AP Notes?

I've never done AP world history, but I've been through university (albeit maths...) and I got okay at bio notes for the uk equivalent, i think.

i'd suggest everytime a key or interesting point is noted, make a bullet point and elaborate to the point where you'll remember what was said. have a text book or course book along side it so you can reference that rather than write it all down. headings are really useful to break it up, and go over it an fill in blanks before you forget after class.

don't expect to write it all down, just triggers and points of discussion/interest from class. Super duper detail is what the text books are for!

I do lots of bullet points, short and sweet. and regular heading so there not too big a chunk, and use your space so it's easier to re-read.

Hope this helps!

 

Here's what works for me in my college classes, you could try it out if you want. It's a pretty low-maintenance system:

When you do the reading for class outside of school, write down the main points of each section you read and whatever seems like you'd be required to know it for class. You don't have to rewrite the whole book, the point for these is to trigger your memories of what you read. If you write down "Charlemagne is crowned first holy roman emperor in 800 AD" you'll remember the section read about that whole part. You can even add page numbers to where you found the info so you can go back and reread if you forget.

Then when you go to class, write down stuff that your teacher says about whatever it is you're talking about. Again, you don't have to write everything word for word, just the important bits that will remind you of what you heard.

Then, at home, combine the reading notes you took with the class notes you took. You'll likely be talking in class about stuff you read, so you can match up sections of what you have in each set.

Then you'll have the full set of notes to study for whatever chapter or subject you've been learning about.

It sounds like a lot, but it's not really. You can even type it if that's faster for you and you can add in the page numbers from your reading notes so that you can reference the text if you forgot what your notes are about or you just want to refresh it in your mind before a test or paper.

 

Take abbreviated notes so that it's less writing and it's quicker- just make sure that you know what it all means. For example I shortened the names of every country I studed to just 2 letters, and I would leave out words from sentences if they weren't necessary. And of course make sure to get down all the important stuff like names and dates.