11. USE YOUR OWN WORDS. Take down notes in your own words unless you are given a technical definition - then you must use your instructor's words.

12. SIT NEAR THE FRONT OF THE CLASSROOM. You will feel more involved in the class if you sit near the front. Research shows that people who sit up front get better grades than those who sit near the back.

13. DON'T RECOPY YOUR NOTES. And don't tape-record lectures. Again, research shows that it is a much better use of time to take notes once and fill in sketchy parts soon after class than to recopy them or transcribe them from tape-recordings.

14. GO BACK OVER YOUR NOTES. Fill in details and examples soon after class is over. Don't wait. Also, review yesterday's notes for just a few minutes while waiting for today's lecture to begin.

15. LEAVE A LARGE LEFT-HAND MARGIN (2 INCHES). When you study from your notes you can put words or short phrases in the left-hand margin. Then you can cover the notes with a blank piece of paper and test yourself - seeing if you can remember the important facts and theories in your notes by just looking at the trigger words in the left-hand column.

16. IF YOU CAN'T REMEMBER THE EXACT PHRASE for a fill-in-the-blank question, write in what you can or any explanation of what you do remember.

17. READ ALL THE ALTERNATIVES for multiple-choice questions. The best answer may come last. And look for grammatical clues in the questions and answers (e.g., plurals and singulars).