Note-Taking Under a Word Limit
A candidate listens to a 90-second voicemail from a supplier and must write a summary of exactly 40–50 words. The voicemail says: "We can ship 300 units on the 14th, or 500 on the 21st if you accept the higher freight rate. The 14th batch is the standard grade; the 21st would be the reinforced grade. Payment terms stay at 30 days either way." The candidate's draft reads: "Supplier offers 300 standard units on the 14th, or 500 reinforced units on the 21st at higher freight. Payment is 30 days. Please confirm which option." The draft is 28 words. The candidate wants to add detail to reach the minimum without inventing anything.
1. Does the draft accurately capture the offer? Justify each element.
Read the worked answer
Largely yes, with one point to verify.
- 300 units / 14th / standard grade - matches the voicemail.
- 500 units / 21st / reinforced grade - matches.
- Higher freight on the 21st option - matches; the voicemail ties the higher rate to the 500-unit date.
- 30-day payment - matches, and the voicemail says it applies either way, which the draft's flat statement preserves.
- "Please confirm which option" - this is the candidate's own action item, not supplier content. It is a reasonable summary move but is not a fact from the message.
No factual distortion is present, so the draft is a sound base to expand.
2. How should the candidate reach 40–50 words without adding new facts?
Read the worked answer
Expand by restating relationships already present, not by inventing detail.
Techniques that stay faithful:
- Make the trade-off explicit: the larger quantity requires accepting the higher freight rate.
- State that grade differs by date (standard on the 14th, reinforced on the 21st).
- Note that payment terms are unaffected by the choice.
Example expansion (46 words): "Supplier can ship 300 standard-grade units on the 14th, or 500 reinforced-grade units on the 21st if we accept a higher freight rate. Payment terms remain 30 days under either option. We need to confirm which date and grade we prefer."
What to avoid: adding prices, delivery times, or penalty clauses that were never mentioned. Padding with invented specifics would fail accuracy even though it meets the word count.