Note-Taking Strategies for TOEFL

How to Jot Down Notes Quickly and Accurately

The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign language) test is divided into four sections: reading, listening,
writing and speaking. Though this seems intimidating, having clear notes can help tremendously, especially
during the integrated sections (where the test-taker must show English fluency by reading, listening and
speaking or writing in one question).

Like all other skills, note-taking takes time and practice to perfect. The rewards, however, are worth the time
and effort because this skill is not only useful for TOEFL, but can also be used anytime when having correct
notes is essential. Imagine being in a board meeting and not able to record what is being said, or being a
journalist forgetting a witty quote of someone famous.

Try to Anticipate the Question

A test-taker can actually predict what kind(s) of question(s) will be asked during a reading or listening
passage. By anticipating the question, the test-taker can already decide how the note will be organized on
the scratch paper.

There are eight different question types in TOEFL. These are:

Definition – what is it?

For example, a listening passage consists of a lecturer talking about autism. The test-taker can predict that a
definition question ("what is autism?") will definitely come out; therefore he or she will actively look for words
that define autism and write these down on the scratch paper.

Phrases such as "... means ...", "... is ..." and "... refers to ..." indicate that it is very likely that a definition
question might very well pop up.

Description and Example – what are its characteristics?

Closely related to the above question, this type of question orders the test-taker to describe something,
which could be a condition, event, object, etc. So a listening passage about autism could very well contain a
question which asks, "What are the symptoms of autism?"

The note-taker should watch out for adjectives, as well as phrases such as "... consists of ...", "for
example, ...", namely, ...", "specifically, ...".

Classification – which group does it belong to?

A test-taker can recognize this kind of question due to the presence of groupings in the passage. This kind
of question will have two or more groups, with each group having its own set of characteristics. For example,
a passage which explains why a spider is not an insect will list down the characteristics of an insect, and
then list down the characteristics of a spider. A test-taker then can divide his or her scratch paper into two
sections, with one section provided for each group's characteristics.
The appearance of words like "kinds of", "types of", "varieties of", "properties of" usually indicate that the
test-taker would need to classify items into groups.

Sequence – what is the order?

This kind of question is easy to spot, due to the abundance of dates (or years) and levels. A sequence
question will ask about the order of things, such as "what is the process of creating a panel painting?" or
"how did photography develop in the nineteenth century?". Since there are always steps involved in this kind
of question, a test-taker should note down chronology indicators (dates or years) or steps.

This kind of question is easy to spot, due to the abundance of dates (or years) and levels. A sequence
question will ask about the order of things, such as "what is the process of creating a panel painting?" or
"how did photography develop in the nineteenth century?". Since there are always steps involved in this kind
of question, a test-taker should note down chronology indicators (dates or years) or steps.

Words such as "step", "level", "phase, "stage" hint that a sequence question might be asked. Also telling are
words like "first, second, third", next", "finally", "meanwhile", "at the same time" and "eventually".

Comparison and Contrast – how are they similar or different?

Closely connect to the Classification question, this question asks for similarities and differences between two
or more things. For example, a question which asks about the similarities and differences between Earth
and Venus would fall under this question category.

Phrases and keywords that indicate this kind of question are "differ from", "in comparison with", "similar to",
"although", "but", "however"

Cause and Effect – how does it cause something?

What is the result? A cause and effect question will ask the test-taker to explain how a result is reached, so
a test-taker could divide his or her notes into two parts, "before" and "after", or "cause" and "effect" to the
question "what are the causes and effects of climate change?".

Obviously, once a test-taker hears the words "cause" and "effect", he or she could deduce that a Cause and
Effect question would be asked. Similarly, words and phrases such as "as a result", "thus", "as a
consequence", "for this reason" and "therefore" also hint that causes and effect(s) must be listed down in
order to accurately answer the question.

Problem and Solution – why is it a problem? What is the solution?

This kind of question comes out in the speaking section, usually involving two students discussing a
problem. After one student explains the problem, another would offer two possible solutions, and the first
student would give comments (either positive, negative or noncommittal). What the test-taker has to do is to
describe the problem, list down the two possible solutions and pick one of the solutions as the better one,
and explain why.

A test-taker should watch out for words like "advantages", "disadvantages", "problem", "solution", "answer",
"benefits".
Persuasion and Evaluation – why is it be supported or rejected?

This type of question involves an individual expressing his or her approval or disapproval of something, and
the test-taker must be able to state which side of the argument does the individual take, as well as the
reasons why. For example, a student might react to a new policy of the university cafeteria. The test-taker
must be able to indicate whether the student likes or dislikes the new policy, as well as the reasons why.

Phrases and keywords that indicate a Persuasion and Evaluation question are "must", "should", "ought to".

Ensure Note-Taking Comfort

Since notes are not graded in the TOEFL, test-takers should not feel anxious about "the correct
organization" or "neat handwriting". Nobody else would read the notes except the test-taker, therefore one
should develop an individualistic approach.

To ensure maximum note-taking comfort, test-takers should bring as many scratch papers as seen fit, and
devote at least one whole page of scratch paper to one question to avoid confusion and mix-up.

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