Take Questions; Not Notes!

I picked up an unassuming little book at the end of my master’s degree. It changed how I study. In the 10 years since, I’ve gotten 95% plus on such endeavors as professional certificates and material as mundane as driving theory, with minimal study and no stress.

The practical technique I developed revolves around taking questions, not notes. In its entirety:

• It is essentially a flash-card technique1.
• Jot down a question as you are reading, watching a video, or in a lecture2.
• Jot down a task if it can’t be phrased as a question.
• Do not take notes blindly (for the fear of missing something important); Let yourself engage with the material. Phrase a concise question with enough substance for you to retain the material you’re learning. If a question, a point of note, or a thought come to you, then use them, write them down.
• There is not enough time, it is not effective, and it is distracting to take complete notes3.
• If there are multiple points to an answer include a point count on the card, next to the question, so that you know you need that many points for a complete answer4.
• In batches, at regular intervals, sections, between videos, or at a break in a lecture, work through the questions and write down their answers.
• Review and revise these immediately! As above, read the question, write the answer, compare in batches, and revise any wording, phrasing, etc. Everyone has see Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve, well, this is a way to rehearse that is not going to bore you.
• Review and revise these at regular intervals moving forward5.
• Sit an exam to practice using what you’ve learnt or otherwise assess with an exercise sheet, a problem set, or an essay (or similar).
• Go back to find any more material you need in order to improve.
• Repeat.

This has been extremely effective. I learnt my stuff, I enjoyed it, and with a bit of time management in an exam it has gotten me excellent results.

A bit on the origin of this technique. That unassuming little book I picked up was called “Learn How to Study” by Derek Rowntree in its first edition. It was small, drastically smaller than all the other study books I found in the library months prior (including its later editions), which made it tractable. Like I hinted at, later editions became bloated, and the first edition is the one that is really worth it (though you might like to compare). Not only was it small, but it was in style called programmed learning, a sort of Socratic question and answer style that I found familiar. At the same time, I was reading another book, in a similar style. The Little Schemer which is a CS classic. It became really clear that this style worked well for me and this morphed into my unique technique.

It’s worked for learning the details of research (including memorizing authors and dates), mathematics (my original field), dry driving theory, programming languages and APIs. My retention is great and my study time is structured, predictable, and minimal. It hasn’t worked for foreign languages, and it has not worked for everyone, but it might work for you. If this specific technique doesn’t work for you, pick up Rowtree’s book, and develop your own6.