{"id":339,"date":"2016-06-17T13:44:04","date_gmt":"2016-06-17T20:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/?p=339"},"modified":"2018-03-19T19:58:33","modified_gmt":"2018-03-20T02:58:33","slug":"taking-notes-mcat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/taking-notes-mcat\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking Notes for the MCAT"},"content":{"rendered":"

All pre-medical students know that taking notes is important. The majority of students cannot just sit in class or read a textbook without taking notes and expect to do well on an exam. Taking notes for the MCAT is just as essential. Okay, so now you know to pull out some paper and writing utensils. What do you write down though? We\u2019ll tell you in this post!<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Use a Computer, Handwrite Your Notes<\/h2>\n

\"Taking<\/p>\n

Photo by\u00a0Marco Arment<\/a><\/p>\n

You might have heard that there are benefits of taking notes by hand as opposed to using a computer. A recent study<\/a> showed that typing involves shallower processing of material because students had a tendency of taking verbatim notes. When taking notes by hand, students more thoroughly processed the information because they had to translate the material in their own words. If this doesn’t convince you, think about how much of the content tested on the MCAT is science. It\u2019s hard to learn biology, chemistry, and physics using only words. Diagrams are important and much easier to create on paper than on a computer.<\/p>\n

Includes Examples with Facts<\/h2>\n

The MCAT tests students\u2019 knowledge of basic scientific concepts. You will get some questions that require you to recall a specific fact. However, the exam focuses much more on your ability to apply your scientific knowledge. Your notes should reflect this as well. For example, you might write: \u201cmyelin is a white sheath over an axon that provides electrical insulation.\u201d This definition is fine. Your understanding of myelin would be improved, though, if you also included an example such as: \u201cpatients that suffer from demyelinating diseases have problems conducting signals in their nervous system, leading to symptoms including muscle weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Make Your Notes Easy to Read<\/h2>\n

Your notes are supposed to help you as a study aid. If they are not easy to read, then you aren\u2019t taking notes properly. Here are few ways to help organize and clean up your notes:<\/p>\n

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  • Tables:<\/strong> There are many topics on the MCAT that involve comparisons. A table is a nice way to showcase the similarities and differences.<\/li>\n
  • Diagrams:<\/strong> Diagrams are great for both physics and biochemistry. You need to know all the metabolic pathways in cellular respiration and diagrams is the best way to go. The same is true for free body diagrams for physics.<\/li>\n
  • Color:<\/strong> Color-coding is always helpful with notes. Using a different color for your your headings and subheading will make your notes easier to read. Additionally, you can highlight key information to know. For biology, think about all the diagrams that could benefit from color (e.g. the flow of blood in the heart).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    For more, check out our video on how to take notes below!<\/p>\n