Studying for Exams

One common mistake students make is to not study until shortly before an exam and then panic and try to learn everything at once.  Studying for an exam begins the first day of the class.  Here are some ideas:

1. Start by learning each class lecture notes as you receive them – class by class

2. Make study cards after each class and go through them several times a week, even if there are a lot of them!

One week before the exam:

* Don’t try to second guess what will be on the exam, your job is to learn everything

* Look at the big picture – what is the overview of information

* For each major topic, determine the supporting details

* Study one major topic a day in depth and review the other topics

* If you have had a previous exam in the class, you can predict exam questions, but don’t let that narrow down what you study

* If the professor has given you a study guide, break it down and write the information for each topic

* You can make your own study guide.  Pull out the major topics and put them into a review chart or concept map.  Then add the supporting details.  Turn them into questions and do a question/answer format.

* Remember to think about how the information can be applied to different situations.  You will find questions like that on Business, Psychology and other exams.

* Use recitation – restate the information you just studied in your own words from memory.

You will not need luck if you follow these strategies.  Just work hard!

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First Semester Success: Study Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is now available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.