Successful Essay Exam Answers

There is no substitute for knowing the correct answer, but you still have to communicate that answer to your professor so that they know that you know!!!  Here are some tips:

• Read the ENTIRE question.
• Pause and think about the answer.
• Mark up the questions.  Number the parts, underline important words.
• Consider making a brief outline before starting to write.
• If it is a multiple part question, answer each part in order.
• Use signal words to help the professor follow along.  If there are three parts, use words like “first, second, third.”   If they ask for examples to prove your point, start the sentence with “For example.”
• Restate the question in your first sentence to keep your answer directed and on topic.
• If you have time, reread your answer.  Be sure that it makes sense.  Put yourself in the place of the professor and see if it is clear.
• Keep in mind that you are the writer and your job is to be clear for the reader.   Don’t assume the reader/professor will “know what you mean” because they obviously know the material.  Your job is to clearly explain the information and to demonstrate how well you do know the material.

Next week:  Multiple Choice exam strategies

Students Favorite Strategy - Reviewing Lecture Notes After Class

I am reading my students’ final papers in a learning strategies course and the one strategy that is mentioned over and over is to review lecture notes as soon as possible after class, at least before the next class meeting.  Students are reporting that doing so makes a major improvement in their learning and retention of the information.  Here are some things to do when you review your notes:

•  Make sure they are clear and understandable.   Add information if needed.

•  Make any corrections needed.

•  Add important or clarifying information from the textbook.

•  After reading them, use chunking and recitation – review one topic, cover the information and see how much you can remember, then check yourself.   Then move on to the next topic.

•  If there is some information that is particularly difficult, turn it into a study guide.

•  THEN – at least once a week review all of the notes that will be on the next test.

It is also helpful to do a quick review of the previous lecture notes before the next class begins.

Try it!  You will find a major difference in your learning and then your grades!!

Don't Succumb to Spring Fever!

At last – the weather is getting warmer and the days sunnier (at least here in Indiana, Pennsylvania, northeast of Pittsburgh, PA).  It is amazing how quickly students transitioned from heavy coats, scarves and hats to shorts and flip-flops.   However, with just a few weeks left in the semester, there is no time for spring fever.   Here is what you can do to still enjoy the nice weather but not fall behind:

Keep up with your time management.   Write down everything you have to do and plan when you will do it.

Work ahead (especially on a rainy day) so that when there is a particularly nice day you have some extra time to enjoy it.

If you can find an isolated spot, study outside.  Just be sure you are away from distractions.

Take your exercise outside – run, walk, play a game.

Keep your eye on the prize!  The important thing is to finish the semester strong, not to be outside with your friends.

Enjoy – and continue to work hard!

The Purpose of Exams - Not Just Torture!

If you think about the purpose of exams from both the professor’s and the student’s point of view it can change your attitude about testing and the way you react to tests.    Here are some ideas:

The Professor schedules exams in order to:

• Evaluate the individual students and assign grades.
• Give the students motivation to pause, review and study.  (We know that learning requires periodic review in order to become consolidated in your memory and we also know most students are unlikely to do this without the motivation of an exam!)
• Evaluate the learning of the entire class to determine if he or she needs to reteach a topic.
• Evaluate their teaching strategies.  Perhaps they will approach a topic differently the next semester.

From the student’s point of view, after an exam he or she can:

• Evaluate their understanding of the material.
• Evaluate their study and learning strategies.
• Evaluate their test-taking strategies
• Evaluate their career decision if the course is in their major.

So you can see that exams serve many purposes for both the professor and the student.  This information can change the way you view exams and your attitude about the whole process. 

Good luck as your finals are approaching!

Common Mix-ups

I have spent the weekend reading student papers for my Learning Strategies class and ran across words that students commonly confuse:

Quiet – not noisy

Quite – completely or to a considerable extent

Due – a date when something should be completed

Do – an action or a task

Their – possession

There – location
They’re – contraction of “they are”

To – in the direction of

Too – more than enough or also
Two – the number 2

Suite – two or more rooms

Sweet – a sugary taste or pleasant

Keep these in mind the next time you are writing a paper.    Your professor will have an easier time following your ideas if their comprehension is not interrupted by incorrect words. 

 

Studying Over Spring Break

Most schools have a week off sometime around the middle of the spring semester.  One week is a long time to go without reviewing what you are learning in your classes – forgetting happens quickly!  Here are some suggestions for keeping your class information fresh and still having time to relax:

• Before you go home, plan when you will study and review.  Perhaps even write it in your planner.  Then, of course, stick to the schedule!
• Prepare some study cards or review charts so that you have something quick to study.
• Remember Distributed Practice.  If you have a difficult class, review for 15 or 20 minutes several times during the break.
•  If you never studied at home before, pick one location (dining room table, desk in your room?) where you will always study. 
• Go somewhere with an “academic” atmosphere - your local library, Starbucks, local coffee shop.

If you have an exam scheduled one or two days after your return to campus you will have to spend a bit more time, but the above suggestions still apply.

Relax, have fun, and return to your studies ready to work hard for the rest of the semester!

Homework and Assignments vs. Studying

Many college students don’t understand the difference between homework and assignments and studying.    Generally there are very few assignments in college where your work is graded.   So it might seem that you do not have that much work to do.  What no one mentions is that you are expected to be studying all the time and that studying is your “homework.”

So what should you do when studying?  Here are some ideas:

• Review your notes as soon as possible after each class.
• Once a week review all of the notes that will be on the next exam.
• Read the textbook for the class.  Maybe take some notes from the book or add information to your lecture notes.
• If available, do practice problems, take practice tests.
• Use recitation – after reviewing you notes, close your notebook and see what you can remember. Then check and correct your information.
• Make study guides such as concept maps, study cards, review charts.

It is important to use a variety of strategies and to study each subject several times during the week.

The work is hard but the reward is great!