits, memorizing How to Study will not transform you into a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. Nobody is great at everything, but everybody is great at something. So you’ll also get a chance to rate the subjects you like and dislike, and those that are your best and worst.
Chapter 2 also introduces some of the “intangibles” in the study equation: your home environment, attitude, motivation, and so forth. If you are dedicated to studying and motivated to achieve certain goals, all the other factors that affect your study habits will fall more naturally into place. A belief in the study ethic is one of the keys to success.
Finally, mastering some other key components of the study process—learning to “read” teachers, developing mentors, dealing with perfectionism, the importance of flexibility—will help you get off to the right start.
Chapter 3 introduces the skills basic to any study process: reading and comprehension. No matter how well you learn to take notes, how familiar you become with your library, how deftly you operate online, and how doggedly you study for tests, if you are reading poorly (or not enough) and not understanding or remembering what you read, life will be difficult.
Becoming a good reader is a skill, one usually acquired early in life. If it’s a skill you haven’t acquired yet, now is the time!
In Chapter 4, I have reintroduced memory tips, tricks and techniques that were eliminated in earlier editions to keep this book at a manageable length. But I think learning how to remember numbers, memorize long lists, create “chain-link” stories, and other essential memory techniques are too important to leave out. I have also moved some of the material previously included in Chapter 3—how to remember more of what you read—into this new chapter.
To see a significant change in your life, many of you will not need to study harder, just smarter. This means making better use of your study time—spending the same two, three or four hours, but accomplishing twice, thrice, or four times as much. Chapter 5 introduces a number of simple and easy-to-use organizational and time-management tools—powerful ways to make sure you are always on track and on time.
In Chapter 6, I talk about the one experience we all have in common, no matter how old we are: the classroom. I’ll help you take better notes in every kind of classroom, encourage your active participation in class discussions, and help you get a lot more out of lectures.
In early editions of this book, I included a chapter on using your library, later changed to “How to Conduct Your Research” so as to incorporate the now far-more-prevalent use of online resources. It was a relatively short chapter followed by a far longer one detailing all the other steps necessary to produce a terrific essay, term paper, or oral report.
In this edition, I have rearranged these two chapters so they are more equal in length. So Chapter 7 now covers all the preparatory steps to complete any writing assignment, from choosing a topic and establishing a long-term schedule to establishing an initial thesis, creating a rough outline and conducting research, in the library and/or online.
I still briefly review the two major library classification systems—Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress—and show you how to conduct efficient online research without falling prey—for hours—to the “let’s-just-follow-that-interesting-link” syndrome.
Chapter 8 now assumes most if not all of your research has been completed and takes you through the actual organizational and writing processes, from creating your first draft through rewriting, proofreading, and finalizing footnotes, to the appendices and the bibliography. It also includes a brief section on the key differences between producing a written report and presenting the same information orally.
Chapter 9 covers the do’s and don’ts of test preparation, including the differences between studying for weekly quizzes, midterms, and final examinations; why last-minute cramming doesn’t work (but how to do it if you have no choice—shame!); studying for and taking different types of tests (multiple choice, true-false, essay, open book, and so on); how to increase your guessing scores; even which questions to answer first and which to leave for last.
How to Study is the most comprehensive study guide ever written—a fundamental, step-by-step approach that anyone can follow to develop and sharpen his or her study skills.
If you’re struggling through college or graduate school, here’s your life preserver.
If you’re a high school student planning to attend college, now’s your chance to hone your study skills.
If you’re not considering college—even if you’re ready to drop out of high school at the earliest possible opportunity—you still need How to Study.
If you’re an adult returning to the classroom after a lengthy absence, there’s no substitute for the tips and techniques you will learn in this book.
What if you’re a really poor student? How smart you are is not the point. What counts is how smart you study.
With the possible exception of the two percent of you who qualify as “gifted,” How to Study will help students of any age and ability level.
If your grades are average to good, you will see a definite improvement. If you are barely passing, you will benefit considerably. If good study habits are in place but rusty as a result of years away from the classroom, How to Study will be the perfect refresher for you.
And if you are one of those “gifted” two percent, I still think you’ll find many helpful techniques in these pages.
Although I originally wrote How to Study for high school students, I’ve discovered over the years that many more audiences have benefited from it.
The surprise was that so many of the people buying How to Study were adults. Yes, a number of them were returning to school and saw How to Study as a great refresher. And some were long out of school but had figured out that if they could learn now the study skills their teachers never taught them (or they never took the time to learn), they would do better in their careers.
All too many were parents who had the same lament: “How do I get Johnny to read (show up on time, remember more, get better grades)?”
