Below is an image depicting how to set up your paper for Cornell Notes. After the image are step-by-step directions and explanations. You will also see a PDF that you can download at the bottom of the page. The PDF also has explanations, directions, and an example.
Before the notetaking session, draw a line down the left side of the page approximately 2 1/2″ from the edge of the paper and stopping about 2″ from the bottom of the page. Draw another line across the page at that point so that it looks like you've created a footer. Use the larger, right hand section of the page to take your notes in whatever way works best for that class.
The Cornell Method does not involve anything more complex at this point than constructing the lines, so it can be easily adapted without complication if you are new to the format. You can use informal outline notes for the note taking itself or another method that works well for you.
Then, after class, you will fill in the information for the Cue Column (left space) and the Summary Statement area (the footer). The Cue Column on the left is for key questions or comments about the main points from the notes you have taken. By responding to your notes in the Cue Column, you’ll be be generating potential test questions, identifying definitions or key terms, and creating key points for later study.
Then summarize the main points from the notes on that page in one or two sentences in the Summary section.
By doing both of these actions, you’ll be both answering potential exam questions and reviewing and organizing ideas for yourself. The fifteen to twenty minutes you spend reviewing, commenting on, and summarizing your notes right after class will help you learn and remember ideas later on.
The next step in Cornell Notetaking reinforces what you learned from the last note-taking session and shows what you still need to study in order to create lasting knowledge and understanding. Cover the right side of your notes without reviewing them first. Then use the questions or terms in the Cue Column to test your recall by writing down what you remember. After you self-test, review your notes and compare your answers to your original notes. This self-test truly helps your memory and understanding of the notes you have taken. If you look over your notes first, all you will be learning is that you can read and remember for a few seconds. You won’t know what you know until you test yourself without reviewing your notes first.
At the end of the week, do another self-test and review. This will help you figure out what information you have retained and what information you have forgotten. Remember that you should test first and then review so that you know what you need to study and what you have already stored in your memory. Some further quick self-testing sessions in the weeks before an exam builds a strong foundation of knowledge before you begin those last, intensive study sessions shortly before the exam. That is when the extra effort of self-testing and reviewing really begins to pay off.