Cornell notes template

The layout

Cornell notes use three regions. The notes column, on the right and about two thirds of the width, is what you write during class. The cue column, on the left, is filled afterward with questions or keywords. The summary, across the bottom, is a few sentences in your own words. Walter Pauk developed the method at Cornell University and described it in How to Study in College. Searches for cornell notes template, template for cornell notes, cornell notes sample, and sample cornell notes are this layout.

In Notion, a two-column page works: a narrow column of toggle headings or a bulleted cue list, a wide column for notes, and a callout at the bottom for the summary. A table with two columns also works if you prefer rows. The class notes properties (course, date, topic) sit above either layout.

A sample, and how to review it

The sketch is a sample about cell membranes, not a set of facts to memorize from this site. Cover the notes column and answer the cues. That is the review. If you cannot answer a cue, the note underneath is the thing to reread, then schedule a short session on the study planner.

Write cues as questions. 'Membrane' is a label. 'What does the membrane keep out?' is a cue you can fail, which is the point. Write the summary without looking, in three lines or fewer.

How to set it up

1. During class, use only the notes column. Sentences and examples. Leave the cue column empty so you are not inventing questions in real time.
2. After class, write cues. One question per idea you might be tested on.
3. Write the summary last. A few sentences, from memory. If you cannot, the notes are still a transcript.
4. Review by covering the notes. Answer the cues out loud. Check the notes only after you try.