So I want to briefly take the time to address every one of the audiences for this book and discuss some of the factors particular to each of you.
You should be particularly comfortable with the format of the book: its relatively short sentences and paragraphs, occasionally humorous (hopefully) headings and subheadings, and the language used. I did originally write it with you in mind!
But you should also be uncomfortable with the fact that you’re already in the middle of your school years—the period that will drastically affect, one way or the other, all the rest of your school years—and you still don’t know how to study! Don’t lose another minute: Make learning how to study and mastering all of the study skills in this book your absolute priority.
Congratulations! You’re learning how to study at precisely the right time. Sixth, seventh, and eighth grades—before that sometimes-cosmic leap to high school—is without a doubt the period in which all these study skills should be mastered. Doing so will make high school not just easier but a far more positive and successful experience.
If you are somewhere in the 18 to 25 age range, I hope you are tackling one or two of the study skills you failed to master in high school. If you are deficient in more areas than that and fail to address all of them, I can’t see how you’re ever going to succeed in college. (Then again, I can’t figure out how you managed to get into college.) If you are starting from scratch, my advice is the same as to the high school students reading this book: Make learning how to study your top priority.
If you’re going back to high school, college, or graduate school at age 25, 45, 65, or 85, you probably need the help in How to Study more than anyone! The longer you’ve been out of school, the more likely you don’t remember what you’ve forgotten. And you’ve forgotten what you’re supposed to remember! As much as I emphasize that it’s rarely too early to learn good study habits, I must also emphasize that it’s never too late.
“Education, like neurosis, begins at home.”
—MILTON SAPIRSTEIN
There are probably even more dedicated parents out there than dedicated students, since the first phone call at any of my radio or TV appearances inevitably comes from a sincere and worried parent asking, “What can I do to help my kid do better in school?” Here are the rules for parents of students of any age:
Set up a homework area. Free of distraction, well-lit, with all necessary supplies handy.
Set up a homework routine. Studies have clearly shown that students who establish a regular routine are better organized and, as a result, more successful.
Set homework priorities. Actually, just make the point that homework is the priority—before a date, before TV, before going out to play, whatever.
Make reading a habit. For them, certainly, but also for yourselves. Kids will inevitably do what you do, not what you say (even if you say not to do what you do). So if you keep nagging them to read while you settle in for a 24-hour Breaking Bad marathon, please consider the mixed message you are sending.
Turn off the TV. Or, at the very least, severely limit when and how much TV-watching is appropriate. This may be the toughest suggestion to implement—I know, I weathered the sturm and drang of my daughter’s teen-aged years.
Talk to the teachers. Find out what your kids are supposed to be learning. How else will you know what help they need? You may even be “helping” them in ways that are at odds with what the teacher is trying to accomplish.
Encourage and motivate, but don’t nag them to do their homework. It doesn’t work. The more you insist, the quicker they will tune you out.
Supervise their work, but don’t fall into the trap of doing their homework for them. Proofreading a paper, for example, is a positive way to help your child in school. But if you then enter all the corrections yourself, your child has learned nothing…except that she is not responsible for her own work.
Praise them when they succeed, but don’t overpraise them for mediocre work. Kids have well-attuned antennae for insincerity.
Convince older students of reality. Learning and believing that the real world won’t care about their grades, but will measure them by what they know and what they can do, is a lesson that will save many tears (probably yours). It’s probably never too early to (carefully and tenderly) inform your little genius that life really isn’t fair…and give him or her the resources to help deal with that fact.
Make sure your kids have the technology they need to succeed. Whatever their age, your kids really must be computer savvy and have Internet access in order to survive in and after school.
Turn off the TV already!
Hide their cellphone and turn off IM (Instant Messaging) and text alerts while they are doing homework. They will inevitably try to convince you that texts, chats, alerts, and messages will in no way interfere with their algebra homework. Parents who buy this argument have also been persuaded that sitting in front of the TV is the best place to study.
The book you are holding in your hands (or on your E-reader) is now in its eighth edition and has been helping students and parents (and even teachers) for more than 25 years. If you need even more help in a particular area, there are five other specific titles in Ron Fry’s How to Study Program: “Ace” Any Test, Get Organized, Improve Your Memory, Improve Your Reading, and Improve Your Writing.
Thank you for making all of these books successful.
Learning shouldn’t be painful or boring, though it is occasionally both. I don’t promise that How to Study will make everything easier. It won’t. It can’t. And it may actually require some work to achieve what you want. But How to Study will illuminate the path, give you directions, and make sure you’re properly provisioned for your journey.
