People prepare for TOEFL by drilling vocabulary and grammar, then wonder why they still lose points. Often the missing skill is note-taking. Almost every section either depends on it directly or rewards it — the integrated Speaking and Writing tasks are basically tests of how well you captured a source. Good notes turn a single listen into a usable answer.
Notes for the Listening section
Listen for structure, not every word
Trying to write everything down means you stop listening. Instead, catch the shape of the talk: what’s the main point, how many reasons or examples follow, and where does the speaker change direction. A lecture usually signals these with phrases like “the key thing is,” “for example,” or “on the other hand.”
Use symbols and abbreviations
Develop a quick shorthand — arrows for cause and effect, a plus sign for “and,” a question mark for doubt. Drop vowels from long words. The goal is speed, because the recording won’t wait for you.
Notes for the Reading section
You don’t always need to write much
The passage stays on screen, so heavy note-taking is less critical here. What helps is a one-line summary of each paragraph in the margin of your scratch paper — a mental map you can scan when a question sends you back to find a detail.
The two-column method for integrated tasks
Reading on the left, listening on the right
This is the single most useful habit for the integrated Writing and Speaking tasks. Split your paper down the middle. Note the reading’s points on the left, then the lecture’s responses on the right, lined up across from each other. When it’s time to write or speak, the connections are already laid out in front of you.
Practise the way you’ll perform
Don’t take notes neatly in full sentences during practice — that’s not what test day allows. Practise with the same scratch paper, the same time pressure, and the same single-listen rule. The aim is notes you can actually use under stress, not notes that look pretty afterward.