Basics on How to Study
By Joyce Woodford
Start on the first day of class.
- Do all the right stuff all along. You know... go to all the classes ... do all the homework...STUDY...from the beginning.
- Get enough sleep (that means about 8 hours every night) all along.
- Eat right. Yup, your Mom was right... You are what you eat.
- Each class meeting, ask yourself what might be on a test. Get the answer.
- Keep excellent class notes.
NOW, here's more on how you can LEARN AS YOU GO....
- Some things have to be memorized
- make lists of them
- use mnemonic devices to remember the lists
- give yourself enough time to memorize the information
- Have several study review sessions. Don't try to do it all at once.
- Study beyond simple recognition of the information.
- Know the teacher's style.
- Go to all the review sessions.
- Picture yourself doing well.
And while you're taking the test...
- Arrive early. Bring everything you need. Bring extra stuff too.
- Walk into the test knowing you genuinely have prepared your best.
- Be certain you understand all directions.
- Get settled and remain relaxed.
- Review the entire test and organize your thoughts before beginning.
- Know if you should guess what you don't know, or if there will be a penalty for guesses.
- Work steadily, skipping what you don't know and coming back to it.
- Look for clues in the questions.
- read questions carefully
- know exactly what is being asked:
- does the question have multiple parts?
- multiple negatives?
- qualifiers?
- absolutes?
- any key words or phrases?
- agreement clues (i.e., single or plural) ?
- space clues (i.e., long or short answer)?
- look for answer clues in other questions
- when you answer, provide too much information rather than too little
- be concrete and factual unless instructed otherwise
- remember tips your teacher gave - you studied and you ave prepared!!!
- Keep your work neat.
- Review your answers before you hand them in.
- Don't worry about what anyone else is doing in the test.
- Think positive. Do your best. Breathe.
Then AFTER an exam or quiz
- Follow up.
- What did you miss?
- Why did you miss it?
- What is the answer?
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