Note-taking for BUEPT Listening: the two-column method
The BUEPT listening block rewards structure, not shorthand. Here is the two-column note system our top-decile candidates converge on.
The mistake most first-time BUEPT candidates make is trying to transcribe. Transcription costs attention. Notation costs one second per idea.
The two columns
Split the page. Left column: facts and numbers. Right column: relationships — cause, contrast, example, sequence. Use arrows and symbols, not words.
What to write
- Named entities, dates, numbers, and single-word verbs.
- Contrast markers as
≠, cause as→, example asex:. - Speaker changes as a horizontal line.
What to skip
Adjective piles, greetings, self-corrections. Your notes are a scaffolding, not a script.
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