Getting Ready for Finals - A Review of How Learning Happens

At my school we are soon returning from Thanksgiving Break and students will be preparing for final exams.  This is a good time to review exactly how learning happens and apply that to your final exam preparation.  Remember that learning involves three things:

• Repetition
• Using a variety of strategies
• Spacing your learning out over time

 

REPETITION: Go over and over the information - when you feel like you know it cold, go over it again.


VARIETY: As you are studying, do different things with the material such as

• Reread your lecture and textbook notes
• Put information on study cards
• Quiz yourself - practice remembering the information just as you will do on the exam
• Put information into your own words - the exam questions will not be word-for-word from the book and lecture notes
• Make study guides
• Meet with classmates and either explain the information to each other or test each other
• Go to any review sessions held by the professor or tutors
• Use any online quizzes and review help

SPACED OUT OVER TIME: And finally, obviously, start early - not the night before the exam.  Break the material into logical chunks and start at least one week before the exam.  Any extra difficult or critical information can be put on study cards and reviewed every day!

 

When talking about exam preparation in my Learning Strategies class I always ask, "When should you start to study for an exam?"  I tell my students it is a trick question because the answer is, "As soon as you get the information!"

 

Enjoy the end of the semester and good luck on your exams!

 

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