Exam Study Strategies Why Can Studying for Exams

Exam Study Strategies

Why Can Studying for Exams Be So Hard? It can seem overwhelming to study 4 months worth of material at once We often have 1 -3 other exams we also need to be studying for…where do we find the time? We don’t have the tools to know HOW to study, and how to study for each subject

How Do I Make Exam Studying An Even MORE Stressful Experience? Having disorganized or incomplete class notes Not asking questions in class to make sure you understand You aren’t using your time well when studying or not studying far enough in advance You don’t realize how much time and effort is necessarily to be ready for an exam You don’t adjust other priorities during exam time to make the exams the primary focus

General Exam Study Tips…Tested and True! Begin studying no less than 30 -60 minutes after a meal Never study within 30 minutes of going to sleep Prioritize! Make a list of what you intend to study and prioritize the list Study no more than 45 -60 minutes at a stretch, and then take breaks Take breaks away from your desk and do something different – exercise or stretching best

Creating the Right Environment for Studying When deciding where you should do your exam studying consider the following: Make sure the environment is moderately comfortable (furniture, temperature) Work somewhere you will be free of distractions (phone, TV, MSN etc. ) Study somewhere you won’t be distracted by other people (friends, family) Have everything you need to study with you before you sit down

Create a Study Schedule Obtain an exam outline for each of your courses including what material will be covered, the length of, and format of the exam complete missing homework, correct tests, organize notes in order etc. before sitting down plan for the amount of time that you think will be required to review the material for the course at least twice…and then double that amount of time

Using your Time Make every hour count in your schedule – time at lunch, before school, after school -> use your resources (teachers, other students) Begin to study for each exam AT least a week before it will take place to have plenty of time to ask questions, review etc. Give yourself reasonable breaks (15 -30 min) and try to maintain as “normal” a schedule as possible in terms of sleep time, eating time etc.

Proven Study Strategies SQ 3 R Survey – get the best overall picture of what you’re going to study before you do it Question – ask questions to reinforce your own learning Read – actively read over the material and be alert to main ideas, bolded terms, and key understandings and details Recite – recalling and then orally or through writing communicating the information – make connections Review – re-reading, summarizing key points, testing yourself, asking final questions

Memorization Strategies Some material for your courses will simply require that you memorize the information. This comes easy to some people, but not all. Here are some strategies that you can try: Acronym: ie. PMAT for phases of mitosis (Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase) Acrostic: i. e. Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally stands for the order of operations in math (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction)

Memorization Strategies continued… Rhyme Keys: memorize key words that can be associated with numbers, example- bun = one, two = shoe etc. Then come up with visuals to remember a list, ie. Cheese on a bun Image-Name Technique: invent a relationship between the name of something and one of it’s physical traits (i. e. curlyhaired Shirley Temple)

Concentration Strategies Here are some strategies students can use to focus during study time: Study in a set place that is naturally free of distractions When your mind wanders, tell yourself, “now is when I must study” Stick to a routine, realistic, and effective study schedule Focus on your goals with the material you are studying, each and every time

Concentration Strategies continued… Change your study topics every 1 -2 hours to keep things interesting Vary your study activities – don’t try and study in the same way for more than an hour or so Take them! Give regular scheduled breaks and enjoy yourself rewards for even small achievements with your studying

Student Study Strategies that DON’T work Reading information out loud without writing it down Glossing over notes without “proving” you know it (by teaching someone else, by writing it down from memory etc. ) Highlighting texts or novels Reviewing the material only one time Studying with someone else – unless you are both focused pulling an all-nighter the night before

When you get your exam Here are some helpful tips when writing an objective exam: Look through the entire exam first to see what kinds of questions are being asked, length etc. Budget how much time you’ll spend on each question Read over each question carefully Answer easy questions first to save time Highlight key words in the questions

When you get your exam continued… Circle or star any questions you have difficulty with so you can go back to them at the end of the exam – don’t waste time on them now For multiple choice, read each option separately and determine whether each statement is true or false – GUESS IF YOU DON’T KNOW! Leave yourself time at the end to review your answers and ensure you didn’t make any silly mistakes

Exam Anxiety Symptoms Students who have exam anxiety often report the following symptoms: Memory blocks or “blanking out” on things that you have studied Fear of failing before the exam is even written Physical symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, sweating etc. Lower reading skills Poor attention and inability to concentrate The key to dealing effectively with exam anxiety is to work on what you have control over (how you study, what you study etc. ) and not worry about what you can’t control

Tips for Coping with Exam Anxiety Be Prepared Early Sleep Well Maintaining a regular sleep schedule helps reduce stress and increase performance Minimize Greatly increasing either of these substances can actually impair brain functioning by throwing off your body’s metabolism Learn your sugar and caffeine intake relaxed breathing When you get stressed, taking some slow, relaxed breaths can help you think clearly again

The Day of The Exam… Wake up at a reasonable time so you can get ready at a leisurely pace and have breakfast Carry your notebook to the exam but don’t open it – will have it there if you absolutely need it Stay away from other stressed-out students who may get you worried before the exam Admit to yourself that you will not know all of the answers on the exam…and that’s okay! Try the “memory dump” strategy Write down everything you can think of on a piece of scrap paper after the exam has begun…and then start writing the exam

Preparing for Tests Find a study place without distractions Restructure your notes: Outlines or lists Concept maps (focus on main concepts) Flashcards (good for memorization) Form study groups Explain the material to someone else Ask questions Compare notes

Essays and Long Answer Pay attention to key words that tell what you are being asked to do Create a rough outline first Start with an intro and end with a conclusion for each question Answer words Leave questions directly – don’t waste time at the end to look it over

Multiple Choice Test 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Circle or underline important words in the item. Read all the answer choices before selecting one. Cross out answer choices you are certain are not correct. Look for two answers choices that are opposites. Look for hints about the correct answer choice in other items on the test. Look for answer choices that contain language used by your teacher or found in your textbooks. Do not change your initial answer unless you are sure another answer is correct. Choose “all of the above” if you are CERTAIN all other answer choices in the item are correct. Choose “none of the above” if you are CERTAIN all other answer choices in the term are incorrect

Dealing with Difficult Questions Eliminate options you know to be incorrect Give each option of a question the "true-false test: " Question options that grammatically don't fit with the stem･ Question options that are totally unfamiliar to you･ Question options that contain negative or absolute words. Number answers: "Look alike options" probably one is correct; choose the best but eliminate choices that mean basically the same thing, and thus cancel each other out･ Echo options: If two options are opposite each other, chances are one of them is correct･ If two alternatives seem correct, compare them for differences, then look to the stem to find your best answer From http: //www. studygs. net/