In some classes, you will not understand everything the first time you read it or hear it. Or, perhaps, even the second or third time. You may have to learn it slowly, very slowly. But that doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It may be a subject that everyone learns slowly. (My particular nemesis was Physical Chemistry.) A poorly written textbook or unmotivated teacher can make any subject difficult.
You will also inevitably decide that one or more courses couldn’t possibly be of any use later in life. “I don’t have a clue why I need to learn trigonometry (physics, French literature, European history, fill in the blank),” you wail. “I will never use it.”
Believe me, you have no idea what you may or may not need, use or remember next week, let alone in a decade. In my experience, a surprising amount of “useless” information and learning wound up being vitally important to my professional career.
So learn it all. Get excited about the process of learning, and I guarantee you will not ever worry about what you will need to know in the future.
I immodestly maintain that How to Study is the best book on the market. There are certainly lots of other study books out there. Unfortunately, I don’t think many of them deliver what they promise.
The author of one such title spent barely half a dozen pages on time management…and 26 pages discussing the importance of sleep, exercise, and nutrition (including sample menus).
I see little reason to waste your time detailing what should be obvious: Anything—including studying—is more difficult if you’re tired, hungry, unhealthy, drunk, stoned, and so on. So please use common sense. Eat as healthily as you can, get whatever sleep your body requires, stay reasonably fit, and avoid alcohol and drugs. If your lack of success is in any way due to one of these other factors and you’re unable to deal with it alone, find a good book or a professional to help you.
Another author posed some basic questions: “When should I study?” “Where should I study?” “How long should I study?” He then provided his absolute answers: “Early,” “in isolation,” and “no more than an hour at a time.”
As far as I am concerned, there are few “rights” and “wrongs” out there in the study world. There’s certainly no single “right” way to attack a multiple choice test or absolute “right” way to take notes. So don’t get fooled into thinking there is, especially if what you’re doing seems to be working for you. Don’t change what “ain’t broke” just because some self-proclaimed study guru claims what you’re doing is all wet. Maybe she’s all wet.
Needless to say, don’t read my books looking for some single, inestimable system of “rules” that works for everyone.
You won’t find it, ’cause there’s no such bird. You will find a plethora of techniques, tips, tricks, gimmicks, and what-have-yous, some or all of which will work for you, some of which won’t. Pick and choose, change and adapt, figure out what works for you—because you are responsible for creating your study system, not me.
I think we’ve spent enough time talking about what you’re going to learn. Let’s get on with the learning.
—Ron Fry
“Learn what you are and be such.”
—PINDAR
In the next two chapters, I’m going to help you:
Evaluate the current level of all your study skills so you can identify those areas in which you need to concentrate your efforts;
Identify the study environment and learning style that suit you; and
Categorize all of your school subjects according to how well you like them and how well you do in them.
In the next few pages, I’ll explain the primary study skills covered in this book: reading and comprehension; memory development; time management; note-taking (in your textbooks, in class, in the library, while online); classroom participation; researching and writing papers; and test preparation. Then I’ll ask you to rate yourself on your current level of achievement and understanding of each: “A” (excellent) for mastery or near mastery of a particular skill; “B” (good) for some mastery; C (fair to poor) for little or no mastery.
But let’s do a general test first, just to give you a taste of what’s to come. Read the following 28 statements and consider which apply to you. If a statement does apply, mark “Y” (for yes). If not, mark “N” (for no):
1. ____Y ____ N I wish I could read faster.
2. ____Y ____ N I go to class, but I don’t pay a lot of attention.
3. ____Y ____ N I rarely review for tests, but I do spend hours cramming the night before.
4. ____Y ____ N I think I spend more time studying than I need to.
5. ____Y ____ N I usually study with the TV on and constantly check my cellphone.
6. ____Y ____ N I rarely finish all my homework on time.
7. ____Y ____ N I usually write assigned papers the week (or the night) before they’re due.
8. ____Y ____ N I read every book at the same speed and in the same way.
9. ____Y ____ N I can never seem to find the information I need on the Internet.
10. ____Y ____ N I’m overwhelmed with too much homework.
11. ____Y ____ N I can never complete my reading assignments on time.
12. ____Y ____ N I always seem to write down the wrong stuff in class.
13. ____Y ____ N I frequently forget important assignments and test dates.
14. ____Y ____ N I get nervous before exams and do worse than I think I should.
15. ____Y ____ N I frequently must reread whole passages two or three times before I understand them.
16. ____Y ____ N When I finish reading a chapter, I usually don’t remember much of it.
