Mohamed,

 

You must understand the flow of the talk and focus on the content words (verbs, nouns, adjectives) and not on connectors. Depending on the talk or conversation, try to globalize ideas not full sentences. As I wrote in the article, word maps and flow charts may work well. Have you ever heard of dictogloss? It's a kind of exercise in which you practice rapid note-taking while another person reads a text at normal speed. In the beginning you may miss lots of words, but as any other skill, it requires practice.

interesting article thanks Frank...

i know taking notes are very useful but sometimes it made me miss parts of the ongoing conversation :/

Thanks for the article. What confuses me is the number of tests one can take. Is there a way of knowing which test is the right one for me? I want to be well-suited for the international market but can't decide between CPE and TOEFL.

Very helpful, thanks a lot!

Awesome tips!