Can't live with them, can't graduate without them. We're talking tests here. Like it or not (and most would say not!), tests are an important academic assessment tool. Your performance on tests demonstrates how well you understand material, your ability to accomplish tasks, and how you absorb and interpret information. Knowing the material is key, but often that's not enough to ace an exam. Also essential is good preparation, which gets your brain ready and clears the way for calm and confidence. Here, are some tips to prep you for any test.
First of all keep in mind that good students begin the test preparation process several days before the actual test. It is a good idea to review your notes every day. Keep in mind that this is simply something to help you jog your memory about the day's topics. That way, you give your brain another chance to soak up the information. Hopefully, doing this review will make future studying less time consuming and less of a learning process. When you study for a test, you shouldn't be learning something completely new. Frantic last-minute cramming of new material results in faulty understanding, poor recall, and low exam grades. It is faster and easier to recall something you have already learned than to learn something entirely new.
Where you study is important. Find a place that's readily available with minimal distractions. A popular place for most students to study is at home. However, for some, home can be too distracting as it's easy to get side tracked. What may help is if you study in a place that's similar to the place where you're going to take the test. When you study, you might associate certain topics with the environment. So if you take the test in a similar environment, you can more easily retrieve these associations. For example, if you're going to write a test in a lecture room, it may help to study in a lecture room (if at all possible!)
Some people study well in a group since they can get help from others in areas in which they are lacking. They may also gain valuable insight from others on what they have overlooked and which critical areas to focus on for the test. On the other hand, some people study well alone. They already know what they have to study and find a group can be distracting (especially when they engage in off-topic conversation or try to do absolutely everything but study!) You're the one who knows yourself the best, so determine what works best for you and get to it!
There are various methods you can use when studying. For example, when studying for a test you may like to read through your textbook, read through course notes, answer textbook questions, re-do past assignments, review previous tests, research online, or just talk to friends or teachers about the topic. You can also use memory-improving techniques like mnemonics, visualization, and association to recall everything you need. Trying a combination of these different studying methods(and then tracking your results) will really assist you in doing well. When you study a large body of information, you should study from concept to detail, not the other way around. It will, in fact, be much easier to learn the details if you take the time to learn the concept and theory first. The least efficient approach to studying is to attempt to memorize your notes from beginning to end. It's not the words which are important - it's the ideas.
A tried and true method that works for most is studying small sections at a time, rather than trying to ingest large pieces of information. For most students, studying large pieces at a time can overwhelm your brain and you begin forgetting the topics you studied first. This can become easily frustrating and derail you from your goal. Studying small pieces of information, then taking a break to do something else, gives your brain a chance to rest and properly absorb the new material it has just learned. Try also rehearsing what you study. If needed, speak what you have learned out loud and repeat it often. The more times you speak it out loud, the more likely it is to be easier to recall during test time.
First of all keep in mind that good students begin the test preparation process several days before the actual test. It is a good idea to review your notes every day. Keep in mind that this is simply something to help you jog your memory about the day's topics. That way, you give your brain another chance to soak up the information. Hopefully, doing this review will make future studying less time consuming and less of a learning process. When you study for a test, you shouldn't be learning something completely new. Frantic last-minute cramming of new material results in faulty understanding, poor recall, and low exam grades. It is faster and easier to recall something you have already learned than to learn something entirely new.
Where you study is important. Find a place that's readily available with minimal distractions. A popular place for most students to study is at home. However, for some, home can be too distracting as it's easy to get side tracked. What may help is if you study in a place that's similar to the place where you're going to take the test. When you study, you might associate certain topics with the environment. So if you take the test in a similar environment, you can more easily retrieve these associations. For example, if you're going to write a test in a lecture room, it may help to study in a lecture room (if at all possible!)
Some people study well in a group since they can get help from others in areas in which they are lacking. They may also gain valuable insight from others on what they have overlooked and which critical areas to focus on for the test. On the other hand, some people study well alone. They already know what they have to study and find a group can be distracting (especially when they engage in off-topic conversation or try to do absolutely everything but study!) You're the one who knows yourself the best, so determine what works best for you and get to it!
There are various methods you can use when studying. For example, when studying for a test you may like to read through your textbook, read through course notes, answer textbook questions, re-do past assignments, review previous tests, research online, or just talk to friends or teachers about the topic. You can also use memory-improving techniques like mnemonics, visualization, and association to recall everything you need. Trying a combination of these different studying methods(and then tracking your results) will really assist you in doing well. When you study a large body of information, you should study from concept to detail, not the other way around. It will, in fact, be much easier to learn the details if you take the time to learn the concept and theory first. The least efficient approach to studying is to attempt to memorize your notes from beginning to end. It's not the words which are important - it's the ideas.
A tried and true method that works for most is studying small sections at a time, rather than trying to ingest large pieces of information. For most students, studying large pieces at a time can overwhelm your brain and you begin forgetting the topics you studied first. This can become easily frustrating and derail you from your goal. Studying small pieces of information, then taking a break to do something else, gives your brain a chance to rest and properly absorb the new material it has just learned. Try also rehearsing what you study. If needed, speak what you have learned out loud and repeat it often. The more times you speak it out loud, the more likely it is to be easier to recall during test time.
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