In preparing for your final
exams, there are quite a few common things that students say to
themselves. Avoid these “Traps” that may
prevent you from studying most effectively.
TEN TRAPS OF STUDYING
1."I Don't Know Where To
Begin"
Take
Control.
Make a list of all the things you have to do. Break your workload down into
manageable chunks. Prioritize! Schedule your time realistically.
Don't
skip classes near an exam
-- you may miss a review session. Begin studying early,
with an hour or two per day, and slowly build as the exam approaches.
2. "I've Got So Much To Study .
. . And So Little Time"
Preview. Survey your syllabus, reading
material, and notes. Identify the most important topics emphasized, and areas
still not understood. Previewing saves time, especially with non-fiction
reading, by helping you organize and focus in on the main topics. Adapt this
method to your own style and study material, but remember, previewing is not an
effective substitute for reading.
3. "This Stuff Is So Dry, I Can't Even Stay Awake Reading It"
Attack! Get actively
involved with the text as you read. Ask yourself, "What is important to
remember about this section?" Take notes or underline key concepts.
Discuss the material
with others in your class. Study together. Stay on the offensive, especially with
material that you don't find interesting, rather than reading passively and
missing important points.
4. "I Read It. I Understand It.
But I Just Can't Get It To Sink In"
Elaborate. We remember best the things that are
most meaningful to us. As you are reading, try to elaborate upon new
information with your own examples. Try to integrate what you're studying with
what you already know. You will be able to remember new material better if you
can link it to something that's already meaningful to you. Some techniques
include:
Chunking: An effective way to simplify and make
information more meaningful. For example, suppose you wanted to remember the
colors in the visible spectrum (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo,
Violet); you would have to memorize seven "chunks" of information in
order. But if you take the first letter of each color, you can spell the name
"Roy G. Biv", and reduce the information the three
"chunks".
Mnemonics: Any memory-assisting technique that
helps us to associate new information with something familiar. For example, to
remember a formula or equation, we may use letters of the alphabet to represent
certain numbers. Then we can change an abstract formula into a more meaningful
word or phrase, so we'll be able to remember it better. Sound-alike
associations can be very effective, too, especially while trying to learn a new
language. The key is to create your own links, then you won't forget them.
5. "I Guess I Understand
It"
Test yourself. Make up questions about key sections in
notes or reading. Keep in mind what the professor has stressed in the course.
Examine the relationships between concepts and sections. Often, simply by
changing section headings you can generate many effective questions. For
example, a section entitled "Bystander Apathy" might be changed into
questions such as: "What is bystander apathy?", "What are the
causes of bystander apathy?", and "What are some examples of
bystander apathy?"
6. "There's Too Much To Remember"
Organize. Information is
recalled better if it is represented in an organized framework that will make
retrieval more systematic. There are many techniques that can help you organize
new information, including:
Write chapter outlines or summaries;
emphasize relationships between sections.
Group information into categories or
hierarchies, where possible.
Information
Mapping.
Draw up a matrix to organize and interrelate material. For example, if you were
trying to understand the causes of World War I, you could make a chart listing
all the major countries involved across the top, and then list the important
issues and events down the side. Next, in the boxes in between, you could
describe the impact each issue had on each country to help you understand these
complex historical developments.
7.
"I Knew It A Minute Ago"
Review. After reading a
section, try to recall the information contained in it. Try answering the
questions you made up for that section. If you cannot recall enough, re-read
portions you had trouble remembering.
The more time you spend studying, the
more you tend to recall. Even after the point where information can be
perfectly recalled, further study makes the material less likely to be
forgotten entirely. In other words, you can't overstudy. However, how you
organize and integrate new information is still more important than how much
time you spend studying.
8. "But I Like To Study In Bed"
Context. Recall is better
when study context (physical location, as well as mental, emotional, and physical
state) are similar to the test context.
The greater the similarity between the
study setting and the test setting, the greater the likelihood that material
studied will be recalled during the test.
9. "Cramming Before A Test Helps Keep It Fresh In My Mind"
Spacing: Start studying now.
Keep studying as you go along. Begin with an hour or two a day about one week
before the exam, and then increase study time as the exam approaches. Recall
increases as study time gets spread out over time.
10. "I'm Gonna Stay Up All Night 'til I Get This"
Avoid Mental Exhaustion. Take
short breaks often when studying. Before a test, have a rested mind. When you
take a study break, and just before you go to sleep at night, don't think about
academics.
Relax
and unwind, mentally and physically. Otherwise, your break won't refresh you
and you'll find yourself lying awake at night. It's more important than ever to
take care of yourself before an exam! Eat well, sleep, and get enough exercise.
To
read the original article, please visit:
Good
luck on your finals everyone!
