| Many students ask me, “Do I HAVE to take notes during the listening section?” The answer is YES, YES, and YES! You must take good notes. Studies show that if you do not, you will miss 50% of the information... |  By Kathy |
However, you cannot, and you SHOULD not, try to write down every word in full. Here are
some tips on using ABBREVIATIONS. When you are taking your notes during TOEFL, you can reduce the amount you write down by shortening words and sentences. Remember, do not write articles (the, a, an).
You can shorten words by writing the words without VOWELS.
For example:
GOVERNMENT= GVRNMNT
WESTERN= WSTRN
DEPARTMENT= DPRTMN
EDUCATION= EDCTN
PEOPLE= PPL
In addition to this trick, you can also use symbols to replace words:
∵ because
∴ therefore OR consequently
+ & and OR plus
? question OR doubt OR possibility
> greater than
< less than
$ dollars OR money OR cost
∆ change
↑ increase OR improvement
→ leads to OR causes
↓ decrease OR deterioration
↓↓ rapid decrease, decrease quickly
↛ does not lead to
= equal OR the same as
~ approximately OR around OR similar to
✓✓ definitely, proven
≠ not equal OR not the same as
X not
* note well OR remember this OR important
♂ / ♀ male / female
§ section
¶ paragraph / page / pages
WRT with respect to
@ at
etc. and so on
ex. For example, For instance, To illustrate
# number
1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd First, Second, Third
C Century
w/o without
w/ with
viz namely, specifically
It is very important that you know what the symbols stand for when you review your notes during the question section of the TOEFL listening. To make this more likely:
Practice your abbreviations before the test
Do not use too many or your notes will be confusing
Be consistent: Always use the same symbols to mean the same thing
some tips on using ABBREVIATIONS. When you are taking your notes during TOEFL, you can reduce the amount you write down by shortening words and sentences. Remember, do not write articles (the, a, an).
You can shorten words by writing the words without VOWELS.
For example:
GOVERNMENT= GVRNMNT
WESTERN= WSTRN
DEPARTMENT= DPRTMN
EDUCATION= EDCTN
PEOPLE= PPL
In addition to this trick, you can also use symbols to replace words:
∵ because
∴ therefore OR consequently
+ & and OR plus
? question OR doubt OR possibility
> greater than
< less than
$ dollars OR money OR cost
∆ change
↑ increase OR improvement
→ leads to OR causes
↓ decrease OR deterioration
↓↓ rapid decrease, decrease quickly
↛ does not lead to
= equal OR the same as
~ approximately OR around OR similar to
✓✓ definitely, proven
≠ not equal OR not the same as
X not
* note well OR remember this OR important
♂ / ♀ male / female
§ section
¶ paragraph / page / pages
WRT with respect to
@ at
etc. and so on
ex. For example, For instance, To illustrate
# number
1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd First, Second, Third
C Century
w/o without
w/ with
viz namely, specifically
It is very important that you know what the symbols stand for when you review your notes during the question section of the TOEFL listening. To make this more likely:
Practice your abbreviations before the test
Do not use too many or your notes will be confusing
Be consistent: Always use the same symbols to mean the same thing
