Miss Hector's Guide to Successful Studying
Unfortunately, proximity to knowledge (i.e. sitting near a textbook) will not make you smarter.
Studying is a skill.
Here are a few tips and tricks I've picked up over MANY rounds of exams.
Simple Steps for Making a Successful Study Timetable Step 1 Figure out what you need to know for each of the exams you're going to sit. For example, Year 12 Bio students will write something like this:
Step 2
Assign points to each exam paper you're sitting based on how hard or easy you find it. For a paper that you already understand quite well and you only need to practice answering questions to confirm you know it, give it a 1. For a paper that is huge and you really struggle with, give it a 4 or 5. Adjust the numbers until you feel like you've sorted the really tough topics from the moderate and easy ones. Step 3 Figure out how much time you have. Draw up a calendar from today until your last exam. Block out any time you know you're busy, e.g. school, work, sports, time away etc. Also block out a "free period". I have always refused to study on Friday afternoons. It was my sane time and I could feel good knowing that I had planned around having a lazy day. Others might prefer to make weekends half days. I recommend breaking each day into a morning and afternoon study session - anything more can get a bit complex, though some people do prefer to study in the evening. Step 4 Give the period before each exam a full period to sit a practice exam under exam conditions - no cheating! Putting yourself in the right frame of mind and marking your exam is a big help for the actual exam. If you have two exams in one day, give the morning before to one subject and the afternoon to the other. Step 5 Find out what's left. Count up all your spare study sessions. How does it compare to your paper point total? Chances are you're having a panic attack now. Don't worry! You may have to squeeze some topics together or cut down on rest days to make it fit but you'll figure out a way to make it work. Step 6 Start filling in your timetable. Work backwards from each exam. For example, in my timetable AgHort is well after the others so can fill in those times without taking up earlier study spaces. English is first so it needs more attention while school is still going. Mixing things up really helps because it beats tedious repetition - for example, you might be all out of English thinking but your brain's still got plenty of juice to do maths problems. |
The Basic Ingredients for Success (no, sorry, it's not sugar and caffeine) WHO? You!! You're the only one who can put what you need to know in your brain, so it's all up to you! But you're not alone. Use your friends, your family, your teachers and the millions of faceless geniuses at your beck and call on the internet to help you answer your questions. I can guarantee you won't be the first person to ask the question you're stuck on. Also try The Forum. WHAT? Do something ACTIVE! Reading alone is not enough. Unless you have a photographic memory, when you read, your brain says "yup, that seems all in order" and then promptly deletes everything when you close your book. You need to actively challenge your brain. Make and use match cards, dominoes, flashcards, crosswords, rhymes, fill-in-the-blanks, cartoons, songs, bright colours, poems, posters, mnemonics, essays, limericks, drawings, acronyms, bad jokes, word finds, mind maps, raps, puzzles, quizzes, games.... ANYTHING to make your brain do something with the information it needs to know. quizlet.com and quia.com are a great place to start (just be sure you pick the right level - some of it might be tougher than you need to know). THEN, do practice exams. You just have to. WHERE? Somewhere without distractions. Some people like loud music, others need silence. Some need to spend the first "study day" hysterically cleaning their space until not a pencil's out of place, others hunker down in a paper-lined nest of chaos. Some snack, some don't. Find what works for you. The point is, you need to be mentally focused on what you're doing. So stay away from the TV and The Dreaded Book of Face. WHEN? When the time has come. See the left column to learn how to organize your study timetable. HOW? The best way for your brain, of course! We're not all wired the same, so the obsessive-compulsive list-making that works for me, won't necessarily work for you. Go to http://www.vark-learn.com, click the triangle on the right and complete the questionnaire. It will tell you how your brain functions (often more than one mode - I'm reader/writer and visual) and give you tips on the best ways for you to study. WHY? |
VOILA! Study timetabled! |
Timetable downloadable, ready to edit for your needs.
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However, you now face the (daunting) task of sticking to it. Your best bet is make each session short, sharp and productive. Just because it's timetabled for all afternoon, doesn't mean you need to spend 6 hours stuck at your desk.
