The reason you go to lectures is to take notes and hear what is going to be on the test.  Your notes will remind you what you learned in class when you are preparing for your test.  For this reason, you need to take proper notes.  6 years and hundreds of note books later, we have come up with some valuable note taking tips:

• Write clearly.  You don't want to be straining to read your notes when studying for a test, especially if you are pulling an all-nighter .  
• Outline.  Writing everything the teacher says will take away from actually learning the material.  Write a brief outline so that you may go to your textbook and research it in detail.
• Listen.  Focusing on your notes and those cool doodles will take your focus off of some material that might be on the test.
• Don't waste space.  If you are in a math lecture, you do not need to write 2+2 =4 as this is something you know.  Only write the material which is confusing or new to you.

Note taking is not a chore nor a necessity.  You do not have to take notes, but you will be glad you did come test time.

The purpose of note taking is to help you remember what you learned in class.  If you took notes properly, they should be clear, concise and in an outlined format.  If this is the case, half the battle is over.

Your notes and textbook or other material should go hand in hand when studying for your test.  Use the notes as an outline for studying.  Research the topic in your textbook, then continue onto the next topic in your notes.  You will find that you skip over a lot of information that you already know and will greatly decrease the time spend studying for the test.

If you have read the first two tips, then you know what not to do.  However, here is a quick reference list:

• Using someone else's notes.  Having someone else take notes for you is a mistake as you will probably not be able to read, but it will make no sense.  It is like looking at someone else's vacation pictures without explanation... it's lame!
• Losing Focus.  If you lose your focus on what the teacher is saying, you will get completely lost in your note taking outline.
• Writing down everything.  Simply write down what you are going to use and what is new or confusing to you.  If you write more, you will get bored and start fading out to a tropical island in the Mediterranean.