Note-taking is one of the essential skills to help you effectively solve the tasks in the PTE Listening and Speaking sections.
However, not everyone can get the most out of PTE notes without practice and valuable hacks.
This article will guide you on how to make good notes to crack your upcoming PTE exam.
(Click here to read our Vietnamese version)
Related: Try our PTE online mock test for FREE!
Why is note-taking important in a PTE test?
Pearson allows test takers to take notes in the following tasks:
- Re-tell Lecture (Speaking section)
- Summarize Spoken Text (Listening section)
- Multiple Choice – Multiple Answers (Listening section)
- Multiple Choice – Single Answers (Listening section)
- Highlight Correct Summary (Listening section)
Test centers will give you an erasable notepad and markers for taking notes purposes.
These note-taking tools are one of the hidden weapons to boost your PTE scores for several reasons.
Organize ideas in the Re-tell Lecture task
Once the lecture ends, you will only have 10 seconds to gather your ideas and determine what to say.
You may not feel ready if you do not jot down anything to guide you through it. Taking notes will help organize your thoughts logically to ensure you do not miss any important information in the lecture.
Collect the main ideas of the Listening tasks
You must listen to the recordings, understand the questions, and provide your responses during the PTE Listening part.
This may even be more challenging as you will encounter different native accents. Not to mention you only get one chance to listen to the recording.
Carefully listening and writing key ideas down is essential to pick up the important information and words in the audio. Effective note-taking will help you focus and better understand the logic of listening materials.
This way, you can grasp the content to answer all relevant questions in the Listening sections.
Related: PTE meaning and other important aspects of the test
Proper steps for taking notes in PTE
Note-taking sounds simple but a tricky process.
Some test takers excel at selecting information and arranging notes from books or online material. Whereas others find this task very daunting as they cannot determine the key points and always try to write down all words.
Indeed, making notes is not a complex task. Follow the following note-taking process to reflect on your ideas concisely but easily.
Before the lecture
Get your brain and note-taking tool ready before the audio starts! Always stay focused and set up your tools wisely for effective notes.
During the lecture
- Pay close attention
Concentrate on actively listening and thinking critically. Analyzing and questioning information helps you understand what you are listening to.
And remember to work your hand on the given notepad!
- Identify key information
Distinguish between key points and support points.
Lectures often begin with a helpful overview of a topic’s main ideas or themes of a topic. This helps you capture the ‘big picture’.
Important points will often be repeated many times, especially in the introduction and conclusion.
After the lecture
Reviewing your notes is a must to get the most out of them.
While the lecture is unclear in your mind, engage with them over and over again. Review aids in building your understanding and determine your notes’ logic.
Finally, you can grasp the main content and organize your thoughts to successfully solve the tasks in the Listening and Speaking sections.
PTE note-taking tips
You can be sure you’re taking notes properly if you follow the above rigorous process. But you can’t take quick yet valuable notes without applying the following tips.
Avoid noting everything you hear
Be selective! You cannot transcribe the entire lecture.
You will miss important elements in the lecture if you take too detailed notes, including unnecessary information.
Thus, pay close attention as you listen and jot down two crucial points: the lecture’s core topic (most mentioned) and its keywords.
Make brief notes only
Your notes should be in quick shorthand using single words, symbols, or phrases to help you memorize easily.
The most important task is to listen carefully!
Use acronyms
Acronyms will give you an edge to take quick notes in the PTE Academic Listening and Speaking sections. Your brain can comprehend information faster thanks to acronyms.
Yet, ensure you are familiar with all acronyms. You can develop the habit of using acronyms while chatting with friends or making a list of acronyms to memorize.
For example:
Information = info
Government = gv
Marketing = mkt
Use symbols
Besides acronyms, You can speed up your notes by using basic symbols like up and down arrows or math symbols.
For example:
Percentage = %
Increase = ↑ or ↗
Decrease = ↓ or↘
Dollar = $
Use your native tongue
You can freely use your mother tongue to take notes. However, do not be too confident that your brain can process your mother tongue fast!
Be as concise as possible! Do not try to stuff information!
Practice taking notes and memorizing
While it may seem simple, taking notes requires practice. To organize and stimulate your memory, frequent practice before your exam day is a must to organize and stimulate your memory.
Conclusion
PTE notes will be like a word game if you master our note-taking guides and tips.
Nevertheless, before writing good notes, you should first be an effective listener.
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