Friday, February 10, 2012

How To Study For A Test

Almost no one can ace a test without truly studying and understanding the material. If you really want to get an A+, you will need to have thoroughly prepared yourself for the content of the test far in advance. In addition, there are several techniques that you can use in the few days, hours, and minutes before the exam that can help boost your performance.
1.    Have a goal. You can get an A+ on everything, you just have to try. Have a good goal. Take into mind how well you usually do and your strength in that subject.

2.    Plan your time. All schedules are flexible if you play around with them. Do not procrastinate.

3.    If you have some extra time, use it. It's always better to be over prepared for a test rather than unprepared.

4.    Start in advance. If you're learning a topic in school and you're having trouble with it, start studying then and there. But, don't kill yourself. Slow and steady wins the race. But don't go too slow and steady!

5.    Know how important the test is. Most are about 20% of your final grade! In college they may be 50% or more of your grade. So take it more seriously than you usually do.

6.    Know what you're being tested on. Take all the mini assignments (worksheets, study guides, etc.) from the class your studying for and have them all at hand, if you study those you should ace your test. Most grade school kids have their sheets all in a folder, which is a great idea for higher education as well. An even greater idea is color coding your folders for your classes (ex: red for math, purple for history, blue for English, green for science, etc.) But label them with text if you have to.

7.    Look over all of your classwork and homework, fix all your mistakes and try to think about what might be on the test. Make sure to put stars or a mark on that information.

8.    Make a Review Sheet and give yourself mini-tests. Study with a friend or a parent.

9.    Type up the questions and write the answers underneath them. Make up flash cards. Put the question on one side and the answer on the other side. You might also want to research your topic. If you'd like to use this information, the best thing to do is to print it. Once you've printed it, highlight and take notes on what you've collected that might be on the test. Don't write in complete sentences, as it is too time consuming and makes it harder to memorize.

10. Revise, summarize, review. You can either study this information, or sum it up by typing a report that includes everything that you think will be on the test.

11. Study in a good place for you. You might like to go to a school library, where it is reasonably quiet, but, you have the satisfaction that others are watching you study hard! Remember that while it may be pleasant to have some music playing in the background of your session, make sure the study session doesn't become an excuse to simply listen to music.

12. Quiz yourself inside your head, going over the questions and answers over and over. Do this step everywhere, while eating, while going on the computer, before going to sleep at night.

13. Make up a song or story that is going to get stuck in your head about the information. Its an easy way to know the information!

14. Either be ready, or ask for a blank study guide. Fill in the blanks just like you were taking a test, and check for mistakes when you are finished. This can be repeated many times and is a great way to learn tough information.

15. Find a method that works for you. If that means listening to your study notes on your ipod or using goofy flash cards don't worry, you will do better on the test!

16. Start studying early and often, then you won't be in a hurry and you will be prepared for a pop quiz.

17. Make a schedule and stick to it of the subjects that will have tests on. Include breaks between for meals, stretching, and for anything else you might want to take a break for!

18. Make study notes from the notes you made in class. Highlight the key facts.

19. Always carry around flash cards with you in case you have a couple minutes to go through them.

20. Remember SQ3R:
Survey: Scan your book for the most important things (They may be in bold, italics, or something else that makes it stand out)
Question: Make practice questions and DO NOT write the answers
Read: Skim your material or read it actively
Recite: Answer your questions you have previously written down (Hint: Talk out loud!)
Review: Review this process until you have it down
21. If you have a sibling, friend or parent that would like to help, ask them to make a sheet for your or just ask you questions. You'd be surprised at how well you learn it when someone is asking you questions.

22. Review your vocabulary. Write down your vocabulary in a small note book and carrying it around with you, so that you can review the words whenever you have a few spare minutes. Make sure you know how to spell the words and you know what they mean so you can use them accurately in your test.

23. Never cram the night before or morning of the test. Contrary to common belief this doesn't help in the least. Take your time to practice and study with a good number of time. Also, make sure you use multiple examples on the subject and practice them over and over again. This is normally helpful in math and science.

24. To focus try chewing gum! Mint works best for a scientific study says it makes you stay alert! every 30-15 minutes stretch and do at least 5 minutes of physical activity!

25. When taking your test, check over your answers so you don't make silly mistakes.

To view the original article, visit:  http://www.wikihow.com/Study-for-a-Test

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