We recently outlined an effective note-taking strategy. No matter how tempting it is, you should not try to memorize lessons without taking notes as a back-up. This may lead to careless errors.
Today we’ll focus on how to take notes for Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension questions.
Notes in Critical Reasoning
In general, if a sentence is too long, you should break it down into small, manageable bits and take brief notes on each section. You should summarize briefly; do not rewrite anything.
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For example, Boldface Type Questions require very careful reading of the material. You should think about the relationships among the sentences to see how each boldface section relates to the other portions of the passage.
On your notes, scribble down the key points, including:
Is the boldface section a premise or conclusion?
Does it agree with or negate anything that came before or after it?
What purpose does the first boldface section serve and what is its relationship to the other boldface and to the other sentences?
Notes in Reading Comprehension
Taking notes in the Reading Comprehension section can be very useful.
Since more than 95% of all correct answers for Main Idea and Structure questions come from the first two sentences of the paragraphs, your first step is to read the first two sentences of each paragraph and take notes on each.
Make sure you only paraphrase and do not copy everything word-for-word. The point is to get a brief summary of what you have read.
Pay attention to any of sentences that have opposition conjunctions like however, but and although.
This should be enough for a general mapping of the text and should help you locate many of the detail-related questions.
Before you get the hang of note-taking, don't worry about timing. Your timing will improve as you practice. Most people complain about the fact that note-taking takes more time, but in the end, it will actually save you time and make you more precise.
All content from: https://gmat.economist.com/blog/test-taking-skills/note-taking-and-gmat-part-ii
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