How to review lecture notes effectively is a secret that I only uncovered very late in my studies.
But you don’t have to make the same mistakes that I did, and many others still do.
I wish I had known the techniques that I am about to show you much earlier.
In this video, I’ll show you 5 strategies to transform the chaos in your notebook and your mind into structured knowledge and A+ grades.
Why Revising Lectures is the Key to Success
Knowing how to review lecture notes properly is the missing piece to your puzzle. During the lecture, you collect the other pieces—facts, concepts, ideas.
In your revision, you assemble these into a meaningful whole.
This process is crucial for a deeper understanding and the long-term retention of the material.
Active learning is the key here: It’s not just about absorbing information, which you do during the lecture, but truly processing and applying it, after the lecture.
When Should you Review Your Lecture Notes?
The ideal time to revise your lecture notes is as soon as possible after attending the lecture.
Why?
Your brain processes fresh information most effectively. Based on Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve, you should ideally begin within 24 hours.
Otherwise, according to this curve, you might forget about half of the lecture material within a day.
Starting your revision right after the lecture provides the best foundation for effectively embedding the information in your long-term memory.
Additionally, instructors are generally more available during the lecture period than during the exam period, when suddenly all students come with questions.
If you still don’t understand something after reviewing the lecture, it’s best to ask the teaching staff directly or attend their next office hour.
How Much Time Should You Spend on Revising Lectures?
You might be wondering, “How long should I spend revising my lectures?”
A good rule of thumb is to allocate at least half the duration of the lecture for revision. So if the lecture was 90 minutes long, try to block about 45 minutes for review within the next 24 hours.
Remember: quality over quantity.
It’s not about grinding for hours, but truly understanding the material.
If you find a topic particularly challenging, take more time. If something is clear right away, you can go through it more quickly.
During revision, you might apply techniques like the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break. Another session, and that’s it.
This helps you stay focused and productive. It’s important that you don’t just spend your time reading the script over and over. Instead, you should actively engage with the material during your revision time.
5 Strategies for Revising Your Lecture Notes Like a Pro
#1 Clarify Uncertainties
If you noticed any uncertainties or had questions during the lecture, now is the perfect time to clear things up.
If the lecture notes aren’t enough, look into the specialized literature recommended by your instructor. Sometimes the topics there are complex but explained from a different perspective.
Look for a YouTube tutorial or ask Perplexity AI.
These sources often present the material in an understandable and beginner-friendly way. And if you still have questions, don’t hesitate to get help from others.
#2 Separate Important from Unimportant – Focus on the Exam Phase
You might be at the beginning of the semester and are just revising your notes from one of the first lectures. But this is exactly when you can be smart and keep the exam period in mind.
Examine your lecture notes closely to see where the instructor placed their focus, where they explained many examples, or referenced further readings.
All these can be clues as to what might be relevant for the exam.
It’s crucial to distinguish between central concepts and less important details to make the most of your study time.
Ask yourself which information contributes to a deeper understanding of the core topics and which is more supplementary.
This way, you can set your priorities correctly, for example, if you want to start your spaced repetition sessions early.
#3 Identifying Key Concepts and Central Ideas
The goal is to organize your lecture notes and check if they are complete. Focus on the main topics and central ideas of the lecture.
Begin by breaking down the lecture content into smaller segments.
Examine each topic or section individually and ask yourself:
- What is the main message?
- Which examples support this idea?
This analytical approach helps you understand the structure of the study material and distinguish important information from less important details.
After you have identified the central ideas, consider how they relate to each other.
- Are there connections between different topics or concepts?
- How do these pieces fit into the larger picture of the course?
Making such connections is crucial for deep understanding and helps you develop a comprehensive view of the material. Try representing these connections with a mind map.
#4 Making Your Lecture Revision Tangible
When revising your lecture notes, try to integrate examples or analogies to facilitate understanding of complex topics.
Ensure that these examples are closely linked to the study materials. Sometimes, using everyday situations can help make theoretical concepts tangible.
For instance, if you are trying to understand a specific economic principle, relate it to real-life shopping behavior in a supermarket.
Such real-life examples help you better understand and remember abstract ideas.
#5 Test Yourself
Pose questions about the study material to yourself and try to answer them without looking at your notes.
Focus on complex questions that require deeper understanding. By attempting to explain the concepts in your own words, you gain a clear picture of how well you truly understand the topic.
A combination that many have found to be key to success is using the flashcard app Anki and the principle of active recall.
Use practice problems or past exams to test your knowledge and see where you stand. If you encounter difficulties, do not hesitate to review those topics again.
Honest self-assessment is crucial. It’s easy to overestimate yourself and assume you’ve understood a topic. But the real challenge is to challenge yourself and admit where more work is needed.
Tools and Resources for Lecture Revision
Having the right tools and resources is indispensable for mastering the question of how to review lecture notes effectively.
#1 Digital Note-Taking Apps
Let’s start with digital note-taking apps like Evernote or OneNote. These digital tools are perfect for organizing your notes, making them searchable, and enhancing them with additional information such as images or audio recordings.
Pull what you need from your university’s Learning Management System, like Moodle or Canvas, and feed it into your “Second Brain.”
This way, everything is in one place.
#2 Research Tools
If you want to dive deeper into a subject, online databases like Google Scholar are invaluable.
Here you have access to a vast array of academic articles and studies. And if you prefer having complex topics explained to you, check out platforms like Khan Academy or Coursera.
They convey complex topics in simple and understandable ways.
#3 Flashcard Tools
For the study sessions itself, try apps like Quizlet or Anki. They make reviewing material with flashcards and clever memory training methods really effective by leveraging Spaced Repetion with personalized algorithms that always suggest you to study a certain topic at the right time.
#4 AI Tools
Moreover, always keep an eye out for the latest AI tools. They can assist you in all areas, from summarizing and researching to reviewing the learned material.
Browse my channel for some ideas for AI prompts you can implement in your study routine.
#5 Other People
Last but not least: don’t forget the social aspect of learning!
Study groups offer a great way to interact with your peers and learn together. Learning is often easier together, and sometimes new perspectives and solutions emerge in a group setting.
Plus, procrastinating together is more fun than alone 🙂