17. ____Y ____ N I try to take down everything the teacher says but usually can’t understand any of my notes.
18. ____Y ____ N I can only study for about 15 minutes before I get bored or distracted.
19. ____Y ____ N When I’m working on a paper or report, I spend most of the time with a thesaurus in my lap.
20. ____Y ____ N I always seem to study the wrong stuff.
21. ____Y ____ N I don’t use any kind of calendar.
22. ____Y ____ N I study for some tests, but I always forget what I studied when I get there.
23. ____Y ____ N I don’t have enough time to do well in school and still have a social life.
24. ____Y ____ N I can’t figure out the important points in my textbooks.
25. ____Y ____ N When I look at my class notes right before a test, I can’t understand them.
26. ____Y ____ N I hate to read.
27. ____Y ____ N I get marked down on essay tests because I don’t organize them well.
28. ____Y ____ N I spend a lot of time on my computer but it feels like most of it is wasted.
What do your answers mean? If you answered “yes” to questions:
2, 5, or 18, you need to work on your concentration.
1, 8, 15, 16, 24, or 26, your reading and comprehension skills are holding you back.
3, 14, or 22, you need to learn the proper way to study for tests and how to reduce test anxiety.
4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 21, or 23, your organizational skills are letting you down.
7, 19, or 27, you’re spending a lot of time “writing” papers but haven’t learned how to properly research or organize them.
9 or 28, you need to hone your computer skills and learn how to efficiently identify pertinent information online.
12, 17, 20, or 25, you need a better system for taking notes in class and from your textbooks.
It’s not as important how many “yes” answers you had as it is how many were grouped in a specific area—the one in which you obviously need help. (Though 10 or more “yes” answers would indicate problems in more than a single area.)
Let’s go into a little more detail and get an even firmer handle on the current state of your study skills. I’ve listed the primary study skills below. Take a separate piece of paper and rate yourself on each of them (from reading and comprehension through test preparation) before you read the rest of this chapter. Then give yourself two points for every A, one point for every B, and zero points for every C.
If your overall rating is 17 or more, give yourself an A on the “Initial self-evaluation” line; 13 to 16, give yourself a B; and if 12 or less, give yourself a C. This is your assessment of your study habits as they exist right now.
Now, let’s review each of these areas and get a better understanding of what “excellent,” “good,” and “fair” really mean. As you read each section, fill in your rating on the “Your Starting Point” chart—and be honest with yourself. This evaluation will give you a benchmark from which to measure your improvement after you’ve finished How to Study. File it away and make the comparison when you’ve completed reading.
Remember: There are no right or wrong answers in either of these assessments. They are jumping-off points from which you can measure your progress and identify those areas in which your skills need improvement.
Speed, comprehension, and recall are the three important components of reading. Comprehension and recall are especially interrelated—better to sacrifice some speed to increase these two factors. To test your reading and comprehension skills, read the passage below (excerpted from U.S. History: From Reconstruction Through the Dawn of the 21st Century by Ron Olson). Then close the book, jot down the key points made in the selection you read, review the text, and compare your notes with the reading selection. You will get a good idea of how well you understood what you read and just how good your “top-of-the-mind” recall is.
World War I left many Americans disillusioned about war, and the United States retreated into isolationism. Britain and France began to acquiesce to the demands of a new aggressor: Adolph Hitler. Indifference about the changing nation-states in Europe and appeasement of aggressors had ultimately led to global violence. By the late 1930s, 70 percent of Americans felt that the role the country had played in World War I was a mistake.
The United States passed Neutrality Acts allowing it to deny the sale or shipment of munitions to warring nations, opting instead for a cash-and-carry policy. The country needed the income, but it was unwilling to commit to another war. The rumblings of conflict frightened many as totalitarian leaders across the globe flexed their muscles. These leaders posed a threat to security, and the United States couldn’t ignore the possibility of involvement in yet another global conflict. The deaths of 50 million people, along with the horrors and destruction of war, provided a stark conclusion to the conflict of World War II. The devastating loss of population and property in Europe and Japan, the Holocaust that killed six million Jews, the development and use of the atomic bomb, the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, a divided Germany, Japanese internment camps, and the founding of the United Nations made this war far different from any other in history.
Isolationism was no longer possible. In the United States, World War II highlighted racial inequalities, gave women new opportunities, and fostered growth in the South and West. By devastating the nation’s commercial rivals, World War II left the United States dominant in the world economy. It also increased the scope of the federal government and built an alliance among the armed forces, big business, and science that helped shape post-war America.
Score: If you can read the material straight through, accurately summarize what you’ve read, even remember key names and statistics, all in less than two minutes, award yourself an A. If you have some problems reading and understanding the text but are able to complete the assignment in less than four minutes, give yourself a B. If you are unable to complete the assignment in that time, remember what you read, or produce accurate notes at all, give yourself a C.
Test #1: Look at the number following this paragraph for 10 seconds. Then cover the page and write down as much of it as you can remember:
762049582049736
Score: If you remembered 12 or more digits in the correct order, give yourself an A; eight to 11, a B; seven or less, a C.
Test #2: Below are 12 nonsense words from a language I just made up and their “definitions.” Study the list for 60 seconds and try to remember each word, how it’s spelled, and its definition:
Capulam |
tea cup |
Armarek |
curtain |
Zynder |
to hum |
Thromph |
necklace |
Booleric |
snack |
Cwassul |
paper sack |
Maghor |
a rice dish |
Jerysh |
armband |
Opockal |
secure |
Stapnor |
nurse |
Yeffer |
to dunk |
Fravitous |
hungry |
Done? Close the book and write down each of the 12 words and its definition. They do not need to be in the order in which they were listed.
Score: If you accurately listed nine or more words and definitions (and that includes spelling my new words correctly), give yourself an A. If you listed from five to eight words and their definitions, or correctly listed and spelled nine or more words but mixed up their definitions, give yourself a B. If you were unable to remember at least four words and their definitions, give yourself a C.
Test #3: Here’s a list of real Egyptian pharaohs in the order of their reigns:
Narmer Hor-aha Djer Djet Merneith Den |
Anedjib Semerkhet Qu’a Sneferka Horus Bird Hotepsekhemwy |
Can you create a visual, chain-link story in less than three minutes that would allow you to easily remember them, spelled correctly and in order?
Score: If you created a story, no matter how strange, that enabled you to correctly spell the names of at least nine of the 12 pharaohs and listed them in order, give yourself an A. Six to eight, give yourself a B. Five or less, give yourself a C. (I will admit that Hotepsekhemwy is a mouthful, but I gave you Djer, Djet, Den, and Qu’a, didn’t I?)
Your effective use of available study time can be measured by two yardsticks: (1) your ability to break down assignments into component parts (for example, reading, note taking, outlining, writing); and (2) your ability to complete each task in an efficient manner.
Score: If you feel you use your time wisely and efficiently, give yourself an A. If you know there are times you simply run out of time, give yourself a B. If you can’t tell time, give yourself a C.
Four different arenas—at home with your textbooks, in the classroom, at the library, and online—require different methods of note taking.
From your textbooks: Working from your books at home, you should identify the main ideas, rephrase information in your own words, and capture unfamiliar details. As you read, take brief, concise notes in a separate notebook or the text’s margins or highlight/underline pertinent information in the text. You should write down questions and answers to ensure your mastery of the material, starring those questions for which you don’t have answers so you can ask them in class.
In class: Class preparation is the key to class participation. By reading material to be covered before class, you will be able to concentrate and absorb the teacher’s interpretations and points. Using a topical, short-sentence approach or your own shorthand or symbols, take notes on those items that will help you remember and recall the subject matter. Your notes should be sequential, following the teacher’s lecture pattern. Review your notes at the first opportunity following class. Fill in any blanks and add your own thoughts.
In the library and online: What’s the difference between taking notes at the library, from your textbooks and online? Sooner or later you’ll have to return library books (if you’re allowed to take them out at all), and librarians tend to frown on highlighting them. And unless you plan to print out every Web page you find and wield your magic highlighter, you need an effective system for taking notes right from the source, whether it’s a library book, journal article, or Web page.
Of course, if you are so unfamiliar with your public or school library that you don’t even know its address, you will have a hard time utilizing its offerings when a paper is assigned.
Likewise, if your idea of efficient use of the Internet is staying up-to-date on Kylie Jenner’s latest musings and making sure to post on Instagram every hour on the hour, you will find researching a 15-page paper on Japanese internment camps during World War II, uh, challenging.
Score: Are your note-taking skills sufficient to summarize the necessary data from your textbooks?
Are you able to capture the key points from classroom lectures and discussions?
Are you such a ubiquitous presence in your library that they have named a study carrel for you?
Are you able to find a dozen key Internet sites pertinent to any paper within minutes?
If your note-taking skills allow you to master your textbooks, excel in class, find whatever information you need from a variety of sources, prepare detailed outlines, and write good papers, give yourself an A in each area. If you feel you are deficient in any one of these areas of note taking, give yourself a B. If notes are what you pass to your friends in class, give yourself a C.