The right technique for taking notes will vary by professor. You will be able to tell after your first test what things in their presentation they deemed important. From then, you will be able to tell what you should focus on in your note taking.

 

But, you certainly do not want to “wing it” up until the first test…because that probably would not reflect well in your grade.

 

It is hard to find the balance between writing down too much and writing down too little. Most professors will highlight the points they think are important in some way. If they use a PowerPoint presentation or slides, you can bet that the things that have written on it are the important parts. They will say a whole lot more, but what made it to the slide, especially in bold, is definitely keeper material for your notes.

 

Another way professors highlight important facts is to repeat them in some way. Whether they stop and actually say what they want you to understand twice in a row, or whether they make a larger case that comes back to the original point, you can be sure what they mention more than once is important.