Note: Marking work and teaching other people are two of the best possible ways to really get to know your stuff. Playing teacher is a super productive study technique, so I thoroughly recommend getting together for group study sessions. Just make sure it stays focused for at least half the time you're together!
One last thing....
Your ATTITUDE is the most important tool for your success. So here are a few thoughts to help stay positive.
1) Your time is worthwhile.
You've sat through the classes, the tests, the tutorials, the experiments, the videos etc. etc. Make sure you get something to show for it. Don't set yourself back a year or come out empty-handed because this last hurdle is tricky.
2) Know thyself.
No one can tell if you truly understand something better than you can. Just keep asking yourself "Does this make sense?" Eventually you'll get to a point where you can say "Of course it does" and enjoy the feeling of wondering why you didn't get it the first time around. Feel free to move on in confidence. If you're still stuck - ask for help!
3) Be kind to yourself.
Some days, you just can't study. Instead of wasting your time getting angrier and more frustrated and cursing the day the Devil put the alphabet in maths, go do something you enjoy. Refresh your mind, body and spirit and make a deal with yourself that you'll make it up another day, but today is for you. Guilt is an excellent motivator, so chances are you will make it up and it'll be far more productive than smashing your head against the brick wall of No Motivation.
4) Challenge accepted.
It might not be very PC or very fair, but it sometimes helps to think of exams as a war on examiners. You are not some ant that they can crush with their wily ways. You are a mighty warrior and will beat them at their own game. Sometimes a bit of competitive aggression is just what you need to memorize organic compounds, Shakespeare quotes or treaty dates. Try challenging your friends too!
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- Find out what you don't know or understand as quickly as possible by checking your learning objectives, looking at previous tests or homework you've done or by flicking through the textbook questions. There's no point studying the stuff you already understand and wimping out and avoiding the hard stuff. Make sure you have time to cover ALL your sub-topics in depth.
- Make it your goal by the end of your session to be a whiz on that particular sub-topic.
- Then spend that time challenging your brain with all the types of mental work outs listed under "What?" above.
- Check that you've reached your goal by tackling some exam-type questions AND marking them and then get on with enjoying your sunny afternoon, feeling good that you've tackled one mighty topic and come out the winner.
- By marking work you get a really good idea of where you're lacking knowledge. Before your exam make a small, credit card size piece of paper which you wish you could have in your exam. DON"T TAKE IT INTO YOUR EXAM BY ACCIDENT!! The very act of making a cheat sheet helps you condense the info into something more manageable. And if you take that to the exam as your last glance before you go in, it will be very fresh in your memory and not as terrifying as looking at your whole note collection and panicking about having to know it all 5 minutes before you go in.
Note: Marking work and teaching other people are two of the best possible ways to really get to know your stuff. Playing teacher is a super productive study technique, so I thoroughly recommend getting together for group study sessions. Just make sure it stays focused for at least half the time you're together!
One last thing....
Your ATTITUDE is the most important tool for your success. So here are a few thoughts to help stay positive.
1) Your time is worthwhile.
You've sat through the classes, the tests, the tutorials, the experiments, the videos etc. etc. Make sure you get something to show for it. Don't set yourself back a year or come out empty-handed because this last hurdle is tricky.
2) Know thyself.
No one can tell if you truly understand something better than you can. Just keep asking yourself "Does this make sense?" Eventually you'll get to a point where you can say "Of course it does" and enjoy the feeling of wondering why you didn't get it the first time around. Feel free to move on in confidence. If you're still stuck - ask for help!
3) Be kind to yourself.
Some days, you just can't study. Instead of wasting your time getting angrier and more frustrated and cursing the day the Devil put the alphabet in maths, go do something you enjoy. Refresh your mind, body and spirit and make a deal with yourself that you'll make it up another day, but today is for you. Guilt is an excellent motivator, so chances are you will make it up and it'll be far more productive than smashing your head against the brick wall of No Motivation.
4) Challenge accepted.
It might not be very PC or very fair, but it sometimes helps to think of exams as a war on examiners. You are not some ant that they can crush with their wily ways. You are a mighty warrior and will beat them at their own game. Sometimes a bit of competitive aggression is just what you need to memorize organic compounds, Shakespeare quotes or treaty dates. Try challenging your friends too!
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