Write down the numbers and relationships that are likely to matter again, not every value you see on the screen.

Over-noting creates two costs: it consumes time and makes it harder to find the important information later. The purpose of notes is to reduce cognitive load, not to recreate the entire assessment on paper.

If an exhibit gives revenue, margin, growth, and five regional values but the question focuses on one region, capture the relevant regional figures and any company-wide benchmark you need for comparison.

Use a simple note format with labels and units. Before copying a number, ask whether you need it for the current calculation, a comparison, or a later decision. If not, leave it on the screen. If useful, this guide on case interview preparation gives more detail.

My notes got way cleaner once I stopped copying every number.