Getting Ready for Exam Week

There are several things to do to get ready for exam week and not all of them are academic!

Academic

*Know when and where all exams will be held.

*Know what information will be on each exam (cumulative or not?) and the type (essay, multiple choice, etc.)

*Be sure you have all of the lecture notes, handouts, etc.

*For each exam, start a week ahead.  Look at all of the information and divide into major topics.  Study one major topic a day and then review each topic every day leading up to the exam. 

*Do something active with the information – for example, make a review chart and fill in as you study.

*Predict exam questions and complete.

*Form a study group and quiz each other.

*If you have more than one exam in a day, study the information in that order.  Prepare a condensed study guide for the second exam that you can review on your way to the classroom.   You could also consider speaking to a professor and see if you can take the exam on a different day.  It never hurts to ask!

*If the exam is scheduled in a location different from the classroom, go there to study.  It is helpful to learn the information in the same location where you will be tested.

Non-academic

*Be sure to get enough sleep!  Many times I have worked with students whose main problem is that they are tired and cannot concentrate!

*Eat healthy!

*Do something to control stress – exercise, meditation, plan some relaxation time.  Of course, the best way to deal with the stress of finals is to be well prepared!

*Think positive!  See yourself as a smart, successful student!

*Plan a fun activity after all of your exams are over. That will give you something to look forward to and will also help if you are feeling stressed.

Finally

Enjoy a job well-done!

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.

Study Advice From My Students

 What should you actually DO when you study?  Here is some advice from my students in one section of the Learning Strategies course I teach.  Of the 15 strategies shown on the board:

* six of the students said they use study cards (two students “dittoed” the green word), 

* three like to outline,

* two said they make study guides,

* two mentioned some form of time management, and

* one each advocates studying in advance, reading notes listening to music and learning some test taking strategies.

Notice that almost all of these strategies are active and many involve some form of writing.   Rereading or “looking over” your textbook and lecture notes are not enough.  You need to be actively involved with the information, working and reworking it in your brain over and over again and in different formats.

Two of these strategies, outlining and making study cards, should be done following each class or chapter (not as exam preparation), and then reviewed constantly leading up to the exam.  Once the exam is about one week away, start by looking over all of the material, organizing it into study guides, and then relearning and reviewing section by section.

Stay strong as we wrap up another semester and approach exam week.

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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.

A Word About Technology

We know one thing for sure about technology—it will change! How it will be used in the classroom will vary from professor to professor and possibly year to year, but basic learning principles will not. No matter how glitzy and high-tech the delivery is, you still have to do the work of learning the information.

One thing that technology has drastically changed is the way we do research. You can access your library’s website from anywhere at any time of the day or night, and retrieve full documents on your computer screen or other device. This is much easier than the old card catalogues your parents or grandparents used and the endless stacks of journals they had to search through to find the issue they wanted.

 Here are a few things to remember when it comes to technology:

• There is a technology office on your campus where you can go for help. Also, the role of librarians has drastically changed, and they are now experts using search engines and doing online research. Be sure to utilize both sources for help.
• While technology is fun and exciting, be careful about distractions. It is easy to lose focus while doing research on your computer when Facebook and Twitter notifications keep popping up or when you take a “break” to play a game and then realize hours have passed. Turn off distractions until you are done studying.
• Allow time for glitches—things will break down or not be accessible, and if you have waited until the last minute you will be in trouble!

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.