Well hello there, Reader, I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to connect with you today.

Let's chat for a moment about note taking...

Becoming a great note taker is vital if you want to succeed on the listening section of the CELPIP exam.

And yes, you really do need to take notes during the listening section of the exam because there's just too many details for you to keep track of to rely on your memory alone.

But do you want a powerful secret that nobody ever seems to talk about to help you actually BECOME a great note taker?

Here it is: Get on the same page with yourself.

Huh?

Have you ever heard the expression: “I want to make sure we’re on the same page?” It means that you and someone else are in agreement about something.

Getting on the same page with yourself in this situation means that you take some time before you try taking notes to work out your own note taking language.

Here’s what I mean: don’t wait until you’re actually trying to take notes to be thinking about how you’re going to write information down, like what kinds of abbreviations or shorthand and symbols you will use. Taking time to set this up with yourself before you need it will save you lots of time and stress during the exam.

And there’s one more thing to this - once you’ve settled on your note taking approach, you should actually try and use it a few times in your practice sessions to make sure it works the way you need and want it to.

And if it doesn’t work - meaning it doesn’t help you to save time and capture key details as you listen, give yourself permission to change it!

Remember: this is 100% your note taking strategy! It only needs to work for you and nobody else! Make sure it does!

Just because you’ve seen someone abbreviate a word one way doesn’t mean you have to do it that way too if it doesn’t seem to make sense to you. Create your own style and get comfortable using it well before your exam day!

To summarize: Make sure you’re on the same page with yourself about how you’ll take notes BEFORE you actually start note taking practice, and for sure before you need it in the high pressure situation of the exam. And once you’ve settled on the system you’ll use, actually use it a few times to make sure it works.

The more comfortable you feel with your approach to taking notes, the easier exam day and the listening section will be for you!

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​Upcoming Event:

Our next live group class is Wednesday, February 19 at 6pm PST. I hope I'll see you there - but if you can't make it, a recording will be available for you.

CELPIP Class Listening Practice

Wednesday, February 19 · 6:00 – 7:00pm

Time zone: America/Vancouver

Google Meet joining info

Class Link: https://meet.google.com/eas-xuwr-jet