We all know that the HSC and VCE are marathons, not sprints. But while we often talk about things like subject selection, exam strategy and past paper drills, we don’t always zoom in on something just as important — how you actually take notes.
Good note-taking is more than just scribbling down what your teacher says or copying slides word-for-word. It’s a skill, and (trust us!) when done well, it can save you hours of revision stress, boost memory, and actually help you understand your subjects better. Whether you’re someone who likes to organise things by the book, or a visual learner who thrives off flowcharts and colour-coded diagrams, there’s a note-taking method out there that suits you.
Here’s a deep dive into the most popular and effective styles — and how Notes2u supports them all.
How it works
Split your page into three sections:
This format encourages active engagement during and after class. You’re not just writing — you’re organising, questioning, and reflecting.
Perfect for: Students who like structured, logical layouts. Great for humanities subjects like English, Legal Studies or History, where you’re processing big ideas and forming arguments.
Pros:
✅ Forces you to review and summarise
✅ Easy to revise with
✅ Great for self-testing
Cons:
❌ Time-consuming to format
❌ Not as useful for highly visual or math-heavy subjects
How it works
You organise information by indentation and bullet points. Main ideas sit at the top, sub-points and details are listed underneath.
Example:
Perfect for: Students who like hierarchy and simplicity. Works well for subjects like Business Studies, Economics, Psychology, or Biology.
Pros:
✅ Keeps things neat and tidy
✅ Makes relationships between ideas clear
✅ Easy to adapt for essay planning
Cons:
❌ Doesn’t suit visual learners
❌ Can become messy with too much info
How it works
Start with your main idea in the centre of the page. Branch out into subtopics, then details, using lines, arrows, images, and colour.
Perfect for: Visual and creative thinkers. Great for subjects like Visual Arts, Studies of Religion, English, and Geography — basically, anything with big ideas that connect together.
Pros:
✅ Encourages creativity
✅ Helps visualise complex relationships
✅ Great for brainstorming and essay planning
Cons:
❌ Hard to use for very content-heavy subjects
❌ Some people find them too chaotic
How it works
You draw up a table with columns like “Date,” “Event,” “Significance,” or “Formula,” “Application,” “Example.”
Perfect for: Content-dense, comparative subjects. Think Modern History timelines, Chemistry formulas, or comparing case studies in Legal Studies.
Pros:
✅ Great for sorting and comparing lots of information
✅ Helps clarify patterns
✅ Ideal for revision sheets
Cons:
❌ Requires planning
❌ Not great for exploratory or abstract subjects
Not technically a full method on its own, but still incredibly powerful. Drawing diagrams of biological systems, legal processes, chemical structures, or even theme maps in English helps embed information in your memory.
Perfect for: Visual learners and hands-on thinkers. Works especially well for science subjects, CAFS, PDHPE, and Visual Arts.
Pros:
✅ Engages different parts of the brain
✅ Reduces dense chunks of text
✅ Can make boring content more interesting
Cons:
❌ Can take a long time
❌ Needs to be backed up by proper explanation
STEM-heavy subjects require a slightly different approach — these are areas where logic, precision, and application matter just as much as theory.
Top strategies:
Perfect for: Maths Methods, Specialist Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering Studies, and Data Science.
Pro Tip: Keep a running summary page for each topic with key definitions, rules, and go-to strategies. This becomes gold during revision.
There’s no “best” method — only what works best for you. Here’s a quick guide:
| You Are… | Try This Method |
|---|---|
| Logical and analytical | Cornell or Outlining |
| Creative and visual | Mind Mapping or Diagrams |
| Efficient and structured | Charting |
| A mix of all the above | Combine methods across subjects |
And remember — your note-taking style isn’t set in stone. Many students find that using a blend of techniques works best: outlining for class notes, charting for exam prep, and mind mapping when stuck in writer’s block.
At Notes2u, we get that no two students learn the same way — which is why our notes aren’t one-size-fits-all. Whether you want dot-point summaries, diagram-packed science notes, or mind-map style study guides, we’ve got you covered.
We have:
And if you’re just not sure where to start — no stress. Our resources are written by high-scoring grads and filtered by subject and syllabus dot point, so you can find exactly what you need, in the style that suits you best.
Note-taking might feel like a small detail, but it’s one of the biggest behind-the-scenes secrets to exam success. Good notes = clearer thinking, better memory, less panic before trials.
So don’t just copy and paste what you see on the board. Choose a method (or a few), test them out, and build your own personalised study toolkit.
And if you ever need inspiration, motivation, or just some beautifully laid-out notes? You know where to find us 💜