do you take notes when you study?

frankiemilton

i never really take notes and just read the material because im lazy.
i mean REALLY lazy.

what about you?
what is your method of studying?

Find more posts tagged with

SAVE $250 on Your Boot Camp — Use Code "EXAM26"

Exclusively for TechExams members for Infosec Boot Camps starting before April 30, 2026

View Boot Camps

Comments

SteveO86

I tend to take notes, over the years I've created quite a notebooks with well over a hundred notes in Evernote. Just going over various topics I've studied.

Even if it's a quick 2 hour session I usually take notes with my iPad/keyboard in evernote. Just in case I need to refer to it later I prefer to have the notes. That and it helps me remember the material.

gc8dc95

Yes, I take notes. It engages the mind to formulate your own interpretation of what you are studying. It is also preferable to physically write them, as it causes you to focus on words being written.

It also depends on what you are studying and to what depth.

Snow.bros

Oh yes, I take notes when I study because I always remember what I write and as mentioned above, its how I interpret my understanding on what I have read. A student without a pen is like a soldier without a gun according to me.

Essendon

Yep, I take notes too. They go on my Google drive for easy reference anywhere anytime.

swellbow

Definitely, if only to keep myself moving through the material. I write down anything I can't instantly grasp/recall off the top of my head, then spend time internalizing/studying once I've gotten through all the course objectives. Otherwise, I'd start second-guessing my grasp of the material and would re-read and re-re-read to a grinding halt.

Shdwmage

Always, and most of the time with pen and paper. I find typing doesn't help me memorize.

jamesleecoleman

I don't usually take notes when studying for a certification. I just read and re-read the information until I'm able to talk about certain topics without a problem. I know this takes longer but I want to make sure that I don't really miss any important information when I take notes. I'm kinda bad at taking notes sometimes.

cyberguypr

OneNote user here. Always create a notebook for any cert I go for.

5ekurity

If it's something that requires a lot of memorization or a long sequential process, then yes I'll take some notes. Otherwise I read/re-read and lab (if applicable) until I understand it w/o notes. Ex. for the CISSP I took notes on my problem areas and came up with different ways to memorize the material (like security models) in a way that made sense to me. For the MCSE coursework, I read/re-read and did labs to drive home the concepts. Doing the GSEC and Linux+ (for WGU) now, so the GSEC I'll be indexing and the Linux+ I will probably just read.

Snow.bros

Shdwmage wrote: »

Always, and most of the time with pen and paper. I find typing doesn't help me memorize.

I am with you 100 percent on that.

sasnimrod

I do take notes for things that I'm not sure I will be able to remember in a couple of days time. Lately, I've been considering making a blog so that I could have everything in one place and use it as a 'portfolio' of the topics/exams that I'm covering.

Iristheangel

Yup. I take TONS of notes. I used to use pen and paper but it hurts my hand too much. I learned to type before I could write so my handwriting has always been messy and somewhat of a pain in the wrist.

Crocrodel

I take a ton of notes and also like to organize them by subject and category.

I have a couple personal websites and decided two years ago to create a subdomain on one of them and install Dokuwiki. This way, I can access it anywhere I have an Internet connection and it has also grown pretty nicely.

I keep certification notes, work-related stuff and also personal projects of mine to keep track of this and that. Of course, it's not open to the public and it has a fair bit of security.

Might not be everyone's cup of tea but it has worked wonderfully for me and that's what matters.

RomBUS

Always take notes

Mostly typed but on occasion I do handwritten then typed for neater and presentable form in case I need to incorporate screenshots/guides on certain subjects

I also take notes for the different resources I use such as one from CBT Nuggets, one from the book, etc.

I always upload to a secondary location like Skydrive and a USB memstick I carry with me

jvrlopez

I take notes in the margins and blank space of my textbooks. This helps keep my notes in context of what is being studied.

If I write them in a spiral note book or type them up on a computer, I end up with various notepads/documents that ramble on and have doodles on them.

It's always been easier for me to flip to the subject in question and see what I've written down previously, as oppose to shuffling through a bunch of loose leaf pages.

Holdendazz

Yes, always take notes via pen and paper method. I just find that the information really locks in better when Im writing it down.

OfWolfAndMan

I've taken notes via typing and writing. Writing helps me retain the lecture a lot better, ESPECIALLY the second time around.

The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantage... [Psychol Sci. 2014] - PubMed - NCBI

country28341

I take notes, highlight, and even record my lectures.

JDMurray

I highlight first and then go back second time and make notes from the highlights. I remember much better if I hand write my notes, but it's not quick to search. Anyone OCR their handwritten notes? Maybe I should try that.

Jon_Cisco

I have lots of scrap pads. I usually take notes while I am reading to help me gather thoughts and remember the information. However I usually throw the notes out every couple days because it's more about composing it in my head and writing it down then it is for reference or review.

I have read that it is better to go back and rewrite the notes neater the next day. This will help reinforce the learning process again. Since I don't keep the notes I don't usually do this but it might be worth while as I get into higher certs.

pevangel

I take notes in a classroom but don't take notes for everything else. I have an amazing memory with things that I see but only decent memory with things that I hear. I've started taking notes now though in order to help people at work review for certification exams.

devils_haircut

I guess I'm the only one that doesn't take notes. In college, I always felt like note-taking distracted me from actually listening to lectures and paying attention to the questions asked in class. Even when I self-study, I rarely take notes, and if I do, it's usually because it's a topic that I want to go back and dig a little deeper into using other sources.

I don't have a particularly great memory, I just understand what I read, and if I have a question about something, I go back and look it up. Then when I'm done reading, I usually spend the rest of my day thinking about subnetting or trunking or whatever while I'm doing dishes, making my bed, etc. It might be distracting if I had a wife and kids, but I live alone, so I have lots of